Best Games To Play If You Love Super Mario

The gaming industry does not lack icons, but Nintendo's Mario exists at a tier above pretty much any other alternative. Since the early '80s, Super Mario has been a staple of excellence, particularly the mainline 2D and 3D platformers that constantly sit among the genre's greatest efforts per console generation. Be it the industry-saving Super Mario Bros., the masterful Super Mario. World, the revolutionary Super Mario 64, or the flawless Super Mario Galaxy, the franchise casts a wide shadow over the entire gaming industry, regularly inspiring evolution and growth in the process.

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11 Games To Play If You Like Super Mario Bros. Wonder

Fans of Super Mario Bros. Wonder should check out these other great games that are all available on Nintendo Switch.

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By  Ritwik Mitra

Nintendo Switch owners have quite a few great Mario games at their fingertips, with Super Mario Bros. Wonder and Super Mario Odyssey representing the IP's 2D and 3D types at their peak. Fortunately, people who are not part of the Nintendo ecosystem have a couple of platformers they can pick up to scratch a similar itch.

Astro Bot

A Once-In-A-Generation 3D Platformer

While not PlayStation's bread-and-butter, Sony occasionally throws out a platformer that would not seem out of place on Nintendo hardware. Astro Bot might just be the best PlayStation 3D platformer of all time; at the very least, it is the genre's greatest option on the PS5. Building beautifully on Astro's Playroom's blueprint, the 2024 release is bigger and better in every way, delivering gorgeous visuals, precise controls, and a lot of nods to PlayStation's history.

Astro Bot shares a few direct similarities with Super Mario that indicate Team Asobi referenced the franchise during development (which is hardly surprising). Putting aside mechanics, the most important element it shares with Nintendo's IP is its wholeheartedly joyous nature, creating a celebration of gaming capable of plastering an indefinite smile on the face of players.

Braid: Anniversary Edition

The Definitive Version Of An Indie Masterpiece

OK, this might come across as cheating since Braid is hardly modern, with the game originally debuting in 2008. However, the 2024 anniversary edition expands on its predecessor well, supplying improved visuals and a fantastic implementation of commentary tracks. The soundtrack was also updated, so the changes are fairly significant, even if the gameplay has remained fairly static.

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By  Jason Wojnar

Braid is among the greatest indie games of all time, one that has aged like fine wine. A platformer that emphasizes puzzles, the "hook" mechanic revolves around reversing time, allowing players to instantly retry whenever they make a mistake. This concept complements the story well, which also subverts some expectations related to Super Mario Bros.

Psychonauts 2

Creative Level Themes, Tight Controls, & A Fun Story

Double Fine's Psychonauts took the family-friendly 3D genre in a psychedelic direction that indulged in the bizarre and absurd. The 2005 game has aged brilliantly and is still worth a playthrough; however, its belated sequel is arguably better in every way. Now, compared to most Super Mario platformers, Psychonauts 2 is way more story-intensive, telling a charmingly unpredictable tale revolving around agents who enter people's minds. The franchise's lore goes deep and is ridiculously entertaining, and players can spend a great deal of time exploring the sequel's hub areas that are filled with NPCs, collectibles, and information.

That said, Psychonauts 2 does not rely on sharp wit and lovable characters to carry the campaign, as the gameplay is also fantastic. While the core loop is fairly conventional for a 3D platformer, it is heightened by an array of unique psychic abilities that present novel ways to deal with platforming challenges and enemies. Most of the stages are quite open as well, allowing room for exploration and experimentation.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land

The Pink Puffball's 3D Debut Was Worth The Wait

Super Mario might dominate the Switch platformer discourse, but the console's genre offerings are extensive and varied. 2D entries are not that difficult to find, but 3D variants are somewhat rarer and tend to revolve around established IPs (although, games like Demon Turf and A Hat in Time show that exceptions exist). Kirby should need no introduction at this point, and HAL's franchise has amassed a huge selection of masterpieces that can rival any of its contemporaries. Still, for decades, the series appeared reluctant to make the full jump into 3D, which caused Kirby to seem to be a step behind Mario; however, that finally came to an end in 2022 thanks to the arrival of Kirby and the Forgotten Land.

Through a cosmic force, Kirby is sent to a new world that has seen better days, sending the adorable protagonist on an epic journey filled with whimsy, imagination, and plenty of sucking (in a good way). The Forgotten Land retains most of Kirby's classic abilities, translating them into 3D in a way that feels like an evolution of everything that came before. In terms of gameplay, the game balances exploration, platforming, and combat well, along with even providing a co-op option. While the actual platforming is probably not as impressive as something like Super Mario Odyssey, Kirby and the Forgotten Land is nevertheless a well-rounded adventure.

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The Best 2D Super Mario Games, Ranked

Super Mario is one of the icons of gaming for a good reason, and these are the best of the best of the franchise's 2D games.

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