List of references in third-party video games
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The following is a list of references to the Super Mario franchise in video games not made by Nintendo. For a list of references to the Super Mario franchise in video games released by Nintendo, see List of references in Nintendo video games.
32 in 1 (Atari 2600)
Mario and Luigi appear on the box, but are not featured in any of the included games.[1]
64 de Hakken! Tamagotchi Minna de Tamagotchi World (N64)
This game features two unlockable Tamagotchis based on Mario and Wario, named Mariotchi and Waruotokotchi, respectively. The former is obtained by winning a board game while having successfully raised any P1 adult and the latter is obtained similarly, but with any P2 adult.
Accounting+ (Steam/PS4)
Harold Jenkins, dressed in an outfit similar to Mario's, in a world heavily inspired by the Super Mario franchise.
In the trailer for the rerelease of Accounting, there is a joke about them asking Reggie Fils-Aimé to release the game on the Nintendo Switch. During this joke, the character Harold Jenkins is seen wearing a magenta hat with the letter "J" on it, magenta overalls, and a yellow shirt, parodying Mario's outfit. In the trailer, he is seen coming out of a yellow Warp Pipe in a world inspired by levels in the Super Mario franchise, with many Goomba-looking creatures, Coins with the euro currency symbol (€), Brick Blocks, ? Blocks with the dollar currency symbol ($), and a parody of the Koopa Clown Car. A skull wearing a red cap can also be spotted in the background. The music during this scene of the trailer seems to be inspired by Super Mario 64.
Ace Attorney series
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies (3DS and multiplatform)
- Yuri Cosmos's GYAXA uniform is adorned with star-shaped buttons that look identical to Super Stars. This is more noticeable during his breakdown, where stars - including Super Stars - fly off of his uniform.
The Great Ace Attorney: Adventures (3DS and multiplatform)
- Two characters that appear in the fifth case "The Adventure of the Unspeakable Story," called Nash Skulkin and Ringo Skulkin, are brothers, and they are visually similar to Luigi and Mario, respectively. Both of them are ironically "professional baddies" who always plan schemes together.
Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy + (3DS)
An F-16 doing a flyby of a ? Block.
This rerelease of Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy adds custom planes themed after various Nintendo characters. The planes can be unlocked by scanning the relevant amiibo or by finding ? Blocks hidden in the missions. When a ? Block is destroyed, a Power Star emerges from it and the Super Mushroom collection sound plays. The Super Mario-relevant planes are:
- Mario: An F-22 Raptor with averaged-out stats, in a reference to Mario's status as the "balanced" character in most Super Mario games.
- Luigi: An F-35 Lightning II with increased speed but poor mobility, likely in reference to Luigi's inertia-heavy physics in games such as Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels.
- Bowser: An A-10A Thunderbolt II with improved armor and attack power.
- Donkey Kong: An F/A-18 Hornet with increased mobility and stability but lower speed. Its missiles leave yellow trails.
- Princess Peach: A Eurofighter Typhoon with increased speed and mobility but lower defense.
Adventure Island: The Beginning (Wii)
- An obstacle in the skateboard mini game has an uncanny resemblance to a Thwomp. It periodically falls down and raises itself.
The Adventures of Quik & Silva (Amiga/Atari ST)
- One of the in-game enemies is a robotic Mario head on a spring.
The Adventures of Willy Beamish (Multiplatform)
- The main protagonist, Willy, at one point plays a "Nintari" game entitled "Monster Squad", appears to be a parody of Super Mario Bros. Nintari is also a portmanteau of Nintendo and Atari.
The Adventure Pals (Xbox One/PS4/Switch/PC)
- When Chicken Person explains the benefits of using the travel wells to Wilton, they state that the portals are cleaner than "those gross sewer pipes that mushroom kingdom uses".
- Near the end of the game, when Wilton experiences a flood of flashbacks involving Mr. B and the evil goldfish, one flashback shows the two of them playing what seems to be a Super Mario-esque platformer, with ? Blocks, coins, and spikes shown.
Adventure Time: Legends of Ooo (PC/iOS)
- In the forest, when the player clicks on the mushrooms, Jake says "Do you think they help us grow bigger?", which alludes to Super Mushrooms.
Advent Rising (Xbox/PC)
A Warp Pipe-like object in Chapter 1-B of Advent Rising.
- One of the levels has a secret area which leads to a Warp Zone similar to that of the Super Mario franchise, complete with three different pipes.
Alex Kidd in Shinobi World (Sega Master System)
- During development, the first boss of the game was intended to be a character based on Ken-Oh, the first boss of the Shinobi arcade game, named "Mari-Oh", who bore a striking resemblance to Mario (likely to mock Nintendo, as the Alex Kidd games were all made by Sega, Nintendo's business rival at the time)[2] By the final game, however, Mari-Oh was replaced with the unrelated "Kabuto" boss. "Kabuto", however, throws fireballs like Fire Mario to attack, and shrinks in size after taking enough damage.
