The Most Unique Levels in Every Mario Game

after looking very in-depth at several aspects of levels throughout the Super Mario Brothers franchise there's one specific topic I've yet to talk about which is what makes some of them so unique that means I want to showcase stages that stand out not only in the game they're from but also across the entire series as a whole usually featuring some sort of interesting mechanic that really sets them apart from the others I'm gonna try my hardest to explain what exactly makes those levels I choose so unique and if there happens to be multiple from a specific title then I'll make sure to include those as well oh yeah before I get started my name is Copycat and if you haven't yet then please subscribe to my channel hitting that Bell button to stay notified when I upload new videos to start things off we're of course going to look at the first game in the series Super Mario Brothers for the NES which has a few unique levels I want to showcase starting with world 7-4 and 4-4 as they share some similarities both of these are Castle based stages containing a puzzle where you need to choose the correct path to move forward or risk having to start over at checkpoints I won't lie without a guide I definitely had a bit of trouble figuring out exactly which way to go but there aren't many enemies to damage you so your real foe is time as you can easily run out of it the final level of the game World A4 has a similar premise but this time you have to pick the correct pipe to proceed where choosing the wrong one will send you back to the beginning this is a feature that does show up in other ways throughout the franchise but in this entry was a huge standout and really felt different at the time of its release the only other type of level I think I want to mention are the athletic cheap cheap ones where you have to run across a series of bridges while dodging the jumping fish these stages feel really different as you never expect this enemy in this kind of environment and to this day is still one of my favorites of this game the second game in the series is Super Mario Brothers 2 which has a few levels that are unique to the franchise starting with the ones where you need to dig through the sand found mainly through the desert of world 2 this mechanic of having to continuously dig down to find either a door or key while avoiding the shy guys and Snippets is not my favorite thing to do but I do know I need to at least talk about it as it is very distinctive to this particular entry the only other levels I want to mention as being standouts are world six two and five one as both require you to platform on certain enemies across enormous gaps to proceed forward in 5-1 you have to use a series of Leaping trouters as platforms performing pinpoint accurate jumps and in 6-2 you have to ride on the back of the albatos transitioning between certain ones to gain more height these aren't things that are necessarily unique to the series as we'll see some similar ones later in the video but they do still deserve to be mentioned the final entry of the original trilogy is Super Mario Brothers 3 which actually has several unique stages I want to show you guys starting with world four six located within the game's giant land this level has the incredibly cool mechanic of being able to switch between things appearing large and things appearing normal size you can change between the two by entering certain doors found throughout the stage but this is a bit gimmicky as it isn't really required to complete the level but it is still a cool addition one level that's briefly worth mentioning is world five six as you have to use the pair of beetles as platforms to cross this Air Base stage of course this is similar to the trouter and Albatross stages that we just looked at but this one is a bit more difficult as the Beatles seem to be moving pretty fast plus there are more jumps you have to complete the only other unique level from this game I think that's worth looking at is World 7-6 mainly as it uses directional lists that only appear here and in one other place in the game as you can see these lists have arrows pointing in a specific direction as that's the only way that they will travel there are also ones that have an exclamation mark on them which allow you to control the direction they're traveling in if you jump on them this level really has a different feel than any other one in this title and has a feature that only shows up a few other times albeit in slightly different ways in future titles next we're going to look at Super Mario Brothers the lost levels an entry that was only released in North America alongside Super Mario All-Stars for the SNES as one set of levels stick out as intrinsically unique in basically all of world 9. these stages combined underwater and above ground Elements which produces a very weird experience that I can't say I expected at all none of these are particularly hard as I guess they are just meant to be bonus stages but are standouts in this already unique game the first handheld entry in the franchise is Super Mario Land for the Game Boy which has two distinctive unique levels that essentially everyone would agree with in World 2 3 and 4-3 as both include having to use vehicles in 2-3 you're put in a submarine and have to fight off hordes of underwater enemies before facing off against the dragon zamazoo in World War III you put in an airplane and have to face off against flying baddies where at the end you fight the tatanga where defeating it will win you the game both these levels are so different than what you think you'd come across in a Mario title and to this day there really isn't anything