This September marks the 30th anniversary of the release of the original Super Mario Bros. on the NES! To celebrate, Mario Party Legacy is spending each day of the week looking back at the Mario titles released in a single year. Each retrospective will also feature a remix or medley that best fits that year!
1985
Day 1, Tuesday, September 1, 2015
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkL2kVA2uyc
The remix I picked to start off the Month of Mario doesn’t focus just on Super Mario Bros., but on the entire Super Mario series it was able to create. Thanks to the success of the original game on the NES, Mario surged in popularity and quickly became a household name. It’s thanks to Super Mario Bros. that we have now have classics like Super Mario World and Super Mario 64.
More interesting is the fact that 1985 was not the start of Mario. Before Super Mario Bros. was ever a game, Mario was already a prominent figure in arcades, making appearances in games like Mario Bros. and Donkey Kong. It’s important to make this distinction as we are not celebrating the 30th anniversary of Mario, but the anniversary of the game that made him that much more of a success. With that in mind, let’s get ready to celebrate!
Mario games released in 1985:
- Super Mario Bros. (NES, September 13)
- Wrecking Crew (NES, October)
1986
Day 2, Wednesday, September 2, 2015
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJeGDzwc0j8
So how did Nintendo follow up on the success of Super Mario Bros. in the following year? Well, not with much. The only big title to release this year was the Japan-only Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels. This sequel of sorts took the original Super Mario Bros. and added much more challenging levels, new sprites, and the Poison Mushroom! It wasn’t released in other regions until the Wii Virtual Console in 2007!
Does the music featured today not sound familiar? That’s probably the case, as the selected track is from the title screen of the Super Mario All-Stars version of The Lost Levels on the SNES. This piano rendition is soft and calm, a nice juxtaposition that prepares you for the cataclysm that is The Lost Levels.
Mario games released in 1986:
- Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (NES, June, Japan Only)
- Golf (NES, October 18)
1987
Day 3, Thursday, September 3, 2015
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lID0A5p0_SY
Since we’re trying to focus on games released in North America and avoiding smaller games with simple Mario cameos, 1987 doesn’t have much going for it. But! Since this is the 30th Anniversary for Super Mario Bros., why don’t we take a listen to another medley, this time featuring only tunes from the original game!
And let’s take this day to share some of our favorite memories from the game, whether it’s something that happened within the game or something that happened while playing or because you played Super Mario Bros.!
1988
Day 4, Friday, September 4, 2015
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYWCxELxTLI
Finally! The sequel to Super Mario Bros.! As many of you have mentioned in the comments, The Lost Levels was only released in Japan when Nintendo decided the game was a bit too challenging for the western audience. As a result, other regions got Super Mario Bros. 2, a revamp of the already released sidescroller known as Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic. The game looked and played quite differently from the original Super Mario Bros., and that is one of the big reasons it doesn’t get as much love! There were a lot of new ideas and gameplay mechanics introduced the helped take a big leap forward for the Super Mario series.
The medley today is from, you guessed is, Super Mario Bros. 2! This medley in particular only features two tracks, the main theme and the ending theme. The jazzy feel fits very appropriately as the game was themed heavily on the idea of dreams. Very relaxing and very nostalgic!
Mario games released in 1988:
- Donkey Kong Classics (NES, September 9)
- Super Mario Bros. 2 (NES, October 9)
1989
Day 5, Saturday, September 5, 2015
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvH7BlsW_3E
It’s easy to overlook the Super Mario Land games. After all, both Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros. 2, along with the eventual Super Mario Bros. 3, all released on the same console. Super Mario Land was released on the Game Boy as the first handheld Mario title. The game was basic, at times even more basic than the original Super Mario Bros. That said, its charm and unique style is something you won’t find anywhere else.
If you haven’t had the chance to play the game, I encourage you to head to the 3DS eShop and pick it up there. The game is fairly short, but it’s a fun experience that I don’t think you will find in any other Mario game. Plus, it’s the first appearance of Daisy in the Mario series, so you can’t go wrong with that!
The medley above is dedicated to everything Super Mario Land. Enjoy!
Mario games released in 1989:
- Super Mario Land (Game Boy, July 31)
1990
Day 6, Sunday, September 6, 2015
The early years of the Mario series did not see numerous releases in a single year like we’ve had in the past decade. For 1990, this is very much the case as we got a single release, albeit an important one. Dr. Mario was released on the Game Boy, furthering the spin-off trend and throwing Mario into yet another genre.
Dr. Mario went on to start another sub-series of Mario. The latest Dr. Mario game was recently released on the 3DS, and Dr. Mario himself is prominently featured as a playable character in two Super Smash Bros. titles. The two remixes today feature two of the more popular themes from the series. Which one brings back the most memories for you?
Mario games released in 1990:
- Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES, February 9)
- Dr. Mario (Game Boy, October)
1991
Day 7, Monday, September 7, 2015
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UKxfWdNnYw
Whoops! We forgot Super Mario Bros. 3 for the previous year! Super Mario Bros. 3 took what made the original Super Mario Bros. so special and so innovative and took it to an entirely new level. New mechanics, different gameplay styles, plenty of fresh ideas, all on the same hardware.
Then we got another huge leap forward with Super Mario World. Tons of new ideas crammed into a creative set of brilliant levels with fantastic design. Plus, Yoshi! The remix for today is from none other than our beloved Super Mario World. Let the memories rush back!
Mario games released in 1991:
- Super Mario World (SNES, August 13)
- NES Open Tournament Golf (NES, September 29)