Among Us (Android/iOS and multiplatform)
- Collecting the watering can in the Storage of MIRA HQ generates text that reads "Watering Can Get!". While not a direct reference to the Super Mario franchise, this is a reference to the widely-mocked "Shine Get!" phrase that appears in the Japanese version of Super Mario Sunshine whenever Mario collects a Shine Sprite.
- The codes found in the Ventilation of the Airship (itself a reference to the Toppat Airship from The Henry Stickmin Collection) features an image of a coin as one of the possible digits, along with the Tunisian Diamond, Romanian Ruby, and Norwegian Emerald.
Alien Hominid (multiplatform)
- In 2-5, KGB agents throw barrels down stairs, referencing Donkey Kong's attacks in the game of the same name. The area they appear in also resembles 25m.
Angry Birds series
Angry Birds Seasons (iOS/Android/PC/Mac)
- One of the Golden Egg levels in the "Piggywood Studios" episode contains several Warp Pipe-like structures that the birds have to dodge in a Flappy Bird-style fashion in order to reach and defeat a single Minion Pig.[3][4]
Angry Birds Friends (Web/iOS/Android)
The level from Angry Birds Friends
- The second level of the 2015 Retro Game tournament referenced Super Mario Bros., featuring boxes that acted like or resembled ? Blocks, coins, a Goal Pole preceded by a block stairway, a fortress, and a double Warp Pipe.[5]
- A boss enemy called Mario Pig is featured in the Retro Games Tournament as a boss pig. He wears a red cap and has a bushy mustache and eyebrows, similar to Mario.
Angry Birds Space (iOS/Android/PC/Mac)
The stage in Angry Birds Space referencing World 1-1
- The second Eggsteroid level is a homage to World 1-1 of Super Mario Bros., with stone in the place of ? Blocks, wood in the place of Brick Blocks, and ground covered in grass in the place of Pipes. The upper "? Block" contains a Minion Pig which moves in a similar manner to a Super Mushroom. Unlike in the original game, the ground can be broken and the pig representing the mushroom comes out of the top block instead of the bottom left block.
Angry Birds Star Wars II (iOS/Android/PC)
- The fifteenth Pork Side level of the "Master Your Destiny" episode references World 1-1, as it contains ? Block-like structures with Credits, the collectible currency in Angry Birds Star Wars II, in place of the coins, and a Gungan bird in place of the Super Mushroom, all in the structure shape seen at the beginning of World 1-1.[6][7]
Angry Birds Epic (iOS/Android)
The Foreman Pig enemy from Angry Birds Epic
- In various levels of the game, the player will encounter a variant of Foreman Pig donning a red cap with a white circle at the front, highly resembling Mario. He also holds a small Warp Pipe covered in coloured mushrooms, using it as a melee weapon.
- One of Wizpig's unique abilities is named "Power-up Shroom", with its name referencing the Super Mushroom.
Angry Birds Evolution (iOS/Android)
Cold Turkey's No Parole Evolution in Angry Birds Evolution
- One of Cold Turkey's evolutions, No Parole Evolution, references Wario, wearing a yellow cap with a blue letter T, a short-sleeved yellow shirt and purple overalls with silver buttons.
Angry Video Game Nerd series
Angry Video Game Nerd Adventures (PC and multiplatform)
- The stars on the Christmas trees in the Blizzard of Balls stage resemble Super Stars.
Angry Video Game Nerd 2: Assimilation (PC)
- In the tutorial and Rabbit Season levels, a poster of Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest can be seen in the background.
- The first level of Browntown is called "Dookie Dookie Panic", a parody of Doki Doki Panic.
Antonball (PC)
- Antonball Classic samples audio from Mario Bros. The 2021 remake, Antonball Deluxe, extends this to feature Wrecking Crew and WarioWare-style instruments and voice imitations, in addition to a general aesthetic influenced by the Wario series. Wario is even specifically credited as special thanks in the credits.
- Punch Ball Antonball is a spinoff based heavily on Punch Ball Mario Bros., which also received an update as Punchball mode in Antonball Deluxe.
Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore (Multiplatform)
- This game, a spiritual successor to the Philips CD-i games Link: The Faces of Evil and Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon, features a few references to Hotel Mario.
- In some of the minigames, the titular protagonist must close doors within a time limit, similarly to Hotel Mario's gameplay.
- When the player talks to Munhum to complete his quest, he says at the end of his dialogue, "Be careful...'Where there's smoke...'...no, that's not the right phrase, ayye." If the player talks to him again, he continues, "How'd the saying go again? '...they pinch back!' ...no. Ayye, I forgot." Both are quotes by Mario from the cutscenes introducing Bowser's Seizures Palace Hotel and Wendy's Blitz Snarlton Hotel respectively (made somewhat infamous due to being one of the unofficial "taglines" for the YouTube poop medium, "Where there's smoke, they pinch back").
- The book seen in the cutscene unlocked upon 100% completion contains drawings and words referencing scenes from CD-i games commonly used in the YouTube poop medium, such as drawings of a plate of spaghetti, bread, a toaster, and the word "NO" (all referencing cutscenes in Hotel Mario), as well as the letters M and L.
