Have you grown up jumping on goombas, racing karts as Princess Peach, or been dazzled by Super Mario Odyssey‘s sand kingdom? If so, you‘ve experienced only snippets of Mario‘s rich history spanning over 30 years of Nintendo magic.
Let me take you on a personal tour through the decades as we uncover awesome revelations about Mario‘s Origins, his Move to 3D worlds, the surprise hits and blunders along the way, and gaze into the future of our mustachioed pal. I promise fascinating tales even veterans may have missed!
Humble Beginnings of Gaming‘s Leading Man
Before Mario became a household name, he made his humble debut as "Jumpman" in the 1981 arcade classic Donkey Kong. Back then Mario was but a simple carpenter chasing his escaped pet ape. Little did creator Shigeru Miyamoto know his little red and blue sprite would soon headline one of gaming‘s most revered franchises!
Miyamoto revisited his carpenter turned plumber character in 1983‘s Mario Bros where our hero battled turtles emerging from pipes. This cemented Mario‘s trademark jump attack. But it was 1985‘s Super Mario Bros that truly thrust Nintendo‘s mascot into stardom.
| Game | Release Year | Units Sold |
|---|---|---|
| Super Mario Bros | 1985 | 40 million |
With gorgeous pixel art and perfected side-scrolling gameplay, Super Mario Bros flew off shelves to the tune of over 40 million copies! Its 1988 sequel retained the winning formula while adding customizable power-ups like the unforgettable raccoon suit granting Mario flying abilities. Talk about putting on a show!
The NES trilogy cemented Mario‘s superstar status and laid groundwork for decades of platform excellence. But as technology advanced, could our hero translate magic to bold 3D worlds?
Mario Leaps Headfirst into the 3D Era!
After mastering two dimensions, veterans openly wondered whether the formula could work in full 3D on Nintendo‘s next gen Nintendo 64 console.
Fears were quickly quashed upon Super Mario 64‘s 1996 arrival! Mario‘s seamless movement throughout Peach‘s castle and fantastical paintings resulted in critical acclaim and over 11 million copies sold. The pioneering title set benchmarks for all future 3D platformers thanks to silky smooth controls, camera work, and progression via collecting stars.
Not content to rest on their laurels, Nintendo followed with two visually stunning GameCube adventures in 2002‘s Super Mario Sunshine and 2007‘s celestial Super Mario Galaxy. The innovation continued on newer consoles with the gravity-defying Galaxy 2 (2010), multidimensional Super Mario 3D Land (2011) and the recent megahit Super Mario Odyssey (2017) reaching new heights of creativity through Mario‘s capturable hat named Cappy!
| Game | Release Year | Total Units Sold |
|---|---|---|
| Super Mario 64 | 1996 | 11+ million |
| Super Mario Sunshine | 2002 | 6+ million |
| Super Mario Galaxy | 2007 | 12+ million |
Meanwhile 2D Mario titles flourished on handheld and mobile platforms thanks to New Super Mario Bros (2006) and the auto-running Super Mario Run (2016). Nintendo essentially splits development duties between retro 2D experiences and groundbreaking 3D entries. Fans win big thanks to this bold strategy!
What Does The Future Hold for Gaming‘s Posterboy?
In total the Mario franchise has sold over half a billion games across multiple genres like sports, party games, and educational titles! That staggering statistic makes Mario the best selling video game franchise ever. Sorry Sonic, but Mario left his so-called rival choking on dust years ago!
| Total Mario Games Sold |
|---|
| Over 500 million |
Nintendo shows zero signs of slowing down production on their prized mascot. The plumber appeared in seven games in this decade alone ranging from multiplayer chaos like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe to artistically adventurous remakes such as Super Mario 3D All-Stars.
If history serves as indication, Mario should continue starring in Nintendo exclusives for the considerable future. Perhaps we will get a new concept like a Mario battle royale or RPG from the creative minds guiding his adventures forward!
Yet with gaming trends shifting toward deeply cinematic, narrative driven single player epics, does Mario‘s bubbly, vibrant gameplay first approach still resonate? Can the simplistic yet precise platforming withstand technological shifts or waning attention spans?
We just entered the Nintendo Switch generation and rumors circulate of a "Switch 2" successor. Both suggest Mario will safely stick around for many years to come. But it is worth contemplating challenges Nintendo may face retaining relevancy for Mario‘s inevitable 40th or 50th birthday parties!
For now, let‘s happily jump into whatever pops up next whether it be Super Mario Odyssey 2 or a fresh spinoff. That mustachioed guy sure came a long way from swinging over barrels, no? Thanks for taking this nostalgic trip down Mushroom Kingdom lane with me! Until next time, may fortune smile upon your next 1UP!
