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00:00Welcome to Mojo Plays and today we're counting down every 2D Super Mario game ranked from
00:10worst to best.
00:15Before we get started, we post new videos all week long, so be sure to subscribe to
00:19Mojo Plays and ring that bell to be notified about our latest videos.
00:24Number 15, Super Mario Land A launch title for Nintendo's first true
00:33handheld console, the Game Boy, Super Mario Land is a strange little Mario game.
00:38It doesn't feature Bowser and isn't set in the Mushroom Kingdom.
00:41Instead, you're tasked with rescuing Princess Daisy, making her debut here, and fighting
00:46Tatanga.
00:47Also, rather than fireballs, Mario shoots bouncing Super Balls.
00:51Super Mario Land isn't a terrible game.
00:53The soundtrack in particular is fantastic.
00:57However, as one of the earliest Game Boy games, it faces some limitations both graphically
01:04and in terms of gameplay.
01:06Its length is incredibly short, you can beat it in under an hour.
01:10While good for what it is, Super Mario Land simply doesn't stack up to its fellow Mario
01:14games.
01:19Number 14, Super Mario Bros.
01:21The Lost Levels Nintendo followed up the game-changing original
01:29Super Mario Bros. with a sequel that's basically the opposite of accessible.
01:33The game was deemed too difficult for American audiences, and considering Nintendo released
01:38Ghost and Goblins the same year, that's saying something.
01:42Super Mario Bros. 2 became Super Mario Bros.
01:44The Lost Levels when it was eventually released with Super Mario All-Stars.
01:48It's basically a forerunner of the Kaizo Mario ROM hacks.
01:51In other words, every level seems to troll players in some way.
01:58Poison Mushrooms, warps that take you backwards instead of forward, Hurricane Force Winds,
02:03it's a nightmare to get through for most.
02:05While insane difficulty has its fans, Mario has always been about approachability, and
02:09this leaves this game as the odd one out.
02:15Number 13, New Super Mario Bros. 2
02:22You might think with a 2 in its title, this would have come out soon after New Super Mario
02:26Bros., but this is actually the third title in the sub-series, which is not confusing
02:30at all.
02:31Like most of the other new titles, New Super Mario Bros. 2 shares a similar art style,
02:36music, and other assets.
02:39There's a new co-op mode, and there's some minor changes here and there.
02:45However, the biggest emphasis is on collecting coins.
02:48You're charged with getting a million of them throughout your playthrough, which can
02:51be annoying.
02:52Ultimately, we feel like the other New Super Mario games are more fun to play.
03:01Number 12, Super Mario Bros. 2
03:11Unlike the other Super Mario Bros. 2 that was released in North America, this one is
03:15technically a reskin of a different game, Yume Kojo Doki Doki Panic.
03:19Its origins certainly give it a different flavor than most of the franchise.
03:23Unlike other early games, the screen moves right and left, and enemies are defeated by
03:27throwing things instead of jumping on them.
03:32While still viewed as something of a black sheep, Super Mario Bros. 2 did introduce many
03:36important concepts and gameplay elements, like the ability to play as Peach and Toad,
03:40as well as numerous enemies that are major staples.
03:51Number 11, Super Mario Land 2 Six Golden Coins
04:00A major step up from its predecessor, Super Mario Land 2 is bigger and better in almost
04:05every way.
04:06It has six zones, each with multiple levels and a boss to defeat to acquire one of the
04:11titular Golden Coins.
04:12The game introduces Wario and establishes him as a greedy antagonist for Mario.
04:21The zones all have fun themes, great level design, and you get a cool new power-up.
04:26I mean, who doesn't love bunny ears that make you float?
04:29It's still a Game Boy game, but Super Mario Land 2 does a surprising amount with its limited
04:33hardware.
04:38Number 10, Super Mario Maker Although modders have been making their own
04:45Mario levels for decades, Nintendo decided to make it easy for the rest of us with Super
04:49Mario Maker.
04:50The sheer variety of possibilities is incredible.
04:53The interface is easy to use and offers the ability to create levels in the style of many
04:57of the classic games.
05:03Although there are some sample courses available to play, the real draw is the user-created
05:07levels, which were offered through the tragically obtuse online area.
05:11There's gimmick levels, troll levels, easy levels, impossible levels, and so much more
05:16in between.
05:17Unfortunately, the online was shut down in 2024, rendering its biggest draw a bit moot
05:22now.
05:28Number 9, New Super Mario Bros.
05:34Being the first 2D Mario platformer made after over a decade, this game truly lived up to
05:39the New in its name, which is more that can be said about some of the games that followed
05:44in its wake.
05:45New Super Mario Bros. revived the 2D platforming side of the franchise, but with some interesting
05:50additions.
05:54Mario gained some new moves from his 3D titles, including wall jumps, ground pounds, and triple
05:59jumps, while also receiving fun new power-ups to play with, like the Mega and Mini Mushrooms.
06:04While New Super Mario Bros. didn't reinvent the series, it still feels like a refreshing
06:09return to a classic formula.
06:14Number 8, New Super Mario Bros. Wii.
06:21While the fact that it's the second game in the sub-series that causes some confusion,
06:25New Super Mario Bros. Wii is still plenty of fun.
06:28The game returned 2D Mario platforming to home consoles as well as solidified the New
06:32Super Mario Bros. art style.