- Arzette Coins are directly inspired by Cranky's Video Game Hero Coins from Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest.[8]
- The draconic boss Beeves has a facial design resembling King Koopa's DiC Entertainment design.
Assassin's Creed series
Assassin's Creed II (Multiplatform)
In Mario Auditore's debut cutscene, he introduces himself with "Don't you recognize me? It's a-me, Mario!", referring to Mario's catchphrase.
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (Multiplatform)
- One of the game's achievements/trophies is called "Principessa in Another Castello", referencing the mushroom retainers' quote: "Thank you Mario! But our princess is in another castle!" from Super Mario Bros.
- In the mission "Femme Fatale," after Ezio has killed all of the guards and dragged Lucrezia Borgia towards Caterina Sforza's cell, she commented "Rescuing princesses from castles now?"
- The achievement "Plumber" shows a picture of a Warp Pipe.
Astal (Sega Saturn)
Asterix & Obelix XXL 2: Mission: Las Vegum (PS2, PC)
- One of the most common enemies is a Roman dressed in a Mario costume called Pablo who uses the FLUDD device from Super Mario Sunshine to blast water at Asterix and Obelix. His likeness also appears on the Eiffel Tower decorations and the statues on the side of the Arc de Triomphe. Additionally, Romans that resemble other video game characters such as Sonic the Hedgehog and Pac-Man appear.
- There is an area accessed through a Warp Pipe in WCW Arena named "Internetus" which is somewhat of a tribute to the Super Mario games. There are POW Blocks, Thwomps, Mushroom platforms, Piranha Plant designs on the floor, and more. The music also sounds like that of a Super Mario game.
- In the secret entrance to Las Vegum, there is a menhir painted white with green spots, resembling a Yoshi's Egg.
- The wall behind the Eiffel Tower in Lutetia is designed to look like the background of a Super Mario level.
- Near the boss in WCW Arena, there are wall tiles made to look like blocks from Super Mario games.
- In the night-time area of Venetia, there are giant statues of Donkey Kong, Princess Peach, and a Shine Sprite. Additionally there are two more Shine Sprites in an underground tunnel in the same room.
- Some flag decorations in Venetia feature Super Mushrooms and Yoshi's Eggs.
- Upon entering the Obelisk area of Lutetia, there are barrels rolling down a slope with Donkey Kong's logo on them.
- In WCW Arena there is a massive scaffolding which looks and plays just like the first level of Donkey Kong. There is also one on Pirate Island with a giant statue of Donkey Kong on top (the same one seen in Venetia, but wearing an eye patch).
- On Pirate Island there are carvings of Donkey Kong's face on the ground at one area.
- In Venetia there are fountains featuring Donkey Kong's face, with the water flowing from his mouth.
- Beside the merchandise stand on the shores of Pirate Island there is a red towel with a Sidestepper on it and Super Stars on the ground nearby.
Back to the Future: The Game (Multiplatform)
- During "Episode 1: It's About Time," Marty must make arrangements for Edna to deliver soup (which is actually alcohol) to the Stay Sober Society. At one point, Marty mentions that he has delivered soup to charities before, and Edna asks him which ones they were. Marty responds by telling her "The... um... Mario Brothers...", and Edna goes on to comment that "the Italians do so many good works".
Bangai-O Spirits (DS)
- A stage in the game is based on Super Mario Bros.
- A background also resembling Super Mario Bros. with a dead, green Piranha Plant-looking creature, a superimposed human face at the top-left corner, and a superimposed mushroom in the underground half can be found in the game's files.[10]
Banjo-Kazooie series
- For the Banjo-Kazooie games published by Nintendo prior to Microsoft's acquisition of Rare, see List of references in Nintendo video games § Banjo-Kazooie series.
Banjo-Pilot (GBA)
- Expresso can be found in the course Jinxy's Dunes, which is a holdover of the game's earlier development.
Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts (Xbox 360)
- To show the power of the vehicle editor in the game, an 8-bit Mario on wheels is shown in the trailer in Nutty Acres. It then gets destroyed by Banjo and Kazooie. The trailer was later edited to remove the portion when the 8-bit Mario is destroyed. However, the shot of it prior to the destroying remains.[11]
- In the opening sequence, when Banjo, Kazooie, and Gruntilda encounter the Lord of Games for the first time, Kazooie at one point remarks that they have been in several games already, and Lord of Games responds by saying that they've been in "nowhere near as many as that Italian gentleman."
- In the Jiggoseum level, on a balcony in the south end of the main area is a pile of giant, metallic dice that Kazooie can pick up and move. Hidden behind them is a large, golden cube with a metallic white question mark on the side of it.
- In one of the missions for the L.O.G.'s Lost Challenges DLC, Banjo mentions that he once was in a race with "a genie and a giant pig", referring to Diddy Kong Racing.
- The achievement unlocked for opening the Terrarium of Terror, an outer-space forest-themed world, is called "Super Banjo Universe," a parody of Super Mario Galaxy.
