After months of rumors and anticipation, Nintendo finally released the Super Mario 3D All-Stars collection, bringing three classic 3D Mario games to the Switch. But even before this re-release, the Switch was home to plenty of classic Mario games, including 10 2D Super Mario titles available through the Nintendo Switch Online NES and SNES services.
Between the two classic console emulators, there's a total of 10 different Mario titles currently available to anyone with a Nintendo Switch Online hip. The Mario franchise is famous for defining the platforming genre, but the Italian plumber has also had his fair share of side-adventures. Some have weathered the test of time, while others feel a bit outdated. Here are all 10 classic 2D Mario titles currently playable on the Switch, ranked from worst to best.
Switch Online's Best Mario Games: #10 - Dr. Mario
Mario's first non-plumbing gig. Dr. Mario was a major shift from the previous Super Mario Bros. games. To this point in the Mario series, every title had been a platformer, but puzzle gameplay completely switched things up. The objective of the game is to stack up falling pills and match the correct colors in order to remove enemy viruses from the board. To put it simply, the game is basically just Tetris.
There isn't anything necessarily wrong with Dr. Mario - it's a nice change of pace from the platforming the series is known for, but it just doesn't compare to the games that came before it or those that came after. It's too much of the same thing and lacks many of the charms of a normal Mario title. If this were a ranking of best soundtracks, however, Dr. Mario would be much higher on the list.
Switch Online's Best Mario Games: #9 - Mario Bros.
Nintendo's follow-up to Donkey Kong, is the first in the franchise to prominently feature Mario as the face of the game. Mario Bros. as a game sort of feels like a cross between the original Donkey Kong and a later Mario title. Players take control of Mario or Luigi and must navigate three levels of platforms to clear waves of Koopas that are constantly emerging from pipes in the top and bottom corners of the screen. Players eliminate Koopas by jumping into the platforms beneath them, which causes them to flip upside down, and then running up and kicking them.
Mario Bros is a pretty enjoyable game, but it suffers from the same problem as Dr. Mario; it's too much of the same thing. The stage doesn't change, and there's little sense of progression, outside of differently colored Koopas. It gets a slight edge over Dr. Mario for helping inspire later games in the series and for introducing Koopas and the POW block, but it just feels a bit too dated.
Switch Online's Best Mario Games: #8 - Super Mario Kart
The game that birthed the greatest racing franchise of all time. Super Mario Kart is the first in the Mario Kart series and perfectly encapsulates what makes the games so enjoyable. The random items, the colorful courses, and the every-player-for-themselves gameplay the series is famous for are all present in Super Mario Kart. The game's 2D/3D graphics have aged fairly well and give it a cool, retro look, without looking messy.
While Super Mario Kart is still a fun racing game to this day, it pales in comparison to any of the recent entries in the series. The controls aren't as tight as recent games, and the courses are much shorter, which can make the game quickly feel boring. Super Mario Kart is a game every Mario Kart fan should play at least once, but it lacks the solo replay value of remaining entries on this list.
Switch Online's Best Mario Games: #7 - Super Mario Bros. 2
Super Mario Bros. 2 is probably the weirdest Mario game ever released. It doesn't feel like a Mario game, mostly because it originally wasn't one. The original Super Mario Bros. 2 released exclusively in Japan and never came to the U.S., due to fears it was too difficult for American audiences. Because of these concerns, Nintendo completely repurposed another game, Doki Doki Panic, into a Mario game. That's why this is the lowest-ranked Super Mario Bros. game on the list.
This is a Mario game where players can't jump on enemies to beat them. Instead, players pick up items and enemies and throw them at other enemies to eliminate them. Super Mario Bros. 2 incorporates a mechanic that allows Mario to pick things up, like potions that open secret doors. This mechanic has appeared in several other Mario games since, but in this game, it completely changes the way players deal with enemies, which makes this sequel feel jarringly different from its predecessor. Super Mario Bros. 2 does get some bonus points for including Peach and Toad as playable characters, but they're only there because Doki Doki Panic featured similar characters.
Switch Online's Best Mario Games: #6 - Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels
Listed as Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, this game is Super Mario Bros. 2 that released exclusively in Japan. It feels like less of a sequel to Super Mario Bros. than an expansion to it. The Lost Levels and Super Mario Bros. look nearly identical, with the only difference being one game is extremely hard. Playing The Lost Levels now just feels like playing an especially hard level created by some sadistic fan in Mario Maker. It's brutal, but it's still fun.
The main reason The Lost Levels gets the slight edge over Super Mario Bros. 2, though, is because the former actually feels like a Mario game. The Lost Levels also introduced new ideas to the Mario series that have since become common occurrences, like poison mushrooms and red Piranha Plants. The main thing keeping The Lost Levels from being higher on this list is the fact the graphics are exactly the same as Super Mario Bros.
