Do you ever wonder what video games would be like today without Mario? You can’t deny that without Nintendo and Mario there would be a huge dent in video game history as we know it. The franchise has brought us so many amazing games that surpass age or gender, appealing to all gamers of all backgrounds. Nintendo saved gaming after the crash of 1983 and really owned the gaming market of 2017, with Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey.

But you also can’t deny that Nintendo has made A LOT of Mario games. At some point, down the line, Nintendo realized that they no longer had to come up with new ideas. They could just carry on making the same game, with the same characters and basic plot, and people would still buy it. It’s true that the words “Zelda” and “Mario” are guaranteed to sell games, but that’s only due to the huge fanbase they have built up over time. I’m not trying to say that all Mario games are bad, but they all have moments and features which just end up being weird or silly.

In Mario’s defense, the games are still often fun. That’s the most important thing a game can be! Yet, you won’t be able to deny the feelings in these comics. And if you are head of the Mario fan-club and refuse to see any fault in the games, well take this list with a pinch of salt.

25 The Wrong Pipe

This is a reference to Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, where Mario can travel through toilets to get from one place to another. It could be relevant to any Mario game where you have to travel through pipes, but mostly the issues with traveling through toilets.

One wrong turn could lead to a very awkward situation!

Bathrooms are private places and I certainly wouldn’t want Mario popping up randomly in my house. The is surely where minds went when we first saw this feature! I don’t want to meet the person who thought this up. If nothing else, Mario is supposed to be a plumber, right? When he’s not saving the Princess, that is. Surely, any good plumber could tell you this is bad for your pipes.

Comic by Gabasonian.

24 A Typical Day

While some Mario games are better than others, they all follow this same basic plot. There is a princess that can’t help but be stolen, never improving her castle security after her safe return, making it hard to care at this point. It’s almost always Bowser doing the stealing because that’s pretty much all he does. Maybe he should take up croquet or something or, in general, a healthier comic.

But the person who must really be sick of this by now is surely Mario himself. He looks happy, with his upbeat music, the silly grin, and shouting his own name whenever, but surely, he dreams of five minutes where he can sit down and nap, not having to worry about the Princess.

Comic by Coconutstevio92.

23 Consequences Of Mario

We might think of Mario as this super amazing plumber guy who saves Princesses and defeats villains, but sometimes he can be kind of a jerk! Take this moment from Super Mario Bros. 2, for example. Someone worked really hard to plant all those turnips. They were hoping to sell them to make money for their family or to eat them, because food. But no, some guy came along and pulled them all up too early and now they’re gone. Then, to make matters worse, he’s going to blow up their house, not only making them homeless but potentially hurting everyone inside. You know, Mario, sometimes it’s not always about you! Even if that is what Nintendo has been telling you for the past thirty years.

Comic by Dorkly.

22 Get With The Times

Before I carry on making jokes about how old Mario is, a lot has changed since the original game. There are plenty of new characters, and each game does offer something new. You could wonder if these games are in fact all different Marios, in a variety of parallel universes.

Perhaps that’s why they all keep forgetting to put a lock on Princess Peach’s door.

It is great the Mario games have so many female characters in them, although they are nearly all covered in pink, frills, and all things traditionalists think five-year-old girls like (Peach, Toadette, Birdo). It might be nice at this point to give Toadette and Peach a little bit of a makeover, and maybe give them a little more originality. No matter what 1985 Mario thinks!

Comic by Coconutstevio92.

21 The Mysterious Stranger

Pauline (otherwise known as “the girl from Donkey Kong”) is a real fan-favourite and someone fans love to talk about. Since Mario was facing a new villain in Donkey Kong, it makes sense that Mario would be rescuing a new person I suppose.

A lot of fan-art I see about Pauline is how fans feel sorry for her, since Mario abandons her after Donkey Kong to be with Peach (presumably since we don’t see her again.) So, I much prefer this comic with Peach’s jealousy. There are discussions on whether or not Pauline from Odyssey is the same Pauline as in Donkey Kong, but I don’t see any reason to think otherwise. She’s moved on from Damsel to Major and I think that’s awesome! So, stop feeling bad for her!

Comic by TheGreyZen.

20 The Other Team

Mario and Sonic have been rivals for many years. In my experience, fans of one tend to buy the others game anyway, so I don’t know how deep this rivalry really goes. They are both the same layout team. The hero, the sidekick, the “girl” and the extra one for the fourth player who no one really likes. I know someone will protest that, but hey, prove me wrong.

The weird thing is, as much as Mario tries to be like Sonic, I feel like Sonic tries to be like Mario.