- One of the questions given by Lord of Games in the quiz at the end of the game is "Which game featured a Banjo appearance but wasn't a Banjo title?" The correct choice is Diddy Kong Racing.
The Battle Cats (iOS/Android and multiplatform)
- The true form of Ancient Egg: N004, Supercar Cat, features a Cat riding a white duck-like vehicle that resembles the Quacker from Mario Kart Wii. The unit generally has very good stats and abilities, but it is limited by its low speed and tiny HP; this matches how the Quacker is an inward drifting bike and has the highest stat total of any vehicle in Mario Kart Wii, but has one of the lowest speed stats and the single lowest weight stat. When attacking, the Cat activates the vehicle's high-frequency horn; this attack can destroy enemy barriers and shields, which may be a nod to the Super Horn item.
- The evolved form of Meowla Meowla, Catorpedo, features a floating Cat in the shape of a Mola mola, specifically as it appears in the Survive! Mola mola! game. However, the Cat also has a pair of white arms whose hands are curled into fists, which is likely a reference to the Bullet Bill enemy. When attacking, the Cat breathes fire in a manner that is similar to the flare produced by some Bullet Bills. Its description includes, "Hates being stepped all over. Stop it!!!," which refers to Bullet Bills being defeated when jumped on.
- The true form of Jurassic Cat, Catasaurus, features a Cat riding a dinosaur that bears a close resemblance to Yoshi. When attacking, the dinosaur jumps in the air and flutters while moving its feet, and it sticks out its tongue when knocked back, which are both abilities of Yoshi. The unit's description includes, "Discovered a cute dinosaur in a magical land of fungi. Features extra seating for the kids!" The first phrase is a reference to the Mushroom Kingdom, while the second phrase is a reference to Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, where Baby Mario rides on Yoshi's back.
- The evolved form of Vengeful Cat, Groucho Cat, features a Cat riding a cloud while holding a pair of fishing rods, which is likely a reference to the Fishin' Lakitu/Fishing Boo enemy. When attacking, the cloud turns gray and shoots thunderbolts, similar to that of Lakithunder. However, the fishing rods are attached to a pair of Groucho glasses, referencing Groucho Marx.
- Cat Kart R, a unit added to celebrate the release of The Battle Cats POP! on the Nintendo 3DS, bears a name referencing the Mario Kart series. In all three forms, the unit features a Cat riding a kart that most closely resembles the Standard Kart from Mario Kart 7. When attacking, the Cat throws a can of Cat Food (the game's in-game currency) in the same way characters may throw items in Mario Kart games. The Cat's appearance also references a specific character which changes with each form.
- The unevolved form, Cat Kart R, features a short and round Cat with a red cap similar to the Mario Cap, but with an "N" instead of an "M". Its description includes, "Other hobbies: Parties, Tennis, Medicine," which is a nod to Mario Party, Mario Tennis, and Dr. Mario respectively.
- The evolved form, Cat Kart G, features a tall Cat with a green cap similar to the Luigi Cap, but with an "N" instead of an "L". Its description includes, "Has a complex thanks to his popular brother," which is a nod to Luigi's Mansion.
- The true form, Cat Kart P, features a tall Cat with a gold crown, pink lipstick, and a blond hairdo that closely resembles Princess Peach's ponytail. Its description includes, "This Cat always seems to be in another castle," which is a nod to the mushroom retainers' line in Super Mario Bros. In this form only, three cans of Cat Food trail behind the kart in a manner resembling Triple Bananas; when attacking, the Cat throws these cans in quick succession and a new trail appears shortly after. An enemy version of Cat Kart P also appears in a few event stages; it has far stronger stats compared to the Cat unit but is visually identical.
- The true form of Curling Cat, Green Shell Cat, bears a name referencing the Green Shell item from the Mario Kart series. It features a shell that closely resembles a Green Shell, but with a set of very small wheels on the bottom. The shell rushes forward at a high speed; when attacking, it simply rams into an enemy before flipping over and idling for an extremely long time. During this time, a small Cat pokes its head out of the shell and attempts to fix it.
Bayonetta series
Bayonetta (Wii U, Switch)
- The Wii U and Nintendo Switch versions of the game features costumes for Bayonetta inspired by various Nintendo characters, including ones based upon Princess Peach and Princess Daisy called "Mushroom Kingdom Princess" and "Sarasaland Princess" respectively.[12] The costumes feature ribbons on the arms that have various Super Mario power-ups on them, and on her waist is a Mario trinket for the Peach costume, and a Luigi one for the Daisy costume. While the costumes are equipped, the Halos enemies drop are replaced with coins, which when collected make the sound effect heard in Super Mario World.[13] Also, instead of summoning demons, Bayonetta summons Bowser's foot or fist. When doing so, Bowser's voice (provided by Kenny James) can be heard.[14]
Bayonetta's Peach costume.
Bayonetta's Daisy costume.
Bayonetta 2 (Wii U, Switch)
- A Chain Chomp appears as an equippable weapon. It can be obtained by collecting the Angelic Hymns Gold LP "Super Mario 64". During the cutscene of Rodin going to Inferno to make the weapon, a piano rendition of Bob-omb Battlefield's theme plays.
