So New Super Mario Bros. 2 has been continuing the tradition of the New series by incorporating elements from the NES Mario Bros. games and mixing some new material and a fresh coat of paint. This has been met with mixed reviews, ranging from favorable to mediocre---with more mediocre reviews coming from the latest installment that has come out in early August.
Now, while I am a fan of linking to the past to try to create a new future of more fun Mario games, I feel like they aren’t digging into the past enough. While major Mario games are getting their ideas imitated, there are dozens of other ideas from smaller-key games that can really deliver some added mayhem to 2-D Mario. Here are a couple of Mario games from the past that delivered great gameplay experiences that should be repeated for future installments.
#1: Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island
Arguably the most underrated video game I’ve ever had the pleasure of playing, Yoshi’s Island has dozens of incredible ideas that have yet to be repeated since the this-never-happened Yoshi’s Story. Where do we begin? The creation and throwing of eggs, the vehicles Yoshi transforms to, the extremely lengthy levels that the later worlds became notorious for, the villains changing appearance depending on the atmosphere, the very diverse boss battles, and just the overall sensation of brisk insanity combined with clever 2-D gameplay. So why couldn’t New Super Mario Bros. 3 have some Yoshi’s Island-style levels?
For every level that has Yoshi, when you hop to his back, you take control of Yoshi, who can hover, make eggs, throw eggs, and reach places that normally Mario could not reach. Instead of just running with him, you can transform Yoshi into essentially a separate and yet effective character. But we should copy more than just Yoshi’s arsenal of attacks. Mario Land also did this, but the upcoming Mario games can definitely benefit from a few vehicle levels in which Mario can take control of a submarine or an airplane. Mario Land’s best levels involved vehicular battling, and Yoshi’s Island was no pushover either. And the last thing I would like to see copied from Yoshi’s Island is that the boss battles should differ greatly from one another. I do like the Koopa kids don’t get me wrong, but each one should have their own niches and strategies for victory—as opposed to just avoiding attacks and hitting them three times. It is games like Yoshi’s Island that makes the New Mario Bros. games look mild and unfulfilling. Borrowing from one of the all-time greats could definitely fix this.
#2: Wario Land II and III
Now, these games may not feature Mario, but this is a unique take of the Mario run-jump-platform formula. These two handheld gems introduce many cool ideas that could really spice up some Super Mario levels in the future. For one, why not make a level in which Mario cannot die? Instead, he winds up in the beginning of the level, adding more frustration as opposed to just going back to a checkpoint. That’s one way to spin the franchise another direction—an exclusive world with no death whatsoever.
Wario Land 3’s take on platform was impressive, but never imitated. They run through a day-night system in which the level changes looks and changes appearance depending on what time it is. Super Mario can definitely benefit from this and become much more diverse by creating two different levels out of one level multiple times. Secrets, hidden exits, and different enemies will pop up depending on whether the moon is out, or the sun is out. How much fun would that be?
#3: Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
RPG gameplay in a Mario platformer? Utter blasphemy. But, hear me out. Donkey Kong Country 3 had this fun feature in which you could collect items and trade them around with different bears throughout the adventure, leading to secrets, updated vehicles, and more exploration. Mario RPG also did this, but it led to mini-games left and right. How much fun would it be if New Super Mario Bros. 3 also features a treasure hunt/trading aspect of the game in which you can find random items throughout your journey and trade them with different Toads in exchange of secret levels, secret mini-games, and more? Mario RPG’s longevity was greatly attributed to the utterly inane amount of secret items you could find.
Long after the quest was over I was still riding the mine carts (This was sooo much fun), gambling in a secret casino, searching for secret flags, and also trying to find a shiny stone for more fireworks. New Mario 3 can really be more fun if they added quirky moments like these to keep you engaged after Bowser’s expected defeat.
Bottom Line: The idea of jump-starting a new 2-D Mario series was a good one, but one must also try to find ways to push the franchise forward as well as borrow the fun elements of the past. This combination is what made games like the Mario World series, Super Mario 64, and Mario Galaxy pure gems in my eyes. Going from left to right doesn’t have to be repetitive, you can really toy around with the recipe. The NES games were great but its time to look into the Game Boy and SNES days to take the better ideas and utilize them. From Yoshi’s Island to the underplayed Wario Land 3, New Mario Bros. 3 has a lot of references to look into when trying to become the perfect game. But with Mario 3D Land selling over 5 million copies, New Mario Bros. 2 approaching 2 million BEFORE a U.S. release, and New Super Mario Bros. Wii selling 23 million copies, I doubt Nintendo would listen to me.
But seriously, a Mario World/Yoshi's Island hybrid would be too much fun.
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