One of the most popular and withstanding gaming franchises out there, Mario games tend to be joyful adventures that fill us with a sense of adventure and challenge. Since first coming out in the mid-80s we’ve seen Mario have his fair share of adventures, and the cast around him expand greatly. There are plenty of sequels and spin-offs in the Mario universe, and they’re all pretty upbeat and generally fun. For the most part. But like most other Nintendo franchises, there are more than a few dark secrets hidden away in these games that as kids, you might’ve missed.
Be they hidden away in the games, or just part of the development process, dark secrets linger around a good deal of popular and well known Mario games. Some are pretty dark while others are a little unsettling. Some are easier to spot out than others, while some take time to process and figure out and realize why they’re so unsettling. Be it death, hidden secrets or all around scary stuff, there’s plenty to sift through in the Mario universe’s house of horrors. We’ve limited it to 15 for this list, so take a look at 15 dark secrets from the Mario universe Nintendo hoped you wouldn’t notice.
15 Chain Chomp: Origins
We’re all familiar with Chain Chomps here, right? The terrifying creatures have probably scared us all at one point or another – most likely during our adolescence. Unlike other Mario creatures, Chain Chomps are fast and vicious, making them all the more intimidating. The truth behind their conception actually sheds light as to why they’re like this. Truth is, Chain Chomps were inspired by a pretty traumatic event that transpired in creator Shigeru Miyamoto’s life. As a boy, Miyamoto was chased by a neighbour’s dog until it was yanked back by the chain attached to its collar. This would eventually serve as the inspiration for the Chain Chomps, which explains why they’re one of the more frightening creatures in the Mario universe.
14 Mimi’s Final Form – Super Paper Mario
The Paper Mario series is one that isn’t afraid to try out new things every so often and really stands as one of the better series’ in the Mario franchise. That being said, it’s also shown us some pretty out there stuff, as we’ll see throughout this list. This is one of a handful of dark occurrences within the series. Mimi, the second boss in Super Paper Mario, looks innocent enough. But right before her boss fight things take a complete 180. Her neck does some weird exorcist thing. Really. Whoever was in charge of sound design for the game went the full nine yards with this scene because it’s just neck crack after neck crack. It’s a real disturbing start to an already disturbing transformation.
13 Death Of A Toad – Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door
You see some pretty eerie things in kid’s games, and yes, the Mario universe has its fair share of terrifying tidbits to sift through – but did you ever think that you’d see a murder scene in any of the games? As was previously mentioned, the Paper Mario games aren’t afraid to explore and push the boundaries of what you’d expect from a Mario title. The Thousand Year Door actually has the player happening upon a murder scene. What’s more, it seems that a Toad has been murdered pretty gruesomely. Yup, it seems as though someone in the Mushroom Kingdom just snapped and said enough is enough. This was censored for the North American release, but can be seen in its entirety in Japanese screenshots.
12 The Horrors – Super Mario 64
Super Mario 64, a game remembered fondly by many and one that still stands as many gamers favorite Mario title – decades after it first released. While the game does feature many innovative, and good, fun levels that can keep you entertained for hours – there’s plenty of weird stuff beneath the surface. It ranges from terrifying enemies like Unagi, the monster eel to that terrifyingly realistic drowning animation that has Mario grasping, struggling for air before his body goes limp and eerily starts to float upwards. Of course, there’s also an actual horror themed level, complete with giant eyeballs and scary killer pianos. Really, what in this game isn’t trying to kill you at every turn?
11 The Brick Blocks Are Alive
You might’ve not put all that much thought into it before, but the Mario games have a pretty expansive lore. It’s not at all surprising considering that the games have been around for the last three decades. With all the characters introduced, we can’t be expected to keep track of everything that’s been established over the years – especially the more minuscule details. According to the manual of the first Super Mario Bros. there’s a pretty disturbing secret surrounding the mushroom kingdom’s residents. The manual states that "the quiet, peace-loving Mushroom People were turned into mere stones, bricks and even Field Horsehair plants,” by King Koopa’s black magic. So that means every time you smash a brick, you’re actually killing an innocent resident of the kingdom you’re trying to protect. That’s pretty twisted.
10 Marital Problems 64
Since having first appeared in Super Mario Bros 3, Boo’s have become some of the most recognizable and popular adversaries in the Mario universe. The kid-friendly phantoms are simply designed, yet incredibly memorable, and add a childlike mischievous to the mushroom kingdom that many have come to find endearing. But their origin is a little less cheerful. According to an interview with Shigeru Miyamoto, the creatures are based off an incident involving co-designer Takeshi Tezuka’s wife. Miyamoto says, "His wife is very quiet normally, but one day she exploded, maddened by all the time he spent at work. In the game, there is now a character who shrinks when Mario looks at it, but when Mario turns away, it will grow large and menacing." It’s a funny little anecdote, but really does suggest that the two had some serious issues to work out.
9 What Happened To Chauncey? – Luigi’s Mansion
Well, you’d think that being Nintendo’s effort at creating a horror-themed children’s game, Luigi’s Mansion would be a little bit darker than most games in the franchise. You’d be right of course, as the game isn’t really frightening compared to actual horror games, but really does manage to sneak in some darkness every so often as you’ll see later on in this article. Of the many Portrait ghosts the player can encounter in the game, Chauncey is one of the more head-scratching adversaries. We all know that these spirits were once alive prior to the events of the game, so the question here is what exactly happened to this poor infant child (and his family who you see throughout the game as well) that ended with him spending eternity as a ghost? Infant death isn’t exactly a prevalent theme in Mario games but this gets you thinking.
