9
Developer: Nintendo
Released: 1985
Back in 1985, Super Mario Bros set the standard for what a platformer could be. You play as Mario, or Luigi if you’ve got a second player, running through the Mushroom Kingdom to rescue Princess Peach from Bowser. It’s a simple setup, but it works because everything around it is so well put together.
Each world is broken into short levels, and the goal is always the same: make it to the flag before the timer runs out. Along the way, you dodge enemies, clear gaps, and learn pretty quickly that timing matters more than anything else.
Hitting those question blocks is half the fun. Sometimes you get a mushroom that lets you take a hit, sometimes a Fire Flower that lets you throw fireballs, and sometimes that brief, chaotic invincibility where you just run straight through everything. And every now and then, a 1-Up shows up when you least expect it.
One of the coolest things is how much the game hides. If you poke around enough, you’ll find warp zones that skip entire chunks of the game. They’re easy to miss, but once you know they’re there, it’s hard not to look for more.
It’s not complicated, and that’s kind of the point. The controls feel right, the levels are memorable, and it doesn’t waste your time. Even now, it’s the kind of game you can pick up and immediately understand.
