I am insanely hyped for Super Mario Odyssey and it’s finally here! Old Tristan here hasn’t been this pumped for a new Mario since Super Mario World on the Super Nintendo. Part of that is because I went to PlayStation after the SNES as I’ve written numerous times before. You get the idea already. It’s not that those new mainline games didn’t look cool to me. It’s just one only has so much money to spend on games as a kid. Now that I’m an adult I’m desperately trying to buy back my childhood through eBay, rummage sales, and online bids, etc. Also, you know, emulation is pretty useful for research too.
Anyway, there’s just something about Super Mario Odyssey that bit my curiosity harder than anything before it. Breath of the Wild felt like the last Zelda game: a culmination of everything that came before it. Super Mario Odyssey feels like that for Mario. That’s probably not the case for either since Nintendo likes money, but boy would it be an amazing finale for both of these series if that was the case. Back to the point. Mario’s abilities gave me the idea to look back and catalog all of his powers, which will now be ranked. There are a few omissions like the P-Wing and other overpowered stuff like that. Also no items like the Goomba Shoe. You could argue it’s a power-up, but in order to keep the list to nice clean and concise thirty, these are the powers that I landed on. Okay, let’s-a-go!
30 F.L.U.D.D.
Including the backpack from Super Mario Sunshine may be a stretch since it is just an item. As it’s practically the only power-up in the game though I thought it was worth discussing. On paper, I like the idea of this game. Mario gets flown to a new island and has to clean up the place with a talking guide akin to Link’s companions like Navi. The problem is the controls aren’t good, as blasting water feels as clunky as it does in real life. Not only that, but F.L.U.D.D. never shuts up nor does any of the Mushroom Kingdom cast. No wonder Nintendo hasn’t tried a voiced story in the Mario games that followed. Overall the game is a good idea, but it’s a rough design.
29 Spring Mushroom
There’s a lot I don’t like about Mario’s 3D adventures since Super Mario 64, but I’m not going waste time complaining about camera angles and the deterioration of Mario’s pristine controls. You can see that argument here. My point, for now, is the lack of significant power-ups in these games. They’re more special in that they are more limited since Mario got a life bar. These skills are usually placed in specific areas for certain levels and they don’t transfer between stages, unlike the 2D adventures. That’s my basic outline for the next few entries as I feel they don’t embody the true nature of classic power-ups. That said I don’t have much to say about the Spring Mushroom. It lets Mario jump higher, by contorted a giant Slinky-like spring around his body in a horrifying manner. Can’t defend that monstrosity.
28 Boo Mushroom
This is a cute design and actually pretty useful in the various haunted locations in Super Mario Galaxy. That said its uses are then very limited to Ghost Houses. It’s not like Mario can become a ghost in a normal level. He’s just a plump looking Boo with a ghostly mustache with his iconic red hat. He can fly around and phase through walls. Not any wall mind you. Just fenced walls so that’s kind of a lame excuse for a power. Oh yeah, I’m a ghost and I can pass through walls. Only certain walls though. You know because the afterlife is limiting. Ha, what? At the very least at long last Mario can one-up those psychotic Boos. Wish there was a mini-game to scare Luigi, or something.
27 Cloud Flower
Like many of the other Super Mario Galaxy powers, the Cloud Flower is a necessary one. It allows Mario to create giant cloud platforms below him wherever the player chooses. So if there’s a big gap you need to cross then bam there goes a cloud. It’s a great way to travel around, but it’s not infinite like say the Fire Flower. You get three charges per Cloud Flower before you have to find another one to replenish your load. There’s plenty around in the levels they’re based on though since, again, they are necessary to complete these stages. No, it’s not that cool of an ability in that it lacks offensive power, but it is a neat puzzle and platform mechanic. Take that Lakitu!
26 Bee Mushroom
Out of all the powers in either of the Galaxy games, the Bee Mushroom feels the closest to a traditional Mario costume. It’s also the dumbest in terms of flying contraptions. Let’s see how else can Mario fly? He’s turned into a raccoon, possessed a flying cape, and had a magical hat. Then a bee flew by Nintendo’s window, and the rest is history. In terms of all the insects, it could be, a bee was the worst possible outcome. Okay maybe not. A fly Mario would be creepy. Imagine if they Cronenberged him up like Jeff Goldblum in The Fly. Ew, that’s not a pleasant thought. So I guess I retract my comment. Bee Mario is cute by comparison to that, but still lame.