similar at all the next game in the series is Super Mario World for the SNES where there's actually a lot of levels from this entry I could have mentioned but in the end I limited my selection to just a few starting with a very unique chocolate island 2. in this stage you can actually come across different areas depending on certain criteria when you enter them including the amount of time on the timer number of coins you've collected as well as the amount of Dragon Coins you get in the second part of the level you'll see a cape power-up section if you've collected 21 or more coins you'll see a slope section with paracupas if you collected eight or less coins or a more regular section with Rex's if you collected 9 to 20 coins the third part of the level's variations is all based on the amount of time you have left on the timer where with 250 seconds or more you'll come across a section with charging Chucks and a secret key exit with 235 to 250 seconds you'll find several Jagged platforms filled with Dino enemies and finally if you have 234 or less seconds on the clock then you'll stumble in a place with floating mushrooms and not much else there there's also a fourth part of the level with two variations that are all accessed based on the amount of Dragon Coins where if you have three or fewer you'll go to an area with platforms and rexes or if you have four or more you'll get to a section with rotating blocks and coins that need to be triggered with a switch honestly I never knew exactly how complicated this stage was and features something that never really shows up again in the series another level I feel like I should mention as unique is Valley of the Bowser 3. as it uses countless which actually count down the amount of time the platform has before it disappears this is literally the only place in the entire franchise where these types of platforms even exist and really is a very tough challenge especially if you want each and every Dragon coin in the stage the second handheld game in the series is Super Mario Land 2 that was released for the Game Boy in 1992 where there's one obvious standout in the most unique level category in the space Zone stages this is obviously due to the low gravity of the entirety of the zone as it allows you to jump a lot higher but move much slower which is an extremely different feel than what you're used to I'm glad to say that this would at least be Revisited in the moon Kingdoms in Super Mario Odyssey as it is definitely a unique mechanic that you can do a lot with one other level that I want to mention is tree zone level two as it contains areas full of tree sap that you can transition through as if it were water it also contains the absolutely wacky moo fish enemy that's a cross between a cow and a fish which really doesn't make any sense at all but just adds to the stage's weirdness the first game with 3D Graphics in the franchise is Super Mario 64 for the N64 which has a few levels I feel like I need to mention starting with Tick Tock Clock what makes this course so unique is that it has drastically different physics depending on which time you enter it where if the minute hands on the three then things move slowly if the minute hands on the six the things will move randomly if the minute hands on the nine then everything will move quickly and if the minute hands on the 12 then everything will stop this changes how you have to approach getting each star in the stage as at times it can make certain ones easier or extremely harder another course that has a very interesting mechanic is wet dry world as there are a series of switches that allow you to raise and lower the water level allowing you to gain access to different areas this changes what would otherwise be a really boring level into something quite unique and really takes advantage of the 3D environment that was new to Mario platforming at that time the final course I want to look at from this title is Tiny huge island which is very similar to World 4 6 from Super Mario Brothers 3 as there are two different versions of the stage the tiny Island where you're huge and the huge island where you're tiny this leads to some very interesting moments where you need to swap between the two to gain certain Stars which really just plays like a more realized version of that Super Mario Brothers 3 level that we talked about before up next we're gonna look at Super Mario Sunshine for the GameCube which only has one really unique level I want to talk about in Pinna park now it's really a few specific moments that set this theme park base stage apart from all others including when you enter the roller coaster and things change to a sort of 3D person shooter here instead of platforming you have to fire water rockets and either balloons or a mechanized version of Bowser which really is a lot of fun and is really different than what you usually expect there are a few others that I always included in this video like Serena Beach or pianta Village but they just didn't have that unique mechanic that separated them from the crowd Nintendo will return the series to his 2D roots with new Super Mario Brothers for the DS Where one of the funniest levels in the game is World 7-3 as you have to progress through it on the back of a giant wiggler when Nintendo thinks outside of the box like this and creates levels that are goofy they always turn into being such a fun time even if it is a bit weird World A3 is sort of similar as it contains a giant version of an enemy but this time it's underwater and you have to swim away from the body instead of riding on it this can actually get pretty tough as the mega unagi moves really quickly and takes out the majority of the screen so you