8 Rosalina’s Family – Super Mario Galaxy
One of the newer characters to be added to the Mario universe, Rosalina is one of the more popular characters in the Mario universe right now. Ever since her first appearance in Super Mario Galaxy, Rosalina has managed to find her way into fans hearts and really established herself among the character roster. Of course, it’s her heartbreaking story that’s made her such a popular character – and it’s the reason why she’s on this list. Nintendo will sneak some tragedy into their games every so often without making it too obvious for the kids. But even the little ones saw this for what it was. Rosalina’s storybook reveals her devastating past as you go through the game until you eventually find out that her Mother is gone. “She’s sleeping under the tree on the hill.” We also find out that she has a father and brother, but they’re not around. What happened to Rosalina’s family? Why is she so sad?
7 Luigi’s Had Enough – Luigi’s Mansion
Another creepy thing about Luigi’s Mansion that you might’ve already heard about is this peculiar graphical glitch. We’ve already covered the bases here. This isn’t exactly the cheeriest game Nintendo has ever put out and it certainly isn’t trying to be. Initially thought to be out in there on purpose, the image above was said to have been a coincidental occurrence. But fans aren’t so sure. The image of Luigi’s shadow seemingly hanging off the ground has sparked many fan theories over the years. Some think Luigi actually killed himself before or during the events of the game – which explains why it’s so much darker than other Mario titles.
6 The Underwhere – Super Paper Mario
Mario games have brought players to various colorful locations over the years, and that’s a tradition that looks likely to continue going forward. But as we mentioned before, the Paper Mario games aren’t afraid to think outside of the box – and that often means moving out of the franchises comfort zone in certain instances. We’ve already seen a couple of pretty dark cases in this series and now let’s look at another. The Underwhere is basically Super Paper Mario’s version of hell or Hades or whatever you want to call it. It’s filled with the dead and features a pretty aggressive theme. Kids might’ve not gotten the implications, but it’s pretty creepy regardless.
5 Dismembering Your Enemies – Super Mario Sunshine
One of the most visually appealing and upbeat Mario games you’ll find is Super Mario Sunshine. The game is an all-time classic and still holds up today as one of the best games in the Mario franchise. Though the game is incredibly cheery and looks absolutely beautiful, there’s some pretty disturbing stuff going on on Isle Delfino. Let’s ignore all the Baby Bowser stuff for now and look at the most subtle example of absolute horror in the game; dismembering Gooper Blooper. You remember, Gooper Blooper, right? The giant squid-like enemy that requires you rip off its tentacles one by one before crushing its head in order to defeat it. If you think about it, this is a pretty cruel and unusual way of killing off your enemies – but Mario does it with no problem.
4 Shadow People Of Hell Valley – Super Mario Galaxy
They’re one of gaming’s greatest unsolved mysteries as well as a potential fearsome secret buried deep within the Mario universe. Though not as tragic as Rosalina’s back-story, Super Mario Galaxy does have one other horror hidden up its sleeve and unlike the former; this is hidden in the background. Hidden in the background of the Shiverburn Galaxy, these guys are incredibly ominous looking. They’re the most frightening thing to appear in an official Mario game by far, and we still know virtually nothing about them. But that’s what makes them so interesting and frightening. After all, we often fear the unknown and these creatures are some of the biggest unknowns in video games right now.
3 Sibling Rivalry – Mario Power Tennis
While we all know that Luigi is in the no.2 seat, that doesn’t mean that Mario’s taller, lanky brother hasn’t gotten his time to shine every now and then. For the most part, Nintendo has portrayed the relationship between the two as close and in most cases, ideal. But this next entry might shed a disturbing light on this sibling relationship. Should Luigi win in Mario Power Tennis, a scene where Mario comes to congratulate his brother will initiate. Though the gesture seems like it’s in good spirits, you’ll notice that Mario’s being pretty aggressive; roughly hitting his brother on the back and grinding his heel onto Luigi’s foot while giving him a Citizen Kane stare. Luigi looks terrified – as anyone in that situation would be.
2 You Lose, You Die – Mario Kart 64
Aside from being fairly outdated, Mario Kart 64 has a pretty dark secret hidden in plain sight most of you might’ve overlooked. There’s a specific scene you should recall at this point that’s pretty horrifying to think about. The loser in Mario Kart 64 doesn’t just get the humiliation of coming in last; they end up having to run for their lives. While the three racers who placed do victory laps, the 4th place contestant ends up wearily driving off on their own, out of sight and far away. What follows them? Bombs. And it ends with them blowing up every damn time. Is this really a fun race among friends? Or is it a low-key scramble for survival?
1 Beta Game Over Screen – Luigi’s Mansion
There’s some evidence out there that suggests that Luigi’s Mansion was supposed to be way darker than it initially ended up being. That might be hard to believe given how many times it’s appeared on this list, but consider what we have to say in this next entry. Years ago people found a pretty disturbing game over screen that was never used in the final release of Luigi’s Mansion. The beta game over screen shows a bloated and disparaged Luigi looking like death itself. While we don’t know what this screen was originally put in to suggest, some people have some pretty eerie theories ranging from severe depression to Luigi’s death. Yikes.