- The Umbran Elegance for the Chain Chomp gives Bayonetta Mario's hat (with a "B" instead of an "M") and mustache. She also gains a unique taunt in which she takes the hat off (a la one of Mario's taunts in Super Smash Bros. Brawl) while saying "Mamma Mia!". If Jeanne equips the Umbran Elegance, she will gain Luigi's hat and mustache instead.
- The Nintendo costumes that appear in the port of the original game also appear in this game, including the Peach and Daisy costumes. In the Nintendo Switch version, these costumes can be unlocked instantly by scanning their respective amiibo.
Bejeweled Stars (iOS/Android)
One of the Daily Challenges in the game is called "D.Kong", which refers to the original Donkey Kong.
Ben Jordan: Paranormal Investigator (PC)
- In the seventh game in the series, Ben enters a person's house by disguising himself as a plumber. He does this by putting on a colorful shirt and pair of overalls making him look like one of the Mario Bros. Additionally, when using the call box outside the house in question, Ben can impersonate the Pope by saying "It's-a me, the Pope!" in a manner reminiscent of Mario's "It's-a me, Mario!".
Big Boy Boxing (PC)
- In the game's demo, the jingle that plays after knocking out an opponent is a near note-for-note replica of the jingle from Super Mario Bros. 3 after clearing a normal level.
The Binding of Isaac / The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth (Steam)
- The Magic Mushroom, 1up!, Mini Mush, and Mega Mush items resemble several mushroom power-ups from the Super Mario games, and have similar effects to their inspired powerups;
- Magic Mushroom increases Isaac's size and damage, and gives him additional health.
- 1up! gives Isaac an extra life.
- Mini Mush decreases Isaac's size and increases his speed.
- Mega Mush turns Isaac into a giant version of himself when activated, making him invincible and massively increasing his damage for a short time.
- The item "Bobby-Bomb" greatly resembles a Bob-omb, and gives Isaac's bombs windup keys and the ability to move towards enemies, just like Bob-ombs.
- The item "Gnawed Leaf" strongly resembles a Super Leaf, and its effect is similar, granting Isaac invulnerability when standing still. It also gives Isaac a Tanooki tail.
- The description of the Liberty Cap trinket says: "Touch Fuzzy, Get Dizzy" - referencing World 1-7 from Yoshi's Island.
- One of the fortune teller's messages is: "Your Princess is in another Castle", referencing the mushroom retainers' line in Super Mario Bros.
- The appearance of the item "How To Jump", which allows Isaac to jump across obstacles and pits, is a boxart very similar to the boxart of Super Mario Bros.
- After picking up three mushroom-type items, Isaac gains a transformation known as "Fun Guy", which grants him a heart container and changes his appearance to vaguely resemble a Toad.
- The skeletal enemy "Clickety Clack" is seemingly inspired by Dry Bones, chasing after Isaac and collapsing into a pile of bones when defeated. As long as any other active Clickety Clacks are present in the room, it will regenerate and continue pursuing Isaac after a short time.
- Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Princess Peach, Princess Daisy, Bowser, Toad, Toadette, Yoshi, a Goomba, a Chain Chomp, the Fire Flower, Tanooki Suit, Hammer Suit, and Frog Suit appear as playable normal babies in the game's Co-op mode.
Bit Boy!! (WiiWare)
- The high score initials in Warp Mode of the second era, named Bit Boy 2, mention Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, Bowser, Toad and Donkey Kong.
Bitcoin Billionaire (iOS/Android)
- One of the email bonuses received in the game is from The Princess, which reads "I'm in another castle, enjoying this bonus." This is a reference to Toad's line from Super Mario Bros.
- One of the unlockable room items is a Goal Pole from Super Mario Bros. It can be unlocked by reinvesting.
Email referencing Toad's line from Super Mario Bros.
The Goal Pole is an unlockable room item via reinvesting in this game.
Borderlands series
Borderlands (Multiplatform)
- There is an achievement in the game titled, "My Brother Is An Italian Plumber", which is earned by stomping enemies.
Borderlands 2 (Multiplatform)
- A race of enemies called "Bullymongs" are four-armed ape-like creatures; there is a rare subspecies called "Donkey Mongs" which wear red ties and throw barrels, a reference to Donkey Kong, if the player successfully defeats a Donkey Mong, they are awarded with an achievement entitled "Definitely An Italian Plumber", a reference to Mario.
Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel (Multiplatform)
- At one point in the game, an elevator can take the player to an underground area that uses blocks resembling the ground tiles, Hard Blocks and Brick Blocks from Super Mario Bros. The player even enters and exits from the area by using what looks like purple Warp Pipes.
Borderlands 3 (Multiplatform)
- There is a weapon callled the Dangerous Superball, which is named after the Superball Flower from Super Mario Land, and shoots bouncing fireballs similar to Fire Mario.
