Mario is the superhero of the video game industry. Ever since the teenagers began their initial love affair with arcade games, the character of Mario has been adored. Other games morphed, disappeared, and were completely forgotten, but there was something about the character of Mario that just wouldn’t let fans get past him.

Still today, some 200 appearances in games and 27 years later, Mario is the good luck charm for his video game creators. As such, the character has made cameo appearances in unrelated games, engaging in chariot racing, sports, puzzles, fighting, and of course, the ongoing rescue of a beautiful princess.

Although it would be impossible to mention every game that features the unsinkable plumber, highlighting Mario’s incredible transformation is a list of firsts and combines a cast of characters who have found a large fan base among the ranks of dedicated gamers and young weekend warriors. . as.

Mario character highlights a world of firsts

• Mario started out as a humble carpenter in the arcade classic “Donkey Kong”. His name was JumpMan and with his revealing overalls, cap, red boots, big nose and mustache, this is pretty much all he ever did. He made his debut in 1981 and traversed the dangers of unfinished construction sites to rescue the lovely Pauline from the dangerous Donkey Kong.
• In 1982, Mario is seen again in the only Nintendo game in which he is considered a villain: Donkey Kong Jr, the sequel to the extraordinarily popular Donkey Kong. In this game, Donkey Kong Jr. is tasked with rescuing his father from Mario, who has imprisoned Donkey Kong.
• In 1983, Mario is promoted to plumber. This work has stayed with him ever since. In this year he also became Luigi’s older brother. It is not until 1985 and “Super Mario Bros.” that he becomes a hero in his own right and is granted dominance over the Mushroom Kingdom, where he is considered a superhero. His enemy is Bowser, a cross between a truffle and a dragon and a villain who has kidnapped Princess Toadstool. Mario is tasked with returning her safe and sound from her, though somehow she always ends up in another castle.
• This is the first time that Mario has moved from arcade-style games to the Nintendo platform. The Guinness Book of World Records reports that the 1989 edition of “Super Mario Bros. is the best-selling video game of all time, registering a staggering 40 million copies sold worldwide—an astonishing feat for the modest plumber from the Mushroom Kingdom.

This phenomenal success inspired the creators of Mario to make the popular character appear in a number of unrelated games, either as an icon, non-playable character, or Easter egg character, as well as on almost every printable surface. and electronics that were marketed to children, including lunch boxes, TV shows, action figures, and more.

In 1989, Mario made his debut on the Game Boy. The game is “Super Mario Land” and instead of the Mushroom Kingdom, Mario now lives in Sarasaland; the villain is Tatanga and the princess is called Daisy, not Toadstool. Incidentally, “Super Mario Land” rocketed to the number three best-selling game with a total of 18 million copies crossing store counters and into the hands of enthusiastic fans.

With the advancement of Super Nintendo, Mario also switched to this platform. The 1993 game “Super Mario World” once again pits Mario against Bowser in an effort to save Princess Toadstool. For the first time, Mario now adds the spinning jump to his game. One of the most charming characters in the series, the adorable dinosaur Yoshi, is introduced. This widely popular game showcased the power of the 16-bit SNES platform over its predecessor, the Nintendo Entertainment System.

Mario reappears in 1996 on the Nintendo 64 platform. The game is aptly named “Super Mario 64”. It’s the first 3D appearance Mario will make, and fans were in awe. Once again, Princess Toadstool, this time renamed Princess Peach, needs to be rescued, and the evil Bowser is the villain. Although not as commercially successful as other Mario games, this 3D game is known today as the best-selling game on the Nintendo 64 platform with a staggering 12 million copies sold. Used copies of Super Mario 64 still sell well on the open internet market.

The world of Mario and his friends

Mario features a cast of characters that have added to the immense popularity of this game. As her first and foremost occupation is rescuing the perennial damsel in distress, Princess Toadstool (later known as Princess Peach), she is worth mentioning first. Her usual role of her simply requires the evil Bowser to kidnap her and then allow Mario to chase them both down. Like Mario, she is one of the most recognizable characters in the game and has even made cameo appearances in other games, much like Mario and later Yoshi as well.

