Mario Characters Who Struck Out On Their Own
March 10th (#MAR10) is a day for Mario, where we celebrate the red plumber and his impact on gaming. However, as the Mario franchise has expanded so has its characters. Many of them have had their own games, series, and spin-offs. Nintendo has made a habit of making these games very different from Mario’s, and for good reason. They want their star plumber to remain completely unchallenged. So for the sake of being different, we want to take a look at the Mario characters who struck out on their own.
Wario Land and WarioWare Series
He’s mean, he’s not even close to lean, and I’d be surprised if he’s clean. Wario… the epitome of capitalism, first graced gaming all the way back in 1992. He first appeared in Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins as the archenemy, and then as the protagonist in Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3. He’s a man after most our own hearts — and he’s all about the money.
Nintendo has said that they “empathise more with the hopelessly materialistic Wario than goody brown-shoes Mario. Deep down, we’d all rather chase pounds over princesses”. And I think whilst most of us can relate more to Wario’s quest… he’s just unsettling to look at. He does not strike you as a trustworthy guy, even if he does care for his cash.
Wario has even had his own selection of mini-game collections called WarioWare. These wacky quick-fire game collections never really had anything to do with Wario himself. But the folks at Nintendo said they chose Wario to represent them because “he’s always doing stupid things”, so they felt he was a perfect fit for the role.
You know what… I see it, that makes perfect sense now. Wario’s the slapstick Mario character, always getting into stupidly wacky situations, yet somehow he still deserves it.
Yoshi’s Island
As many already know, Yoshi was relegated to being a jumping tool for Mario for the longest time. He’s one of his closest companions — surely he deserves a bit more love than that? Well with fourteen games under his belt Yoshi has gotten what he deserved. His most famous outing is arguably Yoshi’s Island.
This game sees Yoshi carrying baby versions of Mario characters through levels, protecting and saving them. So without Yoshi Mario probably wouldn’t even be with us today. How has Mario repayed him for this? By repeatedly punching him in the back of the head! Honestly I think that alone means that he should be recognised more than most. Imagine having to put up with that?
Either way Yoshi’s Island is a great spin-off game that has given Yoshi the freedom he deserves, spring boarding him to further success among his many games.
Luigi’s Mansion Series
You know we couldn’t mention Mario’s companions without talk of the original. The fearful Luigi has come a long way — he started as a simple palette swap for Mario and now he’s a fully-fledged ghost hunter. We’ve talked about Luigi here many times in the past, and he certainly needs that love. Just look at him.
This petrified plumber might be in the wrong line of work, but that doesn’t mean his games aren’t absolutely fantastic. Last year’s Luigi’s Mansion 3 is a masterclass in game design. It keeps the core mechanics interesting by shifting Luigi’s world around him. There’s something to be said for this scaredy-cat. His character of being in a state of perpetual fear isn’t just funny to watch, but great to play too.
It also doesn’t hurt that he’s the biggest of the Mario characters who struck out on their own.
Captain Toad
He’s definitely got the most annoying voice of all Mario’s companions, but he has one of the best puzzle games of the last few years. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker sees the most capable version of the character engaging in some great antics. Although he can’t even jump, he waltzes around floating blocks, collecting stars. It’s definitely a stand-out game from the Wii U, even being ported over the the Switch. So you have literally no excuse to not check out one of Nintendo‘s strangest, yet best, titles.
Donkey Kong Country Series
Whilst the DKC series doesn’t have the brilliance that is the DK Rap (cheers to Grant Kirkhope), these platformers might actually be better than any of Mario’s 2D outingd. We’ve even talked about Donkey Kong characters ad nauseam before. DK has always been a massive part of the Mario mythos, starting out as an enemy only to end up a companion.
For wearing the least amount of clothes he sure has the most quality, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze being the biggest standout. Retro Studios knocked it out of the park with this one. The perfect mix of challenge, design, and style helped to create an experience that didn’t just rival the old Rare games, it might just surpass them.
If you want a game series that simultaneously outdoes the original whilst celebrating it, the Donkey Kong Country games are the way to go.
Super Princess Peach
Last and certainly not least we take a look at the original damsel in distress: Princess Peach. However here she’s anything but. Super Princess Peach released in 2005 on the Nintendo DS and is a platformer that shows off just how well Princess Peach can hold her own.
The game focuses on ‘vibe powers’ — abilities that are based off of emotions. Both Peach and the enemies can use these vibe powers, which are joy, gloom, rage, and calm. They can change the environment or even give Peach new abilities to help deal with certain enemies.
It’s still a 2D platformer, but it was nice to see that Nintendo recognised Peach as her own proper character, instead of relegating her to just being a reason for Mario to do what he does.
Now then, where’s our Waluigi game?
So that was our look at Mario characters who struck out on their own. Who did we miss? Let us know in the comments below or on Twitter! Or you can check out more articles about Mario here. And as always thanks for reading COG!
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