10 Things CUT From Mario Games
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VOICE OVER: Johnny Reynolds
WRITTEN BY: Johnny Reynolds
There is a treasure trove of cut content when it comes to Mario games. For this list, we'll be looking at features, elements, and characters Nintendo removed from Mario's adventures, whether it be merely an idea that was never implemented, or something removed late in development. Our list includes Other Playable Characters from “Super Mario 3D World” (2013), Cameos from “Super Mario Galaxy 2” (2010), Isle Delfino from “Super Mario Odyssey” (2017), and more!
Script written by Johnny Reynolds
Welcome to MojoPlays, and today we’re exploring hidden depths to bring you 10 Things Cut From Mario Games. There is a treasure trove of cut content when it comes to Mario’s adventures. But for this list, we’ll be looking at features, elements, and characters we find the most interesting. Whether it be merely an idea that was never implemented, or something removed late in development. Know of any other cut Mario content that sounded promising? Share it with us in the comments!
You’d be hard pressed to find a Mario fan that doesn’t think Yoshi was one of the greatest additions to the series. Not only is the dino adorable, but he’s endlessly useful, too. Yoshi first appeared in “Super Mario World,” teaming up with players to rescue his kidnapped friends. However, it was a long time coming. Creator Shigeru Miyamoto wanted to include a ridable dinosaur for Mario back in the original “Super Mario Bros.” Unfortunately, the Famicom and NES were too technically limited to make it work. That game is fairly hard, so having a partner like Yoshi along for the ride would’ve been appreciated.
It’s hard to imagine “Super Mario Bros. 3” as anything other than the incredible platformer that it is. But it could have been pretty different, at least in how you viewed it. Not wanting to make the third entry too similar to the first two, Nintendo toyed around with the idea of giving the game an isometric view. However, that view turned out not to be a great fit with the platforming mechanics. And so it was scrapped. While that may not sound that interesting, “Super Mario Bros. 3” is arguably the best that classic Mario has to offer. A different perspective in-game would’ve changed our perspective of it today. Mario would eventually go isometric, just in the vastly different “Super Mario RPG.”
A common complaint about modern superhero movies is their tendency to place too much emphasis on cameos in their shared universes. When it comes to video games, though, we can’t get enough of them. The development team behind “Super Mario Galaxy 2” wanted to include cameos of characters from other Nintendo IPs. Specifically, “Donkey Kong” and “Pikmin” were suggested. But it was the second one that caused issue; Miyamoto rejected the idea, stating the Pikmin’s body type was too awkward to jump on. It’s unclear where in the game these cameos would’ve been featured, though if we had to guess, we’d say probably towards the very end. We can’t deny they would’ve been delightful surprises.
We know what you’re thinking. How could unused sprites possibly be interesting? Well, it all depends on how they would’ve been used. The overworld map in “Super Mario World” was impressive at the time with its level of interactivity and how it changed over the game. But through hacking, some players discovered elements that were removed before launch. These include sprites for Lakitu, a blue jay, a Piranha Plant, and what appears to be a Koopaling. This last one is the most interesting as it would’ve surprised players on the map and forced Mario to enter a level. How many levels there were and how many different hidden Koopalings you could find is unclear. Regardless, it may have given the villains a little more to do.
Peach is one of the most famous damsels in distress in any media, let alone video games. In “New Super Mario Bros. Wii,” that hasn’t changed, but it nearly did. Early in development, Nintendo wanted to include Peach as one of the four playable heroes, similar to her inclusion in “Super Mario Bros. 2.” However, what stopped it from happening sounds like a pretty big cop out: her dress would’ve been too difficult to animate. We’re all familiar with the Wii’s shortcomings. But still, you couldn’t have just given her some pants? And they still made her a damsel in the HD sequel! While Peach would be playable in the future, it would have been nice to get her here instead of just a second Toad. Speaking of playable Peach…
Although his name is in the title, “Super Mario 3D World” makes everyone a star by giving the four playable leads slightly different mechanics. Rosalina acts as the unlockable 5th, but others were considered during development. Yoshi was unfortunately removed from another game due to his mechanics already appearing elsewhere. Peach can float, some stages include a Piranha Plant power-up that eats enemies, and another rideable dino, Plessie, gets its own levels. Additionally, by digging through the files of the Switch port, Twitter user Nickolox discovered evidence that Toadette was once considered. They found over 200 different animations, as well as an audio recording of what she’d say when you selected her. We’re all for more character options, though we have no idea why Nintendo decided against Toadette’s inclusion.