They are both just far too consumed in trying to appeal to the other. Maybe that’s one of the reasons why both franchises haven’t changed much. It’s just a theory, but maybe these are Nintendo’s future plans.

Comic by Gabasonian.

19 Real World Problems

This comic made me laugh and it made me think! Video games have this odd reputation of being a way to deal with real-life feelings. Apparently, people play shooters to deal with stress and use them as an outlet for their violence. Apparently, people play The Sims so they can live out dreams they probably couldn’t achieve in the real world, or to experience control over something. I’m not sure what you could apply to Mario here. Maybe it appeals to someone’s inner hero complex!

I wish option “y” was available in Mario games, though. Perhaps you could go through diplomatic solutions with Bowser, coming to a mutual agreement between the two kingdoms. It wouldn’t be as exciting, but maybe he’d leave the Princess alone after!

Comic by Supadave.

18 Paper Problems

For those of you who have played Sticker Star, maybe you’ll remember this bit. I certainly wouldn’t recommend it over the other paper Mario games. Then again, all DS games seem inferior to their original inspirations.

So, when you first see Luigi in Sticker Star, he won’t speak to you, but you can paperize him, after which he’ll just walk away from you with no dialogue. And do you know what? Good for you, Luigi! Luigi is allowed to exist without his big brother. He has a life of his own and things to do. Sure, he’ll help Mario out if he wants to, but Luigi clearly wanted to get some headspace right now, so Mario should respect that. Good for Luigi for not engaging him.

Comic by Kopejo.

17 Character Evolution

With characters like Mario and Peach who are in every single game, you don’t get to experience this level of evolution. I’m not suggesting that no one noticed the change for pixelated eighties Mario and the Mario we see now, just that we’ve seen a steady stream of versions of the character.

If you put all the Marios together in a flipbook, you can see the steady change towards what he looks like now.

Pauline has only been in a few games, making her changes very dramatic. But I like that she’s back and I much prefer who she is now to who she was. Although I would have preferred it if she’d stayed ginger. Not sure why they changed that, it would still have suited her.

Comic by TheGreyZen.

16 More Princesses

I always really liked Daisy, a lot more than Peach. I don’t know why, maybe because she manages to stop herself getting taken more often than not, or maybe she just seems so happy all the time. For whatever reason, I like her, even if she was just created to be a companion to Princess Peach.

So, it is kind of annoying that she is rarely included as a main character. I certainly would have preferred to see her in Super Mario 3D World, rather than Rosalina. Maybe she was a more popular character at the time, coming around more recently. It’s okay, Daisy, you have fans, you don’t need their approval. You can just hang out on your cruise ship without them!

Comic by Gabasonian.

15 Angry Birds, Meet Luigi

Those birds won’t rest until they get their revenge! Mario is no stranger to cross-overs, teaming up with Sonic on occasion and his latest adventure with those rabbits. So maybe this is a game we could see in the future. Although I like to think the Angry Birds guys have better ideas than that.

For a franchise that’s been milked for all it’s worth in a desperate attempt to stay relevant, it’s holding up as well as could be expected.

But nobody needs an Angry Birds 2. The less said about the first one, the better. Both games have sucked people into a world of addiction, so I suppose they’re a good match. Don’t worry, Luigi, Daisy will protect you with her awesome!

Comic by ParatroopaCx.

14 Oh, Those Enemies...

I kind of feel sorry for these little guys. Most of the time, those fighting for the enemy are doing so out of fear or because they have no choice. Now, not only have they been forced to fight, they are also being used as human shields! That’s not very nice, Mario!

Shy Guys never do that much harm. They mostly just act as minions or are just around minding their own business. They certainly don’t deserve to be used as a human shield! So next time you draw an enemy card while playing Colour Splash, imagine the Shy Guy saying this. Telling you how much he has always admired Mario. Now, feel bad as the little guy takes a hit for you. So cruel!

Comic by Dragonith.

13 Luigi’s Family

I thought throughout more of childhood that Baby Mario and Baby Luigi were the sons of Mario and Luigi, rather than babified versions of the characters. I realized I was wrong when I found out the babies still referred to each other as brothers. But being their kids would have made a lot more sense, especially during games with both the babies and the adults!

Then again, if they were to introduce a child of Mario’s, they should be a good combination of Mario and Peach.

Like this is a great combination of Luigi and Daisy! Kids don’t have to take after their parents, of course, and I’m sure Luigi’s daughter has plenty of good characteristics that are her own. And if she had her parents' love for go-karting, then she’d be the best!

Comic by RidiculedDrawings.

