User:TheUndescribableGhost/History of Mario in role-playing games
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
Mario appears as the main protagonist in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars and its Nintendo Switch remake. Mario first arrives at Bowser's Keep to confront Bowser, who has again captured Princess Peach (which by now is a recurring event). Mario battles Bowser atop a Chaindelier and rescues Peach. A huge sword named Exor then strikes the castle from atop and knocks them all to various spots in Mario's world. Mario falls through the pipe on top of his house and lands on his bed.
Mario discovers that the Star Pieces of the wish-granting Star Road are being sought by a group called the Smithy Gang, who is causing havoc throughout the world. On this adventure, Mario recruits Mallow, Geno, Peach, and even Bowser. They travel through much of the world, finding Star Pieces, which are protected by the Smithy Gang's strongest members. After all Star Pieces are collected, Mario and his allies search for Smithy. They can get to him through Bowser's Keep, which is inaccessible because Exor destroyed the bridge. With the help of Mallow's parents, King Nimbus and Queen Nimbus, Mario and his allies have passage through the royal bus. When Mario and his allies finally arrive, they defeat Exor and go to Smithy's world via Exor's mouth.
Mario's journey is not over, since Smithy has even more minions at his disposal. After many battles, Mario and his allies face and defeat Smithy, saving the Star Road.
Mario also has a clone version of himself that Belome can transform into named "Mario Clone." One Greaper in the game can also take the appearance of Mario.
Paper Mario series
Paper Mario
Paper Mario follows Mario's attempt at rescuing Princess Peach and the Star Spirits from Bowser. After imprisoning the Star Spirits in cards, Bowser, along with Kammy Koopa, defeats Mario with the Star Rod, forcing Mario to adventure and recover the Star Spirits. With Toad Town serving as the main hub for his travels, Mario travels to various locations and befriends Party Members that assist him in battle. During the events of this game, Toad Town News traces Mario as he tries to save the Star Spirits and posts news about his progress. Peach also in the meantime tries to help Mario through sneaking in the castle and having Twink relay helpful items and information to him for the whereabouts on each Star Spirit.
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
- "The Great Gonzales" redirects here. For the character from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door sometimes called The Great Gonzales Jr., see Yoshi Kid.
In Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door and its remake, Peach invites Mario to Rogueport to share a treasure map leading to powerful artifacts called Crystal Stars. By the time Mario arrives, the X-Nauts have kidnapped her. The X-Nauts need to use her as a vessel for the Shadow Queen so the leader of the X-Nauts, Sir Grodus, can use her power to aid him in world domination.
Mario meets Professor Frankly, who tells him the history of Rogueport and reveals the secret of the Thousand-Year Door. The Shadow Queen has once controlled Rogueport and trapped many of its citizens after Crystal Stars granted her power. The Four Legendary Heroes have used the power of the Crystal Stars against her and imprisoned her in the Thousand-Year Door for a millennium. After learning this story, Mario sets out to collect all seven Crystal Stars. Gaining many new partners and finding all Crystal Stars, Mario enters the Thousand-Year Door. There he finds Sir Grodus standing before the Shadow Queen's room. Mario defeats Sir Grodus but is then ambushed by Bowser and Kammy Koopa. This gives Grodus time to escape with Peach to the Shadow Queen's room. When Mario arrives, Grodus has awakened the Shadow Queen herself, taking control of Peach's body. Mario has to fight her possessed form, and using the help of the Rogueport citizens' wishes, Mario prevails.
In the Glitz Pit, Mario and his partner's team is named The Great Gonzales (also known as the title The Merciless Executioner) by Grubba. Additionally in the Glitz Pit, when Mario optionally returns to the Glitz Pit to fight Rawk Hawk a second time, someone in the crowd yells, "Jumpman! Wait. Who?" referencing Mario's alternate name in Donkey Kong arcade materials.
Mario can wear two badges that change the colors of his clothes. The L Emblem makes him resemble Luigi, and the W Emblem makes him resemble Wario, but when they are worn together, Mario resembles Waluigi.
Super Paper Mario
In Super Paper Mario, Mario and Luigi sit in their house one day when they hear the news that Princess Peach has been kidnapped. The Mario Bros. rush to Bowser's Castle, thinking he has the princess, an assumption to be proven wrong. Later, a new antagonist named Count Bleck shows up and kidnaps Luigi and Bowser. It is also revealed that Count Bleck has Peach, too.
Mario is transported to Flipside, a town between dimensions. Mario later finds Bowser and Peach, who decide to join Mario in his quest to stop Count Bleck. Mario must go through eight chapters to get eight Pure Hearts, which can counter the Chaos Heart. Mario also encounters new enemies, such as O'Chunks, Dimentio, Mimi, Nastasia, and even his brother, Luigi, now called Mr. L because Nastasia, an assistant of Count Bleck's, has brainwashed him (however, he joins Mario once he is freed by Dimentio and sent to The Underwhere).
Mario's special ability is the flip, which allows him to travel between 2D and 3D plains, which is necessary to progress and solve puzzles. Unlike the other playable characters who have their special abilities unlocked from the beginning of the game, Mario cannot flip until Bestovius teaches him the technique in Chapter 1-1.