have to be really precise with your movements while also dodging the stage's other enemies the final level from this title I want to mention is World 8 6 which takes place within a volcano where the lava slowly Rises what's unique about this one is that not only is it a vertical Auto scroller but it also features wraparounds meaning that leaving one side of the stage will allow you to appear on the opposite side this is a feature that appears in many older platforming titles so it's a nice touch they were able to incorporate it in this level one game that is full of unique out of this world levels literally is Super Mario Galaxy where I'm quickly gonna showcase a few starting with the ball rolling galaxies maneuvered via motion controls by holding the Wiimote vertically Mario rolls on top of a ball through an obstacle course having to guide him to the end of the stage without falling into the void probably the craziest of these stages is the rolling Gizmo Galaxy which is settled like a giant Rube Goldberg machine which is not easy to navigate around especially if you find controlling the ball to be tough another level that requires the use of motion controls are the loop-de-loop and the loop-dee swoop galaxies as you have to surf on the back of a manta ray through a water-based course even though most people dislike the specific motion control feature I never really found it a problem and welcome these new types of levels one place where motion controls are also used but this time in a different way is the bubble base galaxies as you have to use the air Blaster to guide the bubble you're in throughout the stage now I find this way harder to control in comparison to the other stages we just looked at as the bubble tends to drift a lot when blown so you need to be precise with your placements the only other level I want to mention as unique is the freeze flame Galaxy only because it perfectly Blends ice and fire elements together a lot of this is due to the ice flower power up which lets you create hexagonal platforms of ice in front of you allowing you to skate on everything including lava this is one of my favorite galaxies in the entire game and I love the different ways you can Traverse around it the second game in the new Super Mario Brothers series came up with a Wii in 2009 which has a couple levels I want to mention starting with world 7-2 what's so unique about this one is the water bubbles that are floating throughout the stage where sometimes you have to use them to cross voids jumping between them this isn't too insane but is a feature that really only pops up a few times in the series and in this case it's quite cool after a bit of thinking I decided the only other level I want to showcase is world 9-7 one I've talked about at length in other videos as it's very unique full of ice blocks you have to platform on that can be melted at any time by the Venus fire traps this makes things incredibly unforgiving and very frustrating but it's still an amazing stage one of the most interesting games in the entire franchise is Super Mario Galaxy 2 which definitely has a few levels I want to talk about starting with the super massive Galaxy which is similar to the giant land from Super Mario Brothers 3. every enemy here appears massive in size although this isn't necessarily the most intricate level of this title it still changes the gameplay enough due to having the Platinum through these Mammoth opponents another very unique stage in this entry are the right side down and Upside Dizzy galaxies which both introduce gravity-based platforming where Mario's fee go towards the place the arrows are pointing to this really messes with your brain at times as there's certain sections where you have to juggle jumping between the two to proceed the last level from this game that I want to mention is the hightail Falls Galaxy which introduces the dash pepper that can be eaten by Yoshi this then allows your Dino to travel extremely fast letting him scale up walls and steep slopes creating a very fun fast-paced experience that does take some skill to get through in Super Mario 3D land for the 3DS there's one level that I've talked about at length in other videos because it's just that unique in world 5-2 this is because everything's from the top-down perspective that's obviously an amazing homage to The Legend of Zelda series as in the older era of those 2D titles this is how the camera was situated apparently this is purposely done as it was the franchise's 25th anniversary in 5-2 backwards is 25. I don't know why they just wouldn't have done this in world two five but don't think about that just go with it the only other level I could decide to talk about is world seven five which contains platforms that are cut away by Grinders making you have to rush through the level this can be really hard especially if you're going after the Star Coins but that's a risk that makes things better new Super Mario Brothers 2 is the next game in that sub Series where one unique level from it is the world 2 ghost house as it introduces the absolutely monstrous Behemoth this foe slowly approaches towards you taking up the entirety of the left side of your screen only stopping if you turn to look at it like a normal Boo this leads to some very tricky sections that require patience and good platforming as there's also other small booze that you have to deal with I really did struggle to find another level to include so let me know if I miss one in the comments below the final entry in the new Super Mario Brothers sub series came up for the Wii U in 2012 and has one of the most uniquely artistic levels in the entire franchise called painted swampland that's because almost