The Legend of Zelda and Super Mario are, without a doubt, two of the biggest franchises in Nintendo’s repertoire. This dates back all the way to the original Nintendo and both series have remained consistently strong. What is the better of the two though?
In order to figure that out this article will go through every platform from the NES to the Switch to determine which series had a better time in each generation of consoles and portables. There are eleven systems to go through for a winner to be crowned. Who will win? Let’s tally up the score and find out.
12 NES Era: Mario
The Legend of Zelda is a landmark title for the NES, while Zelda II is more like a black sheep. It is more weird than bad. That said both are not as user-friendly as the first three Super Mario Bros. games. Any gamer from a casual to a hardcore player can pick up one of these games and immediately understand what’s going on. They hold up some thirty years later.
11 Super Nintendo Era: Zelda
This one is going to be hard. Super Mario World and Yoshi’s Island are both considered two of the Super Nintendo’s best games. A Link to the Past is so much more than a sequel though. It improves upon some of the more archaic designs of the original while going back to something more familiar than Zelda II. This game is worth more than two Mario titles, but this decision does not come easy.
10 Game Boy Era: Zelda
Both franchises had a surprising number of sequels on the Game Boy and Game Boy Color hardware. Super Mario Land is okay, but its sequel stands with the best in the franchise. There are more games after, but as they star Wario, they don't quite count. Link had three well-remembered adventures, with one of them just getting remade. Even though Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons share common themes, they are distinct enough to be considered their own thing.
9 Nintendo 64 Era: Mario
This too was a difficult decision as both Super Mario 64 and Ocarina of Time are widely regarded as masterpieces on the N64. Plus, Link had another game via Majora’s Mask.
However, while Ocarina of Time certainly influenced other action-adventure games, Super Mario 64 did more for 3D platforming. It is the very blueprint for how to convert 2D adventures into the third dimension, making it a clear winner for this debate.
8 Game Boy Advance Era: Zelda
Link wins by default here because he is the only character of the two, to get his own original game on the hardware. Mario got ports and spinoffs, but no core titles made it to the system. Even if they did, it would be hard to beat the charm and innovative shrinking ideas found in The Minish Cap.
7 GameCube Era: Zelda
Like the N64, Mario only got one core title for the GameCube via Super Mario Sunshine. While it reviewed well at the time it is kind of in the same realm as Zelda II, it is an oddity. Even Nintendo hasn’t revisited it as it remains trapped on the GameCube. It didn’t even get a port to any of Nintendo’s Virtual Console services. Compared to Wind Waker and Twilight Princess, there is no competition.
6 DS Era: Mario
More does not always mean better, as evidenced with earlier entries. That is to say The Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks do not hold a candle to New Super Mario Bros. They reviewed okay at the time, but a lot of complaints were aimed at the emphasis on touch controls. Mario’s adventure, on the other hand, was welcomed like a breath of fresh air, as this was the first mainline 2D adventure since the Super Nintendo.
5 Wii Era: Mario
Twilight Princess is a cross-platform title that was arguably better on the GameCube due to its lack of motion controls. Skyward Sword’s complete reliance on motion was its burden as well. Cool at the time when motion was hot, but now it feels like a gimmick.
Both Super Mario Galaxy titles use motion, but do not rely on it. They reviewed well and really took things literally out of this world. Plus, New Super Mario Bros. Wii was a fun, co-op diversion.
4 3DS Era: Mario
How could a sequel to A Link to the Past not automatically win this entry? It was tough, but Super Mario 3D Land wins here for two reasons. One, it is a proper showcase for what 3D gaming is capable of.
Objects actually had a depth of field to them, it just looked great. Two, it was another well designed, fun Mario platformer. It is as simple as that.
3 Wii U Era: Zelda
Super Mario 3D World was a good sequel to its 3DS counterpart, along with integrating the multiplayer aspects of New Super Mario Bros. into it. Super Mario Maker was also a good idea that seemed like it should have happened ages ago. The Wii U, despite hardware sales, had an amazing plethora of Mario titles. There is only one game on here that lets Link win this though: Breath of the Wild.
2 Switch Era: Zelda
Breath of the Wild is also the reason why this entry goes to the Switch. Yes, it may be a cheat to nominate one game to win two platforms, but that game is too good. People are still playing it three years later. There aren’t as many people still raving about Super Mario Odyssey, or Super Mario Maker 2 comparatively. This was an obvious call.
1 Winner: Zelda
It was a close race with Link just beating out Mario by one entry. At the end of the day, these are both treasured franchises and one gamer’s Link is another’s Mario. Some games are better than others, as discussed, but overall both offer a great variety of high-quality titles. That is to say, when it comes to both series, every player is a winner.