Paper Mario: Sticker Star
In Paper Mario: Sticker Star, Mario, along with Princess Peach and many Toads, is celebrating the Sticker Fest, a holiday where six Royal Stickers ride in on a comet that allows wishes to come true. Bowser, however, takes the comet for himself, releasing its Royal Stickers to him and his minions. Mario attempts to jump on him, but his efforts fail and Mario is knocked out. Shortly after waking up, he meets a sticker guardian named Kersti, and with her help, he saves some Toads hidden around the town and takes back the Royal Stickers. Mario then pursues Bowser by traveling through various worlds. Along the way, Mario must collect various stickers to aid him in defeating enemies and progress through levels.
After getting five of the six Royal Stickers, Mario is allowed to enter Bowser's Sky Castle. Mario defeats Bowser and gets the last Royal Sticker, but Kersti is destroyed in the process. He releases Peach, who thanks Mario for his efforts and allows him to make a wish on the Sticker Star. He wishes for the return of Kersti, and the Sticker Fest is saved.
Paper Mario: Color Splash
In Paper Mario: Color Splash, Mario, Peach, and Toad get sent to Prism Island, which got drained of half its colors. Here, Mario meets a paint can guardian named Huey, and with his help, Mario saves the Big Paint Stars and restores color to the island by collecting them in each level while defeating enemies with his Paint Hammer and Battle Cards.
After getting all six Big Paint Stars, Mario is ready to face Bowser by entering Black Bowser's Castle, but he cannot walk up the rainbow road path. Luigi comes in with his kart, and the duo drives off to face Bowser. Mario and Huey defeat Bowser and paints Peach back, and she thanks Mario for his efforts. They leave the castle, but Huey decides to stay behind to drain the castle and sends the black paint far away. That night, a celebration is held for the return of all of the colors in Prism Island. Peach thanks Mario for everything and realizes that Huey will be all right after everything they have done.
Paper Mario: The Origami King
In Paper Mario: The Origami King, Mario (called Big M by Bob-omb) and Luigi are invited into Toad Town by Peach to celebrate the Origami Festival. Mario quickly notices Peach's change of appearance and demeanor, the result of her being attacked by King Olly, and is nearly turned into origami himself before barely escaping the castle. It now falls on him to restore the Mushroom Kingdom with the help of numerous allies, including Olivia, several of Bowser's minions, and even Bowser himself.
Mario & Luigi series
Mario and Luigi directly team up in the Mario & Luigi series. Throughout the series, the brothers embark on various adventures across the Mushroom Kingdom and beyond, often tasked with defeating threats not native to the Mushroom Kingdom. Mario is shown to be headstrong when given a task, eager to help those who asked for it, and usually drags Luigi along with him, be it by accident or by force, though he strongly supports Luigi. In terms of battle statistics, Mario, compared to Luigi, has higher power and speed stats but trails in his defense and HP.
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga / Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions
In Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga and its 3DS remake, Cackletta has arrived in disguise in the Mushroom Kingdom and has stolen Princess Peach's voice so she can take over the Beanbean Kingdom. Mario and Luigi (who goes on the adventure against his will), with Bowser's help, arrive in the Beanbean Kingdom, but Fawful causes them to crash-land in Stardust Fields, beginning their adventure. Along the way, Mario and Luigi learn to help each other traverse the varied land through learning jumping techniques, acquiring hammers, and Mario's learning to shoot fire while Luigi's learning to shoot electricity. Some notable characters Mario and Luigi meet include but are not limited to Popple, a brainwashed Bowser who calls himself Rookie, Prince Peasley, Queen Bean, the Hammerhead Bros., the Starshade Bros., Blablanadon, and Professor E. Gadd.
Mario has multiple abilities in this game, and they are learned as he and Luigi progress. If he is following Luigi, the brothers can use the Spin Jump to cross large gaps; Mario can also use Firebrand on Luigi to allow the two to move fast and either run past rolling spikes or knock down Ankoopas. If Luigi hits Mario with a hammer, Mario can transform into Mini Mario, letting him enter small openings. Mario can also hold large amounts of water as Pump Mario as use for water projectiles, watering plants (if Luigi uses Thunderhand on him), and putting out fires.
Tanoombas have the ability to transform into copies of Mario and Luigi.
Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time
In Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, after a mishap from using E. Gadd's time machine, causing time holes to spawn around Princess Peach's Castle, Mario and Luigi set out to rescue Peach, who is trapped back in time. There, they meet their baby counterparts, who team up with them for the rest of the game. Mario and company then go through more time holes, meeting many characters to help them along the way, including Kylie Koopa, Toadbert, Toadsworth the Younger, and E. Gadd from the past. Stuffwell helps store their items and advise them during their adventure. They soon discover that the Shroobs, lead by Princess Shroob, are planning to take over the Mushroom Kingdom, transform its residents to Shroob mushrooms, and harvest vim to power their ships and try to stop them.