He received his own spin-off game, “Super Princess Peach”, in which the tables are turned and he must rescue Mario from Bowser. Designed for the Nintendo DS, it’s not a very popular game, although its “E” rating makes it a favorite with parents looking for a safe and fun game for their little ones.

Already mentioned, Yoshi is the dinosaur that initially provides transportation for Mario. As the characters of Mario and Yoshi develop, they work as a team to defeat their enemies and find the best ones that offer them advantages in the game. First seen in NES titles like ‘Yoshi’ and ‘Yoshis Cookie’ and later in the ever-popular “Super Mario World” designed for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, this character amassed a large fan base.

In the 1995 release of “Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island” for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and also for the Game Boy Advance, players control Yoshi himself and a number of other Yoshi characters as well. Mario himself appears as a baby in this game and only tangentially influences gameplay.

Luigi is Mario’s partner and brother. Although his roles are decidedly smaller than Mario’s, he has his own 2001 spinoff in “Luigi’s Mansion,” in which he must unlock a series of worlds to save Mario from King Boo. Released for the Nintendo Gamecube platform, it ranks fifth on the list of best-selling games for the Gamecube.

A helper for both Mario and Luigi is Toad. Back home in the Mushroom Kingdom, he became a playable character in “Super Mario Bros. 2”; he is usually little more than an assistant providing the place where Mario or Luigi can save the game process. As expected, he also received a spin-off game called “Wario’s Woods”, which is a cross between Tetris and an action game. This game belongs to the puzzle genre and is available on Super Nintendo Entertainment System, regular Nintendo Entertainment System, Virtual Console and Satellaview platforms.

Bowser is the enemy of Mario and the Mushroom Kingdom. He looks like a cross between a turtle and a dinosaur. Ruler of the Koopas, he relentlessly sends his minions against Mario and his friends and kidnaps Princess Toadstool or Peach. This action usually starts the game.

Donkey Kong is Mario’s original simian enemy. The latter is arguably a spin-off character from the hit arcade game, and once Mario’s popularity surpassed Donkey Kong’s, the ape was relegated to playing a supporting role, making occasional guest appearances in other Mario games. . Since then he has been resurfaced and given his own series.

Wario is another Mario adversary, but he didn’t appear until 1992 when he was introduced in “Super Mario 2: 6 Golden Coins” to Game Boy fans. Wario is the complete opposite of Mario and actually bears a striking visual resemblance to the character. On a side note, Luigi has his own doppelganger in the form of Waluigi, who is Wario’s brother. Also offering a number of spin-off games, Wario becomes a playable character in the 1994 Nintendo Game Boy favorite “Super Mario Land 3: Wario Land.” From there, there are copious games that are designed with this character as the protagonist.

A game featuring these images is found in the 2002 Nintendo Game Cube release of “Super Mario Sunshine,” in which a graffiti-spreading anti-hero named Shadow Mario leaves his telltale signature all over Isle Delfino. Due to the outward resemblance to Mario, the latter is in charge of removing the graffiti that now mars the buildings.

Mario now and in the future

There is no doubt that Mario is one of the most popular and easily recognizable video game characters of all time. With an incredible number of spin-off games and a variety of platforms, this is one of the most versatile offerings the video game industry has offered so far. The year 2008 already saw the release of five titles: “Mario Kart”, “Super Smash Bros. Brawl”, “Dr. Mario Online Rx”, “Mario Super Sluggers” and “Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars”. .” All of these games are available on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and also on the Wii Virtual Console.

An enigma among games, Mario and his minions are characters that transcend age and gender barriers, and players of all ages enjoy the various platforms and game releases. At this time, the end of Mario’s popularity is not in sight, and players are very happy about the character’s projected future longevity.