Tiny Tina's Wonderlands (Multiplatform)
- In this Borderlands spin-off RPG, one of the rooms houses fanged mushroom-like dolls resembling humanoid Goombas combined with the original Super Mushroom sprite from Super Mario Bros.
Bouncemasters (iOS/Android)
- The fourth world the penguin character can bounce through is themed after the Mushroom Kingdom, with background hills resembling that of the ones found in the Super Mario franchise, and Mushrooms the penguin can bounce off.
Bowmasters (iOS/Android)
Braid (XBLA and multiplatform)
- One of the game's levels is named "Jumpman" (referencing Mario's original name), which resembles 25m from the original Donkey Kong arcade game. In Indie Game: The Movie, it is shown that the gorilla in said level was originally a sprite of Donkey Kong from the arcade game in the prototype.
- At the end of most worlds, a ragdoll-like dinosaur character appears and says,"I'm sorry, but the Princess is in another castle."
- There are plant enemies which come out of pipes very similar to Piranha Plants.
Brain Test: Tricky Puzzles (iOS/Android)
- The solution to the thirteenth level involves dragging a mushroom onto a cat to make him grow bigger and thus clear a jump across a pit. The ending flavor text subsequently reads "Super Tom!".
Bram Stoker's Dracula (NES/SNES/Genesis)
- There are blocks in the game that look similar to ? Blocks.
Bravely Second: End Layer (3DS)
- The in-game description of the item Enopu Mushroom alludes to Mario's plumbing career, along with saving the princesses and preference of mushrooms. This item's name is an anagram of the "One-Up" portion of the 1-Up Mushroom. Its effect is similar in that it grants the target the auto-revive effect. Item description: "Eisenberg legends tell of an affable plumber with a love for mushrooms. This particular one was his favorite, and its power brought him back from the brink of death-by-overwork on many an occasion. While he performed no acts of derring-do such as the saving of princesses, he did nearly single-handedly construct Eisenberg's impressive sewage system."
Brawl Stars (iOS/Android)
- Piper and 8-BIT, two of the Brawlers in the game, have skins resembling Princess Peach and a NES controller respectively.
- A Brawler named Jacky wears red shorteralls with gold buttons over a blue T-shirt, resembling Mario's color scheme prior to Super Mario Bros. 3.
Breath of Death VII (PC/XBLA)
- A part of the game has the player searching for a prince named Erik in a castle. If the player speaks to a certain guard, he states "Perhaps the Prince is in another castle."
Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling (PC and multiplatform)
- The game is heavily inspired by Paper Mario and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, both visually and gameplay-wise.
- The max level is capped at 27 like in the original game.
- There is an item called Mistake that can be created from a wrong recipe.
- General Ultimax is fought in a similar manner to General Guy, being first fought with his troops before being fought in a tank. After the battle against him in Chapter 5, if the player spies on him, Vi even refers to him as "general guy."
Bugs Bunny Rabbit Rampage (SNES)
- Bomb-like enemies in Level 2001 resemble Bob-ombs.
Bully: Scholarship Edition (Wii/Xbox 360)
- The minor character Ray Huges says "They say kids imitate video games. But I have yet to turn into a mustached plumber!".
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (Multiplatform)
- In multiplayer in both games, reaching a 10-kill killstreak with no killstreak rewards equipped nets the player a callsign emblem of Price patterned after the Super Mario Bros. small Mario sprite.
- In Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, a video game console called a "Gamestation" can be found in a house. One of the video games lying around it is named "Italian Plumber Princess Rescue".
Castlevania series
- The recurring Skeleton Ape enemy first seen in Castlevania: Rondo of Blood is based on Donkey Kong, right down to using barrels as its primary weapon.
Castlevania: Rondo of Blood (PC Engine)
- One of Maria's summons, the turtle, bears a resemblance to a Buzzy Beetle, especially in its artwork in the original instruction booklet.[15]
Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia (DS)
- The lightning trap room where the Vol Fulgur glyph is found is similar to Mario's Hideout from Donkey Kong Jr. and was most likely based on that stage.
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate (3DS and multiplatform)
- A message from a skeleton says the following:
The terrible state of the pipes down here would peturb even my brother Mario. Some parts have rusted terribly, While others are covered with fungus due to the high humidity. Not all the Mushrooms look good to eat either, Who knows what might happen if I eat one?
Catch the Rabbit (iOS/Android)
- The rabbit in this game resembles Nabbit.
Catlateral Damage (PC and multiplatform)
- One of the objects the player can knock down is a fictional video game called God's Tower, which has the same blue ladders and red girders as Donkey Kong on the box.
Cave Story+ (PC/Steam)
- If the player plays the game on Halloween, Sue can be seen dressed up as Princess Peach.
Celeste (Multiplatform)
- A White Block from Super Mario Bros. 3 can be found in a hidden alcove in Chapter 4: Golden Ridge, which allows Madeline to climb the background tiles. It disappears when the "Eye of the storm" heart is collected in said alcove.