Unlike in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, Mario always leads Luigi, and this is the case for the rest of the series, even in the remakes. Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time pairs Mario with Baby Mario, though Mario can separate from his baby self with the Baby Toss. During battle, if they are paired, Baby Mario assists Mario in standard attacks, helping him deal more damage. Mario takes damage for Baby Mario; if he is defeated, Baby Mario removes him from the battle. Mario and Luigi lack the hammer unlike in other games, so they cannot deal damage to spiked enemies without Baby Mario and Baby Luigi or without using a Bros. Item such as the Smash Egg. While they have the Spin Jump from Superstar Saga, there are other new techniques Mario and Luigi can learn, including the Bros. Ball, which they can use to travel faster and flatten the baby Mario Bros. to Baby Cakes.
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story / Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey
In Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story and its 3DS remake, a new disease called the blorbs, which make Toads grow to a giant size, has affected the Mushroom Kindgom citizens. Mario and Luigi attend a meeting at Peach's Castle that is disrupted when Bowser barges in. Bowser then fights Mario and is defeated. Thrown to Dimble Wood, Bowser receives a Vacuum Shroom from Fawful, which makes him inhale everything, including Mario, Luigi, Starlow, the princess, Toadsworth, and several of the Toads. Fawful later kidnaps Peach so she can awaken the Dark Star, to control the Mushroom Kingdom. Throughout the game, the heroes help Bowser in his trips, while they travel to various parts of his body and the Mushroom Kingdom while trying to find the Star Cures.
In the 3DS remake, Mario makes a brief appearance in the new Bowser Jr.'s Journey mode, where he and Luigi pass by Bowser Jr., who tries a fight with them while in Bubble Lake, but Starlow stops the fighting.
Mario & Luigi: Dream Team
In Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Toadsworth, and the Toads are invited to a vacation at Pi'illo Island by Dr. Snoozemore. They also find Starlow there. Mario and Luigi follow Peach and Toadsworth when they end up ejected into the ruins and find a Pi'illo, which later turns out to be Prince Dreambert. They discover that Luigi can sleep and open Dream Portals to the Dream World. Antasma, however, kidnaps Peach through a Dream Portal, which Mario promptly follows. In the Dream World, Mario meets Dreamy Luigi, who assists Mario in the Dream World in both fights and the field. Prince Dreambert, when freed, explains to Mario and Luigi that Antasma is searching for the Dream Stone; he already has stolen the Dark Stone but is trapped in the Dream World. The story then revolves around Mario, Luigi, and Starlow trying to rescue Peach and retrieve the Dream Stone to prevent Antasma (who teams up with Bowser) from using them for evil deeds.
Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam
Mario appears once again as one of the main protagonists in Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, where he and Luigi team up with Mario's paper counterpart after the Paper Mario universe was brought to their universe. The trio works together to save Princess Peach and her paper counterpart, who have been kidnapped by the two Bowsers. The gameplay is largely the same as that of the previous entries, although now there are also Papercraft battles that involve the trio operating giant cardboard battle units.
Mario + Rabbids series
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle
- See also: Rabbid Mario
In Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, Mario and his friends encounter a Mushroom Kingdom that has been fused with the world of Rabbids. Mario saves Beep-0 and later meets Rabbid Luigi and Rabbid Peach, two Rabbids based on Luigi and Princess Peach. He also reunites with Luigi, Yoshi, Toad, and Peach to help restore order to the Mushroom Kingdom. They use weapons attached to a message from an unknown individual named "F.B." (later revealed to be Beep-0 from the future).
Gameplay-wise, Mario is required in battle. He is a medium-range fighter with good mobility, and he has the highest offense tied with Yoshi. His special jump is the Stomp Jump, in which he lands on an enemy to deal 30 points of damage and lands on a nearby cell. His primary weapon is the Lightning Shark, which fires one missile at a time, while his secondary one is the Button Masher, which hits multiple targets at once. These weapons can be powered up by M-Power, which increases Mario's weapon damage along with the damage caused by his allies. His primary technique is Hero Sight, which allows him to immediately damage the first enemy he sees that moves. He also has his Rabbid counterpart, Rabbid Mario.
In the Donkey Kong Adventure DLC, Mario's role is restricted as a minor supporting character. He is instead seen with Rabbid Luigi and Luigi trying to warn Rabbid Peach, who is trying to charge her phone to get away from the Time Washing Machine, but they are too late.
Additionally, in the beginning of the game, the Genius Girl is shown to own a Mario figurine.
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope
Mario reappears in Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope. At the beginning of the game, Rabbid Peach is abducted by the Darkmess Manta, and Mario enters the Darkmess Dimension via the Manta to save her. After Mario and Rabbid Peach defeat several Stooges and Goombas, they are rescued by the rest of the team in the WM ARC speceship. Mario and Rabbid Peach join the rest of the team to stop the evil force Cursa from consuming the Sparks to save the universe.
Mario now wields the Dual Slingers,[1] a dual-wielding blaster-like weapon that can fire at two enemies at once. His Hero Sight technique returns from the previous game. His Stomp ability also returns. If unlocked in the skill tree, he can even fire at enemies during a team jump.[2] Unlike in Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, Mario is not required to be in the party at all times.
