Mario from the Super Mario series is one of the most recognizable faces in history, being in countless games over the past nearly 40 years. Between saving Princesses from giant turtles and aliens, saving damsels in distress from giant monkeys, and saving the sewer system from flies, Mario has done it all. But, with so many video games under his toolbelt, quite a few can fall through the cracks.
Many of the games are set within the Mario universe and canon, but may not directly focus on Mario, and some are party games that went beyond Mario Party. There's way more than 10, but let's check out 10 Forgotten Super Mario Games You Never Knew Existed.
10 Super Princess Peach
Super Princess Peach was Nintendo's way of flipping the table! Princess Peach, the perpetually-captured maiden, finally got to go on her own adventure to rescue her usual knights-in-overalls, the Mario Bros. There are the usual eight worlds, like any Mario game, each containing six levels and a boss level.
This game came out for the Nintendo DS and followed general platformer rules. It didn't break any boundaries or have Princess Peach float over any metaphoric glass ceilings. But, it did give Peach her own game away from the usual motif, even if she was playable in Super Mario Bros 2.
9 Mario Vs. Donkey Kong
The story of Donkey Kong and the origins of Super Mario is pretty timeless on its own. Donkey Kong Country established that the original Donkey Kong games were about Cranky Kong's exploits. But, the modern Kong, complete with red and yellow tie, causes his own types of trouble for Mario in the Mario vs. Donkey Kong games.
This puzzle game series has Donkey Kong causing trouble for Mario, which sets a series of obstacles he has to overcome. The first game is a spiritual successor to the original Donkey Kong game for the Game Boy. But, it began adding other elements, such as Mario starting up a toy company to sell Mini-Marios or Donkey Kong kidnapping Pauline! Later games feel even more like spiritual successors to the Lemmings series.
8 Mini Mario & Friends: Amiibo Challenge
So, this spin-off of a spin-off of a spin-off is called Mini Mario & Friends: Amiibo Challenge. Where the Mario Vs. Donkey Kong games established the world where Mario makes a toy company to sell Mini-Marios, Nintendo decided to utilize their own toys in the form of Amiibos for its own title.
Amiibos, for those that don't know, are figurines that utilize an NFC feature for special purposes in games like Super Smash Bros or Yoshi's Woolly World. Using the Amiibos for Mario-specific characters unlocks special abilities like wall-jumping. The game doesn't add much to the series in terms of innovation, but it worth noting due to the Amiibo capabilities on the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U.
7 Puzzle & Dragons Z + Super Mario Bros. Edition
Puzzle & Dragons is an RPG merged with a match-3 style game that became known on portable platforms such as mobile and Nintendo 3DS. The Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition continues the series, but focusing on Mario characters for the same gameplay.
Instead of fighting dragons and other fantasy monsters, Goombas and other usual Mario enemies are the target. In the US, the game was bundled together with Puzzle & Dragons Z, which is a more traditional part of the series for the Nintendo 3DS.
6 Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
As a cult classic, Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars is probably the one that most people have heard of on this list. But, considering it hasn't seen a re-release since 1996, it's fallen into obscurity. The Mario & Luigi RPG series and Paper Mario games are a little more well known. But, back in the 1990s, Nintendo teamed up with RPG producer, Square (as in Final Fantasy) to make a Mario RPG.
This Final Fantasy-esque game included turn-based gameplay and plays as an isometric platformer, incorporating Mario staples like hitting floating blocks. Similar to the modern Dragon Quest games, enemies can be seen before you encounter them. This is also where the fan-favorite possessed doll, Geno, got his one-and-only major appearance.
5 Hotel Mario
Everyone always hears about the infamous terrible Zelda games that were produced for the ill-fated Philips CD-i. But, did you know that there was a terrible Mario game for the system as well? Hotel Mario was developed by the same people that made Link: The Faces of Evil and Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon.
This platformer plays like a rough version of Elevator Action where Mario has to close doors in several hotels (yea, exciting!), but the animated sequences are praised as being not so terrible. It's notable as being a pre-Charles Martinet game, where Mario sounds like a stereotypical New Yorker that happens to chain smoke.
4 Yoshi's Safari
While the NES game, Yoshi's Cookie, generally gets praise and nostalgia, Yoshi's Safari for the Super Nintendo is a little more obscure. Not only was this light gun shooter game requiring the Super Scope peripheral to play it, it came out during the controversy with Mortal Kombat, which overshadowed most other games to release around the same time.
Often thought of as the best Super Scope-based title, it wasn't super challenging and was criticized for being really short. Since the game failed commercially, Nintendo generally sweeps this one under the rug and ignores any lore that was established in it. Maybe a future Super Mario Odyssey sequel will allude to it one day, but likely not.
3 Wario's Woods
Wario's Woods worked as a follow-up to both Super Mario World and the Super Mario Land series. Since Wario had recently debuted in Super Mario Land 2 and Super Mario Land 3 made him the protagonist, he was only beginning his life in his own games.
Wario's Woods plays like many falling puzzle games but focuses on Toad trying to save the Mushroom Kingdom from Wario that wants to take over. It got a few re-releases over the years but still stands as a lesser-known title that is canonically within the Mario universe.
2 Wrecking Crew
With the success of Super Mario Bros, some may forget that this humble plumber duo is just your average everyday blue-collared contractors. Mario Bros showed his and his brother handling plumbing, but Wrecking Crew had them working full construction.
Working similarly to the Donkey Kong games that Mario originated, he can't jump and has to rely on ladders to get around. Avoid enemies, like Foreman Spike, and destroy objects with your hammer. Saving princesses doesn't pay the bills, so sometimes you gotta get another job to make ends meet. Maybe, one day, he'll be a fancy doctor.
1 Dance Dance Revolution Mario Mix
Alright, so this one is weird. For the Nintendo Gamecube, Dance Dance Revolution got a special exclusive offering called the Mario Mix. Dance Dance Revolution Mario Mix told a story of Wario and Waluigi causing problems in the Mushroom Kingdom and the only way to save it is with dance!
With nearly 30 songs across numerous Mario games and pubic domain classical music, the game came with a Gamecube (and Wii) compatible DDR dance mat to boogie down to such hits as the athletic theme from Super Mario World and tunes from the opera Carmen.