Multiple Mario games have had enemies removed for one reason or another. In “Super Mario Sunshine,” there’s the interesting case of Kug (Xref), a Goomba-like enemy whose artwork can be found hidden within Pinna Park. However, the scrapped enemy that we find most intriguing is the Hinokuri, or Fire Chestnut. The enemy was seen in pre-release footage and can still be accessed in the game’s files. To damage the towering foe, Mario would have had to stun it with a water barrel and spray its eye to remove its shell. Otherwise, it would have wandered around, spawning Strollin’ Stu enemies out its backside. That’s…disturbing, so maybe it’s a good thing this enemy was scrapped.
Mario and power-ups go hand-in-hand. But not every one makes it through development. There are a ton of items that have been cut from the series that we would’ve loved to test out. Nintendo knew it wanted “Super Mario Bros. 3” to turn Mario into an animal, and initially planned a Centaur power-up before the Tanooki was settled on. In “New Super Mario Bros. Wii,” Mario and his allies could’ve dressed up like chickens; concept art shows what they would’ve looked like. A bone power-up could’ve turned Mario into a skeleton in “Super Mario Galaxy 2,” but it was rejected by Miyamoto. Those are only a handful of the power-ups scrapped throughout Mario’s history. Imagine how many more we don’t know about.
Take this one with a tiny bit of salt, but it seems to us that Isle Delfino was, at the very least, considered to appear in “Super Mario Odyssey.” Prior to launch, in marketing that showed the game’s map, fans noticed a small, dolphin-shaped land mass next to what we’d find out is the Mushroom Kingdom. Obviously, Mario doesn’t visit the “Super Mario Sunshine” setting in “Odyssey.” Maybe this was just an Easter Egg…except when players got their hands on the game, they found more evidence. On the ship’s spinning globe, there’s no dolphin outline next to the Mushroom Kingdom. But there is a properly-sized bump, which is hard to see but definitely there. Maybe Nintendo originally intended to make DLC; this game would’ve been a gold mine for it. Whatever the reasoning, we’re still bummed.
One of the most famous myths surrounding a Mario game was whether or not Luigi was hidden in “Super Mario 64.” A cryptic plaque that seemed to read ‘L is Real’ was all players needed to spread rumors on how to unlock him. While none of those methods were true, Luigi was supposed to appear in the game. Nintendo had wanted to incorporate co-op, but found that the system couldn’t handle including him and the intricate levels the team wanted to design. He then would’ve appeared in some type of multiplayer mini-game, but the plan to have the N64 ship with one controller led to his removal entirely. Only after a massive source code leak in 2020 did players finally see how Mario’s younger brother would’ve looked here.
Welcome to MojoPlays, and today we’re exploring hidden depths to bring you 10 Things Cut From Mario Games. There is a treasure trove of cut content when it comes to Mario’s adventures. But for this list, we’ll be looking at features, elements, and characters we find the most interesting. Whether it be merely an idea that was never implemented, or something removed late in development. Know of any other cut Mario content that sounded promising? Share it with us in the comments!
Man’s Best Dino
“Super Mario Bros.” (1985)You’d be hard pressed to find a Mario fan that doesn’t think Yoshi was one of the greatest additions to the series. Not only is the dino adorable, but he’s endlessly useful, too. Yoshi first appeared in “Super Mario World,” teaming up with players to rescue his kidnapped friends. However, it was a long time coming. Creator Shigeru Miyamoto wanted to include a ridable dinosaur for Mario back in the original “Super Mario Bros.” Unfortunately, the Famicom and NES were too technically limited to make it work. That game is fairly hard, so having a partner like Yoshi along for the ride would’ve been appreciated.
A Different Perspective
“Super Mario Bros. 3” (1990)It’s hard to imagine “Super Mario Bros. 3” as anything other than the incredible platformer that it is. But it could have been pretty different, at least in how you viewed it. Not wanting to make the third entry too similar to the first two, Nintendo toyed around with the idea of giving the game an isometric view. However, that view turned out not to be a great fit with the platforming mechanics. And so it was scrapped. While that may not sound that interesting, “Super Mario Bros. 3” is arguably the best that classic Mario has to offer. A different perspective in-game would’ve changed our perspective of it today. Mario would eventually go isometric, just in the vastly different “Super Mario RPG.”
Cameos
“Super Mario Galaxy 2” (2010)A common complaint about modern superhero movies is their tendency to place too much emphasis on cameos in their shared universes. When it comes to video games, though, we can’t get enough of them. The development team behind “Super Mario Galaxy 2” wanted to include cameos of characters from other Nintendo IPs. Specifically, “Donkey Kong” and “Pikmin” were suggested. But it was the second one that caused issue; Miyamoto rejected the idea, stating the Pikmin’s body type was too awkward to jump on. It’s unclear where in the game these cameos would’ve been featured, though if we had to guess, we’d say probably towards the very end. We can’t deny they would’ve been delightful surprises.