- The Cassette Blocks, which appear in each room leading to the B-Side Tape and in the final room of each B-Side level, act like Beep Blocks. The color of blocks are blue and pink, the colors that Beep Blocks had in Super Mario 3D World, with the Farewell update adding yellow and green blocks, the colors of Beat Blocks in Super Mario Galaxy 2.
Charlie II (Steam)
- The tubes Charlie enters resemble Warp Pipes.
Christmas Crisis (CD-i)
- The fourth secret level is heavily based on Super Mario Bros., containing blocks and other geometry that highly resemble that of the above-ground levels. The counters that appear at the top of the screen are also highly reminiscent of the ones from said game, although substituting Mario's name above the score with Santa's.
Citizens of Earth (3DS/PC/PS4/Vita/Wii U)
- One of the collectible party members is a plumber. When the Vice President first meets him, he says that he looks like a plumber, to which the Plumber asks him if he was expecting "a raccoon or a man in a cape". The VP replies that he was simply commenting on the Plumber's plunger, though he also says that the plumbers that he is familiar with use "shells and fireballs to solve their problems". The Plumber worriedly says that those kinds of plumbers should not be fixing someone's pipes, and offers to print his phone number for the VP. The VP then jokes that he had his phone number but that he lost track of it, meaning that his "print's in another castle". Beyond wearing a stereotypical set of overalls, the Plumber's appearance and abilities do not otherwise reference the franchise.
Club Penguin (multiplatform)
- The Puffle Party theme's opening notes are based on those of Coconut Mall's music from Mario Kart Wii.[16]
Conker series
Conker's Pocket Tales (GBC)
- If left idle for long enough, Conker pulls out a Game Boy to play Donkey Kong Land, as evidenced by the music being replaced by the Bonus Level music.
Conker's Bad Fur Day (N64) / Conker: Live & Reloaded (Xbox)
- In order to defeat the game's final boss Heinrich, Conker has to grab and spin Heinrich around by the tail and fling him into an airlock portal towards outer space. This parodies how Mario defeats Bowser in Super Mario 64.
Cookie Clicker (multiplatform)
- The ""egg"" upgrade resembles a Yoshi Egg.
Colors Live (NS)
- Three paintings of Broque Monsieur are shown in the application's Kickstarter trailer.[17]
Crash Bandicoot series
Crash Bandicoot (PS1)
- In one of the game's prototypes, there is an unused stage hidden in the files that has the same layout as 25 m in Donkey Kong.[18]
- In the level "Toxic Waste", there are large rodents that throw barrels down a narrow path, similar to how Donkey Kong throws barrels in the original Donkey Kong arcade game.
Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back (PS1)
- In some ruin levels, there is a log-throwing gorilla enemy which is a parody of Donkey Kong.
- There are Lab Assistants in the beehive levels who are dressed in Mario outfits and wield hammers, a reference to Mario's role in Donkey Kong.
Crash Bandicoot: Warped (PS1)
- Crash being able to ride Baby T, a baby dinosaur, is most likely inspired by Mario being able to ride Yoshi in several Super Mario games. Baby T is even found from breaking his egg and runs away when it touches an enemy, just like Yoshi (except the player cannot chase down Baby T after he is hit and must find another egg). However, Baby T. cannot eat enemies, but does have an advantage in terms of run speed and jump height.
Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex (PS2 and multiplatform)
- In the level "Crash and Burn", there is an area that resembles 25m from the original Donkey Kong arcade game.
Crash Twinsanity (Multiplatform)
- In the level "High Seas Hi-Jinks", a large rhinoceros throws barrels down some bent ramps at the player, just like Donkey Kong.
Crash of the Titans (Multiplatform)
- The Ratnicians can be heard sometimes saying "You thought he was an Italian plumber or something?" when they notice Crash.
Crash: Mind Over Mutant (Multiplatform)
- The FMV cutscene after defeating the brainwashed Crunch Bandicoot is named "Crunch Get!" in the cutscene viewer, likely after the phrase "Shine Get!" in the Japanese version of Super Mario Sunshine.
Createrria (iOS)
- There is an achievement named "The Italian Plumber", a reference to Mario.
- In one of the signposts from the level Beginner's Path, there is a line saying "...like an Italian plumber!" - another reference to Mario.
Croc: Legend of the Gobbos (PS1 and multiplatform)
- The game was originally pitched to Nintendo as Yoshi Racing, a 3D platformer starring Yoshi, before being retooled into an original IP after Nintendo rejected the offer.
- An advertisement poster of this game depicted Croc after apparently eating three video game characters: Mario, Crash Bandicoot, and Lara Croft. Their accessories can be seen: Mario's cap, Crash's sneakers, and Lara's gun.
Crysis Remastered (Multiplatform)
- The achievement for beating the boss General Kyong is titled "It's On Like General Kyong".
Cuphead (PC/Xbox One and multiplatform)
- A bullet point in an update says "Touch fuzzy, get a little dizzy." This update makes the screen blur when the player gets hit by Cagney Carnation's projectiles, referencing the Fuzzies in the Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island level.
- Toothy Terrors resemble Piranha Plants, with some resembling Jumping Piranha Plants.