06:34Along with some familiar power-ups and the ability to ride Yoshi again, New Super Mario
06:39Bros. Wii also introduced some new ones like the Penguin Suit and the Propeller Mushroom.
06:47There's a strong emphasis on multiplayer, with 4 players now leading to a ton of chaos
06:54on screen.
06:55The surprisingly challenging platforming doesn't always mesh well with the multiplayer though,
07:00particularly given how easy it is to throw each other down a pit, accidentally and on
07:05purpose.
07:10Number 7, New Super Mario Bros. U.
07:19The most recent and final entry in the New Super Mario Bros. line, New Super Mario Bros.
07:24U is arguably the best of the bunch.
07:26Improving on the previous games and including most of the same power-ups, U adds a few new
07:31features like a flying Squirrel Power as well as several new modes, Challenge and Boost
07:36Rush.
07:37Where U really shines though is in its presentation, which is akin to Super Mario World and in
07:42its level design.
07:47New Super Mario Bros. U simply refines every element from its predecessors, plus its enhanced
07:52Switch port, New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe adds even more including quality of life fixes
07:58and new power-ups.
07:59None of the latter is to blame or thank for the whole Bowsette craze.
08:09Number 6, Super Mario Bros.
08:16The original 8-bit game that started it all, Super Mario Bros. is the foundation upon which
08:21every other Super Mario game and indeed much of the gaming industry is based.
08:25The controls are still incredibly precise today.
08:28It basically invented the 2D platformer genre, effortlessly detailing its rules and conventions
08:33through the gameplay.
08:35All the enemies, power-ups, and secrets have become iconic parts of pop culture in general.
08:44So why isn't it ranked higher?
08:45Well, simply because many of the games that followed managed to surpass its impressive
08:50gameplay, building on its legacy to even greater heights.
08:53Also it's not a very long game, especially with warps.
09:02Number 5, Super Mario Maker 2.
09:08Sure the online's still working for now, certainly puts Super Mario Maker 2 leagues ahead of
09:13its predecessor.
09:14However, it also does everything the original Mario Maker did, only better.
09:19All the previous tools to make levels return, but now with assets from Super Mario 3D World
09:24included as well as new playable characters.
09:28Additionally, there are now several multiplayer modes, a story mode, and even the ability
09:34to create world maps to link together your custom levels into a single game of your own.
09:39Super Mario Maker 2 is a rare sequel that lives up to and exceeds the original.
09:49Number 4, Super Mario World 2 Yoshi's Island.
09:56Yes, you play as Yoshi in this game and Mario is just a crying infant that makes us want
10:03to pull our hair out.
10:04However, the Super Mario in the title gives us license to include this incredible game
10:09nonetheless.
10:10Yoshi's first starring role in a platformer features a colorful, adorable art style and
10:14one great gameplay mechanic after another.
10:21While it's fairly easy by Super Mario standards, the game is deceptively simple.
10:25The intricately designed levels, amazing soundtrack, and charming atmosphere all helped make Super
10:30Mario World 2 Yoshi's Island the gaming equivalent of a hug from the titular green dino.
10:35We can certainly see why it spawned its own spin-off series.
10:48Number 3, Super Mario Bros. Wonder.
10:53Out with the new Super and in with the Wonder.
10:56In addition to an expressive new art style and pleasingly musical atmosphere, Super Mario
11:01Bros. Wonder brings a cavalcade of fresh, inventive ideas to the series.
11:06There's a whopping 12 playable characters as well as some incredibly strange new power-ups
11:10like a drill mushroom and elephant fruit.
11:12There's also various badges that give you individual new abilities that change up the
11:16core gameplay.
11:22Most notable of all, though, are the Wonder Flowers, whose effects do everything from
11:26altering the stage to starting a musical number.
11:29Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a vibrant, varied, and truly creative spin on 2D Mario platforming
11:35and we can't help but wonder how Nintendo will improve on it.
11:45Number 2, Super Mario Bros. 3.
11:51The third time was indeed the charm with Super Mario Bros.
11:55Arguably the peak of the NES era, Super Mario Bros. 3 is loaded with challenging, well-crafted
12:00levels and iconic music.
12:02It debuted several things that went on to become staples of the franchise, like its
12:06enemies, overworld map, and flying power-ups.
12:13The game was so big in the 80s they made an entire movie just to advertise it.
12:17Oh, and have you not heard of the Wizard?
12:19Much like the Power Glove, it's so bad.
12:21But the hype?
12:22The hype is real.
12:23Super Mario Bros. 3 is truly a great leap forward for the series and considering how
12:28much jumping Mario does himself, that's quite impressive.
12:38Number 1, Super Mario World.
12:44Even among the elite company of 2D Mario games, many of which have defined platforming and
12:49video games in general, Super Mario World stands out.
12:52The expansive world map of Mario 3 gets expanded even further with countless secrets to discover.
12:58Yoshi is introduced.
13:02The music is iconic and lives in our heads rent-free.
13:06The graphics haven't aged a day in decades.
13:08It's endlessly replayable and truly one of the gold standards of video games.
13:12Super Mario World set the bar so high for 2D Mario games that you'd need a cape to
13:17reach it.
13:18And we'd argue that not even its successors have managed to do that.
13:26Is there a 2D Mario game you'd rank higher than we did?
13:29Fire your picks at us in the comments.
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