12 Yoshi’s Power

I’d like to start out by saying that Yoshi is probably trans since he and Birdo both lay eggs. I don’t know why, but Yoshi always really annoyed me for some reason. Maybe it was his voice, although most of the characters had annoying high-pitched voices, so I don’t know why I’m complaining. But I did always admire the way he and Birdo always pulled out eggs whenever necessary to chuck at their enemies. So, given that Yoshi can pretty much produce eggs on demand, he could very well do this for Mario! It doesn’t seem too weird since most people eat chicken eggs. But imagine if your chicken could talk and you had full conversations with it. Now does it seem weird?

Comic by Epicyoshi21.

11 Fun With Foes

It’s starting to feel like Mario doesn’t really have any enemies. Sure, Bowser takes the princess a lot, but no one seems to judge him for that anymore. Or at least, I’m assuming so, given how much they all hang out together the rest of the time! It doesn’t matter how many times Mario has to rescue Princess Peach from Bowser, it never gets him uninvited to stuff.

You’d think Mario would have a strong word with him, he doesn’t seem to mind his nemesis turning up to go-karting, tennis, golf, or whatever activity Mario is planning next. You’d think at least that Peach would have an issue hanging out with the guy who took her multiple times! But at least they all take to the activities with sportsmanlike behavior.

Comic by Inyuo.

10 Super Peach Series

Oh, Princess Peach, what a mixed relationship we have. It’s not that I don’t like Peach. When I was a kid I always wanted to play as her during Mario Kart. She’s a real character and is always fun to play with. But then again, she has all the trademarks of generic girl. She’s blonde, runs around in a big poofy pink dress, and plays the role of the damsel in distress. She is never saving Mario. Peach is at her best during The Thousand Year Door, where she shows real initiative and strategy. While she does play the role of box-ticking girl and has done since the eighties, and even though she can be usually summed up by the above comic, there has always been something to like about her. Plus, going on adventures in that dress can’t be easy!

Comic by Hail-NekoYasha.

9 Where’s The Challenge?

Look, I know that games that get too hard can be frustrating. I’ve thrown controllers across the room with the best of them. But games that are too easy are far worse! They offer no challenge and no motivation.

While they are popular and mostly fun, most Mario games can easily be accused of being too easy.

Yes, they are made to appeal to small children who aren’t as good at games as us jaded adults who’ve been gaming for over twenty years, but we’re probably a huge part of their market. And while we should go easy on kids, we shouldn’t teach them failure is not an option. Sometimes it feels like Bowser isn’t trying anymore. But why would he? Surely after all these years, he’s not feeling as motivated as he once was.

Comic by Carlchrappa.

8 Bowser’s Dreams?

I used to think that Bowser was taking the Princess because he wanted money for her return or because he wanted to gain rule over her kingdom. Unfortunately, my thoughts of reasonable and logical capture reasons were shattered during Super Mario Odyssey, when Bowser tries to plan his dream wedding to Princess Peach. Which is rather adorable if you ignore the capturing.

Maybe he is trying to marry the Princess for political reasons... or at least that’s what I’m going to tell myself. Because if Bowser is in love with the princess, then what does he expect? This kind of family scenario? Did he really think that through? I know that Peach and Mario don’t really look like the other humans in the game, but they’re surely not turtles!

Comic by Mariobro64.

7 The Prevention System

After decades of Bowser taking the Princess and Mario rescuing her, perhaps Nintendo is too scared to move past this formula and start something new. It could be that they don’t want to put the work in, but let’s be optimistic. But, just in case it literally is because they can’t think of anything else, here is an idea for the next Mario game, Nintendo, free of charge.

What if instead of Bowser taking the princess, you had to try and stop the princess from being taken?

One of these could be placing a decoy Princess Peach in the castle which Bowser pretty much has a key to at this point. Maybe you need to mess up his car, so he can’t drive away. Okay, it doesn’t sound like gaming gold, but is anyone trying to protect this princess?

Comic by Nerfnow.

6 Luigi’s Special Hat

Am I the only one who finds Mario’s new hat really creepy? Personified inanimate objects are one of my biggest fears, which I know is a very irrational fear, but you can’t deny that hat just looks evil! Its eyes are creepy, and that hat is certainly plotting something sinister. It’s definitely going to take the princess!

Luigi, you’re better off with your plain old ordinary hat. I know it seems like big brother gets everything, all the adventure, all the glory and the special four-eyed hat. But when that hat is eating him, you’ll be happy! The sinister look in that hat’s eyes when it hits Luigi on the head is worse than the hat in the game. It clearly didn’t like being thrown!

Comic by Gabasonian.