There’s a good reason Mario is known as the king of platformers. And that reason is the brilliant level designers at Nintendo. Fans don’t come to Mario games for a fulfilling story as🍰 most of them feature only a slight twist on what was first told all the way back in 1985. The villainous turtle Bowser steals Princess Peach, causing the heroic Mario to brave treacherous lands in order to save her. And it’s here where things get interesting.
Nintendo has given the world some of the most joyous gaming experiences through Mario’s levels, blending smooth gameplay with exciting power-ups and expertly crafted levels. In fact, one could argue that the most important, and most impressive, aspect of Mario’s adventures is how well each level is designed. But that doesn’t mean they’re all w🅺inners.
While it’s true that the majority of Mario’s lဣevels have built the plumber into the hero he is today, there are some that stick out as strange and somewhat unimpressive inclusions. As far back as his earliest adventures, there are a few key instances where Nintendo stumbled. Whether it be to unremarkable design or a tendency to overwhelm players to the point of frustration, the following levels prove that even the king isn’t 🌌perfect.
But close is good enough. Here are the 20 worst levels of the original Super Mario Bros. games and the 10 best, officially ranked.
30 ꦐ Worst: World 7-7 From Super Mario Bros. 3 🌠
Most levels from the original Super Mario games, and Mario games in general, are so beloved because the💮y balance gameplay mechanics with clever level design. And, as one could obviously assume, the further you progress in the game, the more elaborate th꧙e level designs become.
But this late game level from Super Mario Bros. 3 actually isn’t clever or challenging at all. Mario starts n꧟ext to a block with a Star power-up inside. The entire level consists of running across Munchers, which would normally hurt you, and grabbing more Stars along the way. All in all, pretty bland.
29 Worst: World 6-3𒁏 From Super Mario Bros.
Speaking of late game levels that are entirely too easy, World 6-3 from the original Super Mario Bros. is a cake walk as long as you can time your jumps correctly. And since you’ve made it all the way to the 6th world, it’s safe to assume that you can.
Missing your juไmps means certain doom as there’s no ground, but there are plenty of platforms to land on. And some of them even move closer together to make it easier. Also, there are no enemies save for a couple of easily dodged Bullet Bills.
28 Best: World 1-3 From Super Mario 🦄Bros. 2 ♑
It’s well-known now that the version of Super Mario Bros. 2 released in the States was just a re-skinned version of Doki Doki Panic. But that doesn’t change the fact th🍷at there are still some pretty well-designed levels. The final level of the first world expands on every detail from the others.
It was much more extensive with more enemies, more platforming goodness, and a spaciouꦆs inside section where you could climb up and down. And while that doesn’t sound like a big deal now, it was nice to have a less-linear approach than the standard move-from-left-to-right design.
27 Worst: World 4-2 Fr𝄹om Super Mario Bros. 2
When discussing the level of difficulty in Super Mario Bros. 2, it can range drastically depending on which character you’re playing aܫs. Most levels will be significantly less annoying while playing as Peach as she can f💟loat through the most treacherous areas.
Take World 4-2 for example. The first half has players sliding alo🍸ng ice as a barrage of flying enemies rushes their way, tasking them with jumping or ducking at just the right moments. It’s enough to make you scream in frustration, but Peach’s ability does make it a bit easier.
26 Worst: World 6-2 From Super Mar꧅io Bros. 2 🍷
World 6-2 from Super Mario Bros. 2 takes the stress that comes from the flying enemies in World 4-2 and turns it up a notch b♑y hardly giving you any ground at all. E🤪ssentially, you must ride on one bird until you reach another patch of land while either ducking oncoming enemies or jumping onto their backs instead.
The level itself is fairly minimalist as there isn’t much o𓂃f an environment. But what has earned it the spot on this list is that if you don’t time your jumps perfectly, you will certainly fall to your doom.
25 🐽 Best: World 2-3 From Super Mario 🍒Bros.
While sometimes simplicity can lead to a level feeling unremarkable, it can also sometimes lead to brilliance. World 2-3 from the original Super Mario Bros. consiℱsts of a bridge with a few broken spots. What’s fun about the level is the massive amount of Cheep Cheep that start leaping up at Mario from below.
Beginners can take their time and move tওhrough them slowly, easily beating the level. But more playthroughs will build your confidence as you skillfully dip and dive through their attacks. Basically, it’s a stage built for learning how to speedrun before speedrunning was a thing.
24 ♔🍬 Worst: World 2-Quicksand From Super Mario Bros. 3
This frustrating level comes midway through the second world in Super Mario Bros. 3 and is a♓ccurately represented by a block of quicksand on the map. And while the quicksand, which is also teeming with fire-spouting Piranha Plants, is indeed annoying, it’s nothing compared to the main enemy.
I’m talk﷽ing, of course, about the terrifyingly angry Sun. Halfway through the level, it begins swooping down on 🦩Mario relentlessly with no way to defeat it. It forces players to rush through the level either by running for their lives or using the recently acquired P-Wing. And that just isn’t fun.
23 🍸 Worst: World 3 Fortress #1 From Super Mario Bros. 3
Backtracking can sometimes enhance the experience of a game if it means finding hidden secrets or extra items. But since those features weren’t included in Super Mario Bros. 3, backtracking is incredibly irritating. The first fo꧂rtress of the third world is⛄ a prime example of this.
The main section is an enemy-infested corridor with mul𝐆tiple do🌱ors, only one of which will lead you to the exit. The others will drop Mario into water, forcing him to swim back and try a different door. And then have to deal with the enemies again. Before the clock runs down. Sigh.
22 ﷺ 🍬 Best: World 2-1 From Super Mario Bros. 2
The quicksand level from Super Mario Bros. 3 could learn a thing or two from the second entry. While the ground in World 2-1 will still cause you to sink unless you’re running or jumping, there are a pl🌟ethora of platforms in the ไform of cacti, pyramids, and giant skeletons.
The portions where you do have to touch the ground are thrilling as you run around and dodge enꦕemies, who aren’t overwhelming enough to stress the player out. The second s🤡ection also has you digging through sand while enemies try to attack you. It’s a challenging but balanced stage.
21 Worst: ꦕWorld 7-4 From Super Mario Bros. ꦗ
What’s worse than backtracking? Being forced to backtrack without knowing why. Since this level comes late in Super Mario Bros., you would expect it to be more difficult than most. But what makes World 7-4 diffi꧅cult isn’t clever level design or tough enemies. No, it’s much cheaper than that.
This castle level features six sections, eacඣh broken into different paths. But if you choose the wrong path, the entire stage starts over and you have to choose again. If you can’t remember which path you took when, th꧙en you’re just out of luck and out of time.