- In the "Funfair Fever" level, there is a ringmaster enemy that attacks similarly to Magikoopas, as the ringmaster shoots out rings of shapes, just like the aforementioned enemies.
- Also in the "Funfair Fever" level, the Hot Dog miniboss shoots out condiments as the player gets closer, similar to how Bowser breathes fire as the player approaches him in the final stage of Super Mario Bros.
- The platforms in the "Floral Fury" fight resemble Piranha Plants.
- The bee missiles that Rumor Honeybottoms spits out in the "Honeycomb Herald" boss fight resemble Bullet Bills.
- When transitioning into the second phase, Chef Saltbaker uses a glowing pink and white-spotted mushroom to grow in size. This is likely a reference to the Super Mushroom.
Cut the Rope: Experiments (iOS/Android)
- Part of the music for the level pack "Bath Time" is similar to the Underwater Theme from Super Mario Bros.[19]
Cyberpunk 2077 (Multiplatform)
- There is a message in an underground facility titled "HELLO GONK!", and it reads the following message:
Hello!
I'm sorry, but the princess is in another castle xD
Catch me if you can xD
Yours truly
b@D
Dadish series
Dadish
- The Key item resembles its original sprite from Super Mario World, albeit made in the same pixel art style as the game. This item reappears in later installments of the series while retaining said design.
Daily Dadish
The specific end-of-level dialogue in "Big Bad Boatyard" from Daily Dadish.
- On the April 12 level "Big Bad Boatyard", the end-of-level dialogue exchange has one of Dadish's children ask him (or any other selected character) about his favorite video game. Dadish mentions that he "likes that one with the Italian plumber who eats mushrooms", which he thinks is named "Giuseppe Fixes the Drains (While Eating a Fungus Salad)".
- The end-of-level dialogue exchange for the October 19 level "Scorching Waste" has one of Dadish's children remind him to consider collecting coins, mentioning that "if you get 100 coins you get an extra life." It should be noted that this video game mechanic was first introduced in Super Mario Bros.
- The October 24 level "Glowing Glade" features dialogue from one of Dadish's children asking him if he can do any tricks. After Dadish mentions he can double jump, said child also mentions other common video game moves, with Super Mario-specific ones being the Ground Pound and "shooting a fireball out of your hands".
Dadish 3D
The dialogue in Level 35 of Dadish 3D referencing the Super Mushroom
- Level 35 in Pinto Peak features a dialogue exchange where Dadish starts to think he and his children "might be trapped inside a video game". During this dialogue, the child in this level mentions that they want to "try eating a mushroom and see if it makes them really tall".
Danganronpa series
Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc (PSP and multiplatform)
- Yasuhiro Hagakure makes a reference to Piranha Plants when talking about the Monokuma Flower during the game's fifth chapter.
Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony (Multiplatform)
- The letter cubes from the Psyche Taxi minigame resemble Item Boxes.
- In the fourth Class Trial, Himiko Yumeno mentions a Warp Zone as a possible way for the victim to move around.
Dave the Diver (Nintendo Switch)
- The preorder bonus for the Nintendo Switch version of Dave the Diver was a selection of two 8-bit themed items, one being the boat skin and the other a statue of Dave for Bancho Sushi. The latter in particular is based on the Super Mario Bros. sprite of Mario.
Deadly Rooms of Death (PC)
DROD: The City Beneath
- One Challenge (added in DROD 5.0) granted upon story progression is titled "Just Call Me 'Mario'"
DROD 5: The Second Sky
- Gentryii, invincible serpent-like enemies with a long chain, are modeled off of the Chain Chomp, as confirmed in a Post-Mastery room.
Death Stranding (PS4 and multiplatform)
- In one of the cutscenes featuring Sam and Amelie, Sam says the following line: Great. So, I'm Mario and you're Princess Peach.
- Not much soon after, Amelie says the following line: Yeah. Like Mario and Princess "Beach."
Deep Rock Galactic (multiplatform)
- In missions where the player needs to build a pipe to collect resources, upon completion of building a pipe, one of the possible lines their dwarf may say is, "I feel like a plumber! I just need a big bushy mustache!"
Dig Dug: Digging Strike (DS)
- One of the stages in the game is a reference to Mario Kart.
- The boxart on the back also features Susumu in a kart resembling the style from Mario Kart Arcade GP 2.
Dino Crisis 2 (PS1)
- There is an unused track in the trial version of the game that is an arrangement of the Ground Theme from Super Mario Bros.[20]
Disney Heroes: Battle Mode (iOS, Android)
- Sergeant Calhoun says to Violet, "Your prince must be in another castle.", a reference to the mushroom retainers' famous line in Super Mario Bros.
Disney Infinity (Multiplatform)
- An officially created Toy Box titled "Super Sidescroller" was based on World 1-1 from Super Mario Bros., and was made available to download beginning the day after the game launched.
Doki Doki Literature Club (PC/Mac)
- After completing the first act of Doki Doki Literature Club, the game's opening text, "This game is not suitable for children or those who are easily disturbed.", will randomly change to something else