25 Rock Mushroom
Somebody went under a dock and there they found rock, but it wasn’t a rock. It was a Rock Mushroom! Try getting Rock Lobster out if your head next time you don the Rock Suit in Super Mario Galaxy 2. Sorry I just couldn’t resist. Out of all these powers, I think Rock Mario is my favorite in that game. Smashing through foes, blocks, pillars, or what have you is deeply satisfying. The design reminds me of Golem from Pokémon. Only instead of a turtle head, there’s Mario’s mustached face. My one complaint is that it isn’t in Super Mario Galaxy 2 that much. Also, I’d love to see it return in a 2D game to really give Sonic a run for his money, which shouldn’t be hard.
24 Red Star
Flying Mario is the closest thing we can get to Mario going full dark side. As much as I’d love to see a gritty reboot starring Luigi trying to vanquish his deranged brother as some sort of Sith Lord, I very much doubt it’d ever happen. A more likely scenario is yours truly becoming the President… Ahem. Dark undertones aside he really does look good in black and red. True to form this is probably the most limited item in Super Mario Galaxy as the Red Star is mostly limited to challenges revolving around obtaining Purple Coins. Great feeling though when you do get it.
23 Vanish Cap
Let’s get to bashing Super Mario 64 next. Just kidding I know it’s extremely influential in making 3D platformers a thing. I don’t think the controls aged well, but that’s just me. Still a good game at the end of the day. What really bummed me out was that this was the beginning of no real power-ups since Mario obtained a life bar as I mentioned earlier. Anyway, the Vanish Cap is very similar to the Boo Mushroom’s ability. Mario doesn’t turn into a ghost though. He just turns opaque and can pass through fences and certain walls. Also, enemies can’t seem to detect his exact location. While useful it’s not that impressive considering how mind-blowing everything about the game was at the time.
22 Metal Cap
The same goes for Mario’s Metal Cap. This essentially replaced the Super Star’s power of invincibility to create Mario T-1000. Seriously making liquid metallic models was a computer miracle at the time. High-ranking executives considered you a genius, I imagine, if you could program it. If you had it in your movie, game, commercial, or whatever in the 90s you were considered cool. I thought so too at the time, but it all looks so ugly now. Making Mario metal is another lazy aesthetic choice that was probably easier than flashing a rainbow of colors. Plus Stars were more important this time around so I can see why they changed it for that reason too. Nintendo plays it pretty fast and loose regarding the whole Mario hierarchy of powers and items.
21 Wing Cap
The one power-up I did enjoy was the Wing Cap. The controls were easy to get over because I could finally fly Mario more than just a split second as opposed to the Super Leaf, or the Cape Feather. It was an incredible feeling to put it mildly. Not just in terms of getting Mario to really, and I mean really, fly, but because it was another limited item. If you got the Wing Cap then you knew you were up for something special. It may not look as cool as the Red Star and yes, again, the controls haven’t aged well, but it was the first to truly take Mario out of bounds. For that it deserves a high ranking than most blemishes and all.
20 Super Mushroom
Okay phew. Now that we’re out of the 3D games, more or less, we can finally talk about the “actual” power-ups. The most iconic is, of course, the Super Mushroom, which dates back all the way to Mario’s roots with Super Mario Bros. on the NES. That game is hard as hell and nearly impossible without this little aid to help out Mario in his quest to save the princess. It’s his life bar essentially. Without it, he dies in a single hit, which was pretty common back then anyway. It’s important to the grander scheme of things, but it’s also pretty lame next to this plumber’s other assets. No one can deny its importance though as pretty much half this list consists of Super Mushroom offshoots. Who breeds these things anyway?
19 Super Star
I’d argue the same for the Super Star. Yeah, it’s incredibly useful to speed through entire sections of a level without getting hit. And yes it’s incredibly exhilarating when you can chain Super Stars together to create an infinite chain of awesomeness to finish a level from start to finish. It was like parkour before parkour. Some levels actually require it. For example, in Super Mario Bros. 3 there’s a level in World 7 where you need Super Stars to cross giant gaps of hungry plants. So yes it led to some neat stage ideas and it is powerful, but also kind of one note as the item does fade. As I alluded to earlier Super Stars have faded out of popularity, as the symbol is more important in the grand lore of the Mario universe.
18 Mini Mushroom
When I first saw trailers for New Super Mario Bros. I was both elated and sketchy. For one it was Mario’s return to 2D platformers since Yoshi’s Island on the SNES in 1995. That’s exactly a decade later if you can believe that. It was insane and it got me to buy a Nintendo DS. What did worry me was the Mini Mushroom. Okay so you can run faster and activate secrets, but you die one hit like regular Mario. Seems pretty unappealing, but surprisingly it works well. It’s not so much a power-up as it is a necessary ability to beat everything in the game. Like the Super Star it led to some great level design, but beyond that, it’s definitely lower on the list of important skills.
