10 Best 2D Levels In Super Mario
The most famous platform game is Super Mario, but which levels are the best?
It’s hard to think about what video games would be like if Mario weren’t in them. The mascot for Nintendo stands for everything that makes video games so wonderful. When you play a Mario game, it’s like going into a huge world where you can think of anything and everything. Everything about the Mario games is great, from the characters to the music to the level design. But the level design is where the games really shine.
The Mario games, especially the 2D ones, show how to make great platformer levels like no other. You can always expect to play some of the most original and memorable stages in the genre on the NES, whether you’re playing old games or new ones.
Pumpkin Zone – Super Mario Land 2
When Mario games try new things and take chances, they stand out the most. Super Mario Land 2 went all out by changing the formula and making scenes that people will remember for a long time. Because of its strange enemies and creepy levels, Pumpkin Zone is one of the most remembered worlds in the game.
As you run through graves and creepy houses, you meet flying leeches, vampires, and even a ghoul wearing a hockey mask with a knife sticking out of its head. No other Mario level would even think of mentioning Friday the 13th. Mario is funny because he does silly things like running past a row of tombstones while wearing bunny ears.
World 2 Desert – Super Mario Bros 3
Mario is strange. There is no other way to describe a plumber who rides a dinosaur and fights a big turtle by shooting fire from his hands. But that’s what makes him so great, and the show is at its best when it’s not afraid to be silly. Super Mario Bros. 3‘s World 2 Desert is a great example.
Imagine Mario’s surprise when, after beating a few enemies and escaping a fierce tornado, the sun flies out of the sky and tries to kill him. This angry ball of fire can’t be hurt, and it chases you through the second half of the stage. This makes it one of the most famous and unique bad guys in the plumber’s history. Mario better bring some sunscreen.
Painted Swampland – New Super Mario Bros U
Mario has always jumped into paintings, so it’s strange that Nintendo didn’t make a level like Painted Swampland until 2012. This stage is a beautiful nod to The Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh. Adding Boos as the main enemy was a nice touch that fit the mood of this beautiful piece of art.
The New Super Mario Bros games aren’t known for making big changes to the way the game is played. After playing three and a half games with the same level themes, moving into Painted Swampland is like going to Oz. A stage based on a real picture is a great idea that should be used more often.
World 8 Bowser Castle – New Super Mario Bros Wii
Mario has taken over a lot of Bowser’s castles over the years, but the boss of the castle in New Super Mario Bros. Wii makes it stand out. It starts out like the first fight with the Koopa King in Super Mario Bros. on the NES, but after the fake-out finish, things change.
Just when you think it’s over, Bowser comes back as a giant and chases you through the castle. This fight is hard because you have to jump from platform to platform while avoiding Bowser’s hits and getting him to break down walls that are in your way. It’s one of the most interesting bosses in the whole series, and it’s a great way to end this journey.
Donut Secret House – Super Mario World
Ghost houses are always memorable because they have twists and turns you didn’t see coming. The Donut Secret House from Super Mario World is a great example of this. To get to this stage, you have to find two secret doors in earlier levels. This makes it a puzzle just to figure out how to get there. When you’re already in, it gets even harder.
This place is like a maze that makes you go around and around until you figure out how to get out. It’s also the only level that isn’t a castle or fortress that has a boss fight. If that wasn’t enough, winning this stage gives you access to Star Road, which has a short cut to Bowser’s Castle. This is a great route for fast runners, which makes this already great level even better.
World 9-8 – New Super Mario Bros Wii
World 9-8 is the last level of the secret world, and it makes sure that the game ends with a bang. This level is full of clouds that bounce up and down like trampolines, sending you and your enemies into the air. There are a lot of coins all over the place, and it’s fun to pick them up as you jump around and avoid Goombas.
To top it all off, huge King Bills fly in from off-screen and destroy everything around them. All of these things come together to make a crazy, fun stage that feels like a mix between a bouncy house and a game of dodgeball. It’s a great prize for finishing the game because it’s one of the best sky levels in the series.
World 1-1 – Super Mario Bros
This level is where everything began. World 1-1 had the huge job of showing people how to play their first Mario game, and it’s a great example of how to make a lesson.
Your first enemy is a goomba, and since you don’t have any power-ups yet, you die when you hit it. You have to figure out how to get around the annoying enemy, which is a great way to introduce the game’s most innovative feature: jumping. The next floating blocks are just low enough that you probably won’t be able to jump over them to get the power-up. From the start of Funny Shooter, it’s clear which things are good and which are bad, and you’re also shown how to play. It’s a great way to start this standard that everyone knows and loves.
Touch Fuzzy, Get Dizzy – Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island
Yoshi has been the main character in other games, but none of them are as good as this Super Nintendo favorite. Yoshi’s Island is one of the best SNES games because it has hand-drawn graphics and levels that are easy to remember.
Before the Wonder Seed in Super Mario Bros. Wonder could change the stages, the fuzzies in Touch Fuzzy, Get Dizzy did the same thing. These bad guys fall from the sky, and if Yoshi touches one, the ground will shake and the world will get messed up. This effect was pretty cool for the SNES, and it makes one of the game’s scenes stand out.
Forest Of Illusion – Super Mario World
The secrets in Super Mario World are what make the Forest of Illusion so interesting. This adventure is full of different ways out that lead to secret levels, and this mysterious forest is the best example.
One of the stages hides the way out of these woods, and you need to find it to move on. The setting is mysterious, with trees that block out the sky and sometimes make it hard to see what’s going on in the level. Even Wiggler, who is now a mainstay of the series, was first seen in this world. It’s one of the best forest levels in video games, and it’s fun to go back to it.
Giant Land – Super Mario Bros 3
In every way, Super Mario Bros. 3 was better than the first two games. These worlds are full of creativity and wonder, and Giant Land is the best place to see that.
This world is full of big things and big enemies. As you run through these stages, you have to avoid huge piranha plants, jump over huge warp pipes, and break huge blocks by throwing huge shells. This world is so well-known that it was used as a model for a level in both Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Galaxy 2. Interacting with this huge environment is fun and rewarding, and it’s a great way to show how creative Mario is.