Unused Overworld Sprites
“Super Mario World” (1991)We know what you’re thinking. How could unused sprites possibly be interesting? Well, it all depends on how they would’ve been used. The overworld map in “Super Mario World” was impressive at the time with its level of interactivity and how it changed over the game. But through hacking, some players discovered elements that were removed before launch. These include sprites for Lakitu, a blue jay, a Piranha Plant, and what appears to be a Koopaling. This last one is the most interesting as it would’ve surprised players on the map and forced Mario to enter a level. How many levels there were and how many different hidden Koopalings you could find is unclear. Regardless, it may have given the villains a little more to do.
Playable Peach
“New Super Mario Bros. Wii” (2009)Peach is one of the most famous damsels in distress in any media, let alone video games. In “New Super Mario Bros. Wii,” that hasn’t changed, but it nearly did. Early in development, Nintendo wanted to include Peach as one of the four playable heroes, similar to her inclusion in “Super Mario Bros. 2.” However, what stopped it from happening sounds like a pretty big cop out: her dress would’ve been too difficult to animate. We’re all familiar with the Wii’s shortcomings. But still, you couldn’t have just given her some pants? And they still made her a damsel in the HD sequel! While Peach would be playable in the future, it would have been nice to get her here instead of just a second Toad. Speaking of playable Peach…
Other Playable Characters
“Super Mario 3D World” (2013)Although his name is in the title, “Super Mario 3D World” makes everyone a star by giving the four playable leads slightly different mechanics. Rosalina acts as the unlockable 5th, but others were considered during development. Yoshi was unfortunately removed from another game due to his mechanics already appearing elsewhere. Peach can float, some stages include a Piranha Plant power-up that eats enemies, and another rideable dino, Plessie, gets its own levels. Additionally, by digging through the files of the Switch port, Twitter user Nickolox discovered evidence that Toadette was once considered. They found over 200 different animations, as well as an audio recording of what she’d say when you selected her. We’re all for more character options, though we have no idea why Nintendo decided against Toadette’s inclusion.
The Fire Chestnut
“Super Mario Sunshine” (2002)Multiple Mario games have had enemies removed for one reason or another. In “Super Mario Sunshine,” there’s the interesting case of Kug (Xref), a Goomba-like enemy whose artwork can be found hidden within Pinna Park. However, the scrapped enemy that we find most intriguing is the Hinokuri, or Fire Chestnut. The enemy was seen in pre-release footage and can still be accessed in the game’s files. To damage the towering foe, Mario would have had to stun it with a water barrel and spray its eye to remove its shell. Otherwise, it would have wandered around, spawning Strollin’ Stu enemies out its backside. That’s…disturbing, so maybe it’s a good thing this enemy was scrapped.
Cut Power-Ups
VariousMario and power-ups go hand-in-hand. But not every one makes it through development. There are a ton of items that have been cut from the series that we would’ve loved to test out. Nintendo knew it wanted “Super Mario Bros. 3” to turn Mario into an animal, and initially planned a Centaur power-up before the Tanooki was settled on. In “New Super Mario Bros. Wii,” Mario and his allies could’ve dressed up like chickens; concept art shows what they would’ve looked like. A bone power-up could’ve turned Mario into a skeleton in “Super Mario Galaxy 2,” but it was rejected by Miyamoto. Those are only a handful of the power-ups scrapped throughout Mario’s history. Imagine how many more we don’t know about.
Isle Delfino
“Super Mario Odyssey” (2017)Take this one with a tiny bit of salt, but it seems to us that Isle Delfino was, at the very least, considered to appear in “Super Mario Odyssey.” Prior to launch, in marketing that showed the game’s map, fans noticed a small, dolphin-shaped land mass next to what we’d find out is the Mushroom Kingdom. Obviously, Mario doesn’t visit the “Super Mario Sunshine” setting in “Odyssey.” Maybe this was just an Easter Egg…except when players got their hands on the game, they found more evidence. On the ship’s spinning globe, there’s no dolphin outline next to the Mushroom Kingdom. But there is a properly-sized bump, which is hard to see but definitely there. Maybe Nintendo originally intended to make DLC; this game would’ve been a gold mine for it. Whatever the reasoning, we’re still bummed.
Missing Brother
“Super Mario 64” (1996)One of the most famous myths surrounding a Mario game was whether or not Luigi was hidden in “Super Mario 64.” A cryptic plaque that seemed to read ‘L is Real’ was all players needed to spread rumors on how to unlock him. While none of those methods were true, Luigi was supposed to appear in the game. Nintendo had wanted to incorporate co-op, but found that the system couldn’t handle including him and the intricate levels the team wanted to design. He then would’ve appeared in some type of multiplayer mini-game, but the plan to have the N64 ship with one controller led to his removal entirely. Only after a massive source code leak in 2020 did players finally see how Mario’s younger brother would’ve looked here.