everything in the level is in the style obviously inspired by Vincent van Gogh's famous Starry Night painting and even better the background moves while you progress through the stage making the world feel creepily alive there aren't really any distinctive mechanics in this one it's just a really cool rememberable experience the only other level from this game I think's worth mentioning is called the spinning Spirit house located in the meringue clouds World here you'll encounter some wacky rooms that all have their own unique features including ones that rotate ones with invisible walls and paths and ones with platforms that slowly rise in some odd ways there really aren't many levels in this game like this one and this instantly caught my attention during my first playthrough a game I've actually never talked about in a video but knew I needed to include in this one is New Super Luigi U that was an expansion of the new Super Mario Brothers U title that has a few levels I want to showcase starting with Beanstalk jungle in this level you have to platform with the leaves of several growing beanstalks in an auto scrolling format meaning that you don't always know where the next platform you need to go is gonna show up this actually is hard without the aid of power-ups or Yoshi but adds a mechanic that at least makes it a lot of fun the only other level I want to mention from the strange game is called Iggy swinging chains which is the final castle of the soda jungle this stage has waves of lava that engulf the bottom of your screen and you need to use the chains hanging from the ceiling to swing forward to the next platforms precise timing is key to getting to the Iggy boss battle and honestly this seems like a level meant more for a Donkey Kong Country entry as The Swinging mechanic at least leads me to believe that it was inspired by it the game that's chock full of unique levels is Super Mario 3D World and there's honestly so many that I decided to quickly go through the ones that deserve to be talked about this includes shadowplay alley where you can only see the shadow of your character enemies and obstacles using those as reference to platform Mount mustache which is a nice little homage to the Mario Kart franchise fuzzy timeline which is an auto scroller we need to run away from the horde of fuzzies red hot run where you need to use dash panels to Traverse through an obstacle course like setting footlight Lane where you have to carefully move through invisible pass that are only revealed the nearer you get to them the great goal poll where you have to chase down the flying goal pole which is really a weird sight and the Mystery House marathon where you have to complete puzzles in several different rooms to gain the green stars however there is one specific type of level I feel like needs to be mentioned on their own in the captain Toad ones as they are so extremely different than anything else seen in the series due to Toad's inability to jump this was such a unique thing that almost every fan enjoyed to the point where it spawned its own game in Captain Toad treasure Tracker really elaborating on the concept of how this character would be able to move around in a world without jumping next up is the absolutely massive Super Mario Odyssey that's an entry that replaces the traditional levels with kingdoms where there's one obvious unique one I have to talk about in the Moon Kingdom just like the space Zone from Super Mario Land 2 this stage is entirely devoid of regular physics as it's in a low gravity setting being set on the moon of course unfortunately the low gravity isn't as utilized as I'd hope in the base game and it really only becomes more interesting during the hide and seek Luigi's balloon World game mode but it's still incredible the only other level that's intrinsically unique is the Metro Kingdom as it's one of the first times where we see Mario in a real world setting with actual human characters I mean other than the regular suspects this is something I hope they explore even further in future titles as I wouldn't mind if they go even wackier with their settings the Bowser's Fury game mode is the last entry you're going to look at in this video where there's one unique area that I love in the incredibly well done slip skate slope here you have to Traverse down an obstacle course using the skate item defeating enemies and going over spiked obstacles which is a lot of fun to mess around with this game is relatively straightforward so this isn't a massively game-changing feature but it at least is different enough to be talked about all right that's gonna be it for today's video guys I really hope you did enjoy this one if you did please leave a like comment below what you thought about it and of course subscribe to my channel also please follow my Instagram copycatgamer they are up with some cool clips and items for my collection that you won't see anywhere else hope you guys all have a good day and I'll see you all in the next one bye [Music]

Channel: Copycat

Views: 295,380

Keywords: most, unique, weirdest, weird, level, levels, every, Mario, game, Super, Bros, NES, SNES, N64, Galaxy, New, 3D, Land, World, Odyssey, Bowsers, Fury, cheep, valley, of, bowser, chocolate, island, tree, zone, space, gravity, zero, tick, tock, mechanics, cool, amazing, pinna, park, sunshine, sirena, bubble, motion, controls, ball, rolling, galaxies, rightside, down, super, massive, coaster, ghost, house, enemies, enemy, para, beetles, light, block, painted, swampland, shadow, play, Captain, Toad, mystery, Copycat, Nintendo, Moon, kingdom, area, Metro, slipeskate, slope

Id: cPsSRIyaxi8

Length: 21min 48sec (1308 seconds)

Published: Fri Oct 21 2022