17 Mega Mushroom
So the Mini Mushroom had me worried, but seeing the Mega Mushroom in action in those early trailers got me crazy excited. Are you telling me I get to wreak havoc on the Mushroom Kingdom as a Godzilla sized equivalent? Sounds awesome to me! While it is cool it’s unfortunately not in a lot of stages although it’s also kind of a blessing. If it was overused it would feel less special. You know, kind of like the New Super Mario Bros. series and how that was run into the ground. Gripes on that mess aside I do find the Mega Mushroom a great and unexpected treat. You never know where it’s going to pop up. Hopefully, it’ll return one day. Say in a new Mario inspired Shadowquito?
16 Double Cherry
I could easily make a Peach joke with this one, but this isn’t THAT kind of article. Now the Double Cherry first appeared in the last main game, Super Mario 3D World. Whoever ate it gained a mirrored image that would duplicate one’s movements unless you planned accordingly. It was used in puzzle situations to get extra items so like if you ran one Luigi into a wall while the other got ahead this would give them enough distance to hit a switch together. Something like that. It also extended your life and could even get higher than two. Theoretically, you could have a bunch of Mario’s running around Ninja Clone Jutsu style and blaze it with a Fire Flower combo. It goes away after a stage, but still pretty killer.
15 Blue Shell
The Mega and Mini Mushrooms were a good twist on the whole shroom perspective, but what other new powers did New Super Mario Bros. provide? What about donning your enemy Koopa’s shell? The Blue Shell power-up gave Mario the ability to run and dash into enemies if timed right via ducking. It’s a great feeling and can cause some serious momentum in your favor. It’s a lot like that parkour feeling of chaining Super Stars together. If you’re not that skilled it’s also a good defensive item akin to the Hammer Suit in Super Mario Bros. 3. Duck in your shell to deflect enemy attacks. Speaking of that game it also mimics the Frog Suit in that you can swim faster. If only Mario didn’t look so out of place wearing it.
14 Super Acorn
We’ll get to it later, but everyone knows the Super Leaf is the best flying ability in the Mario universe. Instead of bringing it back for New Super Mario Bros. U like they did in Super Mario 3D Land, Nintendo decided on a different strategy. They combined the cuteness of Raccoon Mario With the Cape Feather from Super Mario World to create the Super Acorn, which transforms Mario and his pals into flying squirrels. It’s fairly redundant, but unique at the same time. For one Mario can jump while gliding around, which is a great way to reach higher plains. He can also cling to surfaces in case he needs to take a break for fear of taking damage from an enemy, or a trap.
13 Flower
No, this isn’t the Fire Flower from pretty much every Mario game. This item is just called Flower and it’s only in Super Mario Land. When I originally played the game I just thought it was the Fire Flower with some altered physics. Remember? Shooting causes the balls to bounce rapidly and the balls are more solid. Well, it turns out this Flower has more in common with Luffy’s Gum Gum Fruit from One Piece. It isn’t bouncing fireballs. It’s just bouncing balls. What a weird power. Why differentiate yourself like that Game Boy team? Ah well. It may be a silly change, but any ranged attack is a plus in my book. I also appreciate how strange the Super Mario Land series got thanks to Wario.
12 Boomerang Flower
The Blue Shell power-up was sort of like a half step to something cooler. The Boomerang Flower gives Mario a Blue Shell and also a boomerang. It’s an enemy skill that was first presented in Super Mario Bros. 3. I can’t believe it took almost two decades to implement it in a game, but maybe the well was just running dry. Either way, it’s so satisfying to turn the tide on those blasted Koopa Troopas. The shell design is also a little less awkwardly bulky on Mario’s body this time around. Not sure why they didn’t change the shell color though. It’s kind of insulting to the Blue Shell power from New Super Mario Bros. Make it green, or something to at least try to be nice.
11 Frog Suit
On land the Frog Suit is one of the worst things you could have on. You’re slow, awkward, and chances are that power-up is going to get knocked off fast. What about in the water though? Oh, baby, it’s a ten out of ten! One of the hardest things to get right in a video game is water stages. While cool they often have poor controls making the whole wonderment of being under the sea pointless and frustrating. Mario’s water adventures aren’t terrible, but they’re not great either. The Frog Suit rectified this with perfect controls. I always saved my suits for tricky water levels like in the third world. So yes he does look dorky, and it’s awful on land, but this suit is still fantastic overall.
