The Super Mario games you should play after watching the movie

Your follow-up program to The Super Mario Bros. Movie

There’s a huge amount of video games starring Mario and friends out there, and if you’ve been intrigued by the adventuring plumber and his entourage due to watching The Super Mario Bros. Movie, you’re probably looking for a gateway into that world.

Fortunately for you, we have a list with the perfect Super Mario games for exactly that purpose – after all no one can expect you to go through 30 years worth of games by yourself and then blindly make the right choices.

Here are five must-play Mario games for anyone who liked The Super Mario Bros. Movie.

Super Mario World

Super Mario World is the crowning achievement of 2D Mario games – it has all the beloved characters and lets us meet Yoshi for the first time, the movement feels really good, and so many secrets are hidden around the map you’re feeling like a treasure hunter.

Watchers of the movie will recognize a lot of homages as well, making it the perfect game for enjoyers of the film to start with. This is the game that made Mario the gaming juggernaut he is today, and every fan should have played it at least once.

Super Mario 64

This isn’t just a piece of Super Mario history, it’s a piece of gaming history showcasing the transition from 2D to 3D platformers. See, not many people had tried 3D games at the time, which made the experience something special for a lot of gamers. Nintendo really nailed the movement on this, and the fluidity made the game incredibly popular.

Due to being such an important milestone on Mario’s journey the movie makes several nice references to this game. You just need to get used to the camera movement, which is a bit outdated at this point, but other than that Super Mario 64 is still a banger.

Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door

Sure, Super Mario started as a platformer, but that’s not all he’s got. Paper Mario is a series of RPGs proving that this plumber had more in him than just jumping up and down like a trained circus animal. Featuring a completely new artstyle, Mario and friends went off to a different kind of adventure. There is a lot more story content here than in the other games, giving deeper insight into these beloved characters and what drives them.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Nintendo

You’ve heard of this one, of course, and it was even featured in the movie trailer. Mario Kart may be the plumber’s most popular series in modern times thanks to it being included in nearly every Nintendo Switch bundle you can buy. It’s a fun racing game for everyone that tests the bonds of friendship and family. Each track is based on some level or area from other Mario games, so this is another fantastic way of experiencing a wide slice from the brand’s long and fabled history.

Super Mario Odyssey

Nintendo

Odyssey shook the formula up by enabling Mario to gain a whole range of new powers, improving on the movement mechanics once again, and threw Mario into an unknown world he didn’t belong in. Herein, of course, lies the similarity with the movie. Super Mario Odyssey is likely the closest gaming experience you can get to the film, so if that’s your thing, this is your title.