Things that are awesome in any Mario game

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Pink Cat

Art by BBQ Turtle
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Because we all need a little positivity, just talk about good aspects about any Mario game.

You can count for any Mario game to have great music, at worst, the Mario game's music is just forgettable instead of outright bad, I wish we had more albums for the games
 
There are sooooo many things that could go on this list. If I were to come up with all the things I love about various Mario games, it would take hours. I don't even know where to start.

Well, you mentioned music, so I'm gonna go ahead and say that Galaxy has the best soundtrack in the series. I'd even say it's one of the best video game soundtracks I've ever heard. Galaxy's music is low hanging fruit for a thread like this, but someone's gotta say it. We all know it's stellar.
 
I love that Sunshine had a unique level themes unlike any Mario game, yet still had an overall theme connecting them. There was a harbor level, a hotel level, an amusement park level. All sharing the tropical island motif, yet with their own distinct look and feel. Nowadays we're lucky if we get anything outside of grass, desert, water, etc.

The Paper Mario games have great humor, especially when the player is given a choice of what to say.

Galaxy has amazing music and the best artstyle in a Mario game. It's disappointing that they decided to give everything a plastic coating in Mario. The warm, soft graphics of Galaxy look fantastic.

Mario Kart DS is just a damn good game, what else is there to say on that one?
 
Solid gameplay.

Like I just started playing the OG NSMB recently, and it's super simple. Yet there's that element I can't describe that makes it so damn fun. I'm not talking about the fact that it's more unique than the rest of the NSMB games, that doesn't count for shit in my book. I just love that you can run around the way you can, I guess that's the best way to say it.

Oh yeah and bring back those twirly spring things that propel you up in the sky when you jump on them. Those are great.
 
I gotta say I've always been a fan of how every developer that has worked on the Mario series has reimagined it in a way. I guess that's the natural course of any big franchise to some extent, and most of the time this can create a lot of disconnections within it. Mario is no exception to this situation, but it's fun thinking how the adventures surrounding this character can be so cheerful and twee while at the same time completely ignoring a reality in which Wario hides rotting zombies in its basement, or a great pharaoh once starved his people to please a powerful demon.
 
Airships.

Not so much airship levels but just airships in general. I love flying ships armed to the teeth with weapons.
 
Unless the bottom opens up to reveal rocket launchers, no.

Though I do like blimps all the same.