Switch Online's Best Mario Games: #5 - Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
O.K., so, technically, this isn't a Mario game - it's a Yoshi game - but Mario is an important part of the game, and his name is in the title, so just go with it. Yoshi's Island tells the story of baby Mario, who is escorted to his brother, baby Luigi, by a group of Yoshis. The game doesn't play like a Mario game, but it is one of the best platformers Nintendo has ever released.
Yoshi's Island borrows Yoshi's mechanics from Super Mario World, giving the game a feeling a familiarity, but it also introduces new abilities for Yoshi, like being able to transform into a helicopter. Baby Mario essentially serves as a life bar: Every time Yoshi is hit, they drop baby Mario, and he floats away screeching and crying. Players then have ten second to save baby Mario, or it's game over. It's one of the most stressful and exhilarating mechanics Nintendo has ever included in a game. Yoshi's Island also features the best graphics of any game on this list. The only reason Yoshi's Island isn't higher on this list is because it's not entirely a Mario game.
Switch Online's Best Mario Games: #4 - Super Mario Bros.
This is the game that made Mario a household name. Super Mario Bros. is the most iconic game in the entire Mario series. If it weren't for Super Mario Bros., the Mario franchise wouldn't be what it is today. This is the game that wrote the book on how platformers should play. It's arguably the most important video game ever released and is a must-play game for anyone who considers themselves a video game fan.
Super Mario Bros. may be the Super Mario Bros. series, but it gets almost everything right on the first try. From the items to the enemies, as well as the creative level designs and secret warp pipes, Super Mario Bros. laid the groundwork for everything that followed. It can feel a bit dated at times, but for the most part, it's a timeless classic that is still incredibly enjoyable. But, while Super Mario Bros. is the most important Mario game ever released, it isn't the best playable Mario currently available through the Switch.
Switch Online's Best Mario Games: #3 - Super Mario Bros. 3
Super Mario Bros. 3 is the game Super Mario Bros. 2 should have been. It expands on the core concepts introduced in the original Super Mario Bros., while giving the graphics a stylish upgrade and introducing new items, like the Tanooki Tail. Super Mario Bros. 3 also turned each world into a board game-style grid, with varying spaces that stand between Mario and that world's castle. The spaces leading up to each castle vary from individual levels to Toad houses, where Mario can win different power-ups in mini-games. The Warp Whistle is another addition to Super Mario Bros. 3, which allows for the warping of previous Super Mario Bros. games but with a new mini-game to earn it.
The reason Super Mario Bros. 3 is ranked highest of the Super Mario Bros. titles is because it's the most charming of the three. The game itself is actually just a play being preformed by Mario and all of his friend, starting with a curtain being raised and ending with a curtain being dropped. Many of the background objects appear bolted down and cast a shadow. Mario can even sneak backstage behind the props. This is a similar to how Super Mario Bros. 2 is actually Mario's dream (but that seems like more of a cover for why the game is so different).
Switch Online's Best Mario Games: #2 - Super Mario World
Super Mario World is the best standalone Mario game currently available through the Switch. It combines all of the best ideas from each Super Mario Bros. title to make a game greater than the sum of its parts. The overworld borrows the board game-style grid from Super Mario Bros. 3. Mario is capable of picking up shells and other items, similar to Super Mario Bros. 2, but he can still jump on enemies, which makes it feel more in-line with other games in the franchise. Super Mario World's cape item is a nice addition that feels inspired by the raccoon and tanooki suits from Super Mario Bros. 3. Jumping through the goalposts at the end of each level echoes the flagstaffs of Super Mario Bros., but it might even feel more satisfying. Super Mario World is also the best looking 2D Mario game ever released. Each area looks crisp, colorful, and clean.
The thing that really separates Super Mario World from the rest of the Mario games is the addition of Yoshi. The little green dinosaur adds an entire dimension to gameplay unseen in previous Mario titles. Yoshi is used both as a vehicle and a sacrificial lamb in order to get through each level. Being able to grab enemies with Yoshi's tongue and spit out a wall of fireballs still feels as great as ever. Normally, this would top a list of best Mario games, but there's one better that's currently available through the Switch's SNES service.
Switch Online's Best Mario Games: #1 - Super Mario All-Stars
If it weren't for Super Mario All-Stars, there would be no Super Mario 3D All-Stars. The game is a collection of each numbered Super Mario Bros. game, as well as Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels. Each comes with updated graphics and looks much different from its original form. Some look great, like Super Mario Bros. 2 and 3, while some look a bit jarring, like the original Super Mario Bros. Each game plays the same as it did when it was first released, however, so despite the newer graphics, each is still the same as it's always been.
The simple fact that Super Mario All-Stars contains upgraded versions of three separate games puts it at the top of this list - and it also makes the collection an important piece of video game history. Any Mario fan should check this game out before they play Super Mario 3D All-Stars; it's almost like a right of age.