PaleoBlue
2019
my favorite in the series. i even got to play it with my little sister a bit, which was super fun! expanded on a lot of things i didn't even think needed to be expanded, like the costume system. it's cool that they separated the crown and box limit goals, but i feel like you should also be rewarded for doing both at the same time considering the fact you are meant to be able to do so.
gameplay and level design are both top notch, and the characters' play styles are all varied and interesting. very replayable, too.
2011
i have been playing this game for ten years, ever since my eighth birthday. and now, i am eighteen. i may have had times where i said i no longer enjoyed this game, where i no longer wanted to play it.
but i always came back.
it never left.
and when i finally beat it, i cried.
i fucking cried.
this game is special to me in ways i cannot describe. to put it simply, i'd call it... art. i think that's the word.
but i always came back.
it never left.
and when i finally beat it, i cried.
i fucking cried.
this game is special to me in ways i cannot describe. to put it simply, i'd call it... art. i think that's the word.
this was a difficult one to get invested in, but i'm kinda glad i pulled through. a lot of the characters i didn't care about at first got a lot more context introduced later on, and i enjoyed the back half of the game a lot more than the first
some of the best level design i've ever seen in a 2d mario, and the world structure was super interesting. unfortunately, this has probably been one of my least favorite marios to control in the series so far, and the game was REALLY short! i wish there were more levels to play!
2017
the most mechanically interesting of the 3ds trilogy, and the most visually polished! though i feel like this one leans the most into execution focus in a lot of the later puzzles, which gets a little annoying. very fun regardless!
2016
an improvement over the first in almost every way, and more challenging too. collectibles in particular are placed in noticeably better spots. does basically nothing new compared to the first game besides the second set of boxes tho
2015
fun little puzzle platformer with a neat central mechanic. interesting how much freedom is allowed for many of the puzzles, even late into the game. biggest gripe is just that a lot of the collectibles kinda felt like afterthoughts
1990
probably one of my favorite marios to control. there's a lot of freedom in how you can approach each situation, even in such linear levels. unfortunately a lot of the levels don't really allow you to utilize this potential. still, super fun! and it has one of my favorite world maps in any mario game
2019
one of the best puzzle games ever made. not for everyone but if you do like super challenging puzzles then you will enjoy it. if you don't, don't feel pressured to finish it!
1988
it's everything i liked about the first game, but more and better. though i think they could have toned down mario's acceleration just a tiny bit. he is... VERY fast
1985
simple, fun to control, and decently challenging. the level design isn't too interesting but it serves the game well enough, and it's to be expected for such an early title. also a masterclass in risk vs. reward design
2017
that mario guy sure can jump! in many different ways, too!
1996
mario is so incredibly satisfying to control that i 100%ed the game just cause i wanted to keep playing
2010
some excellent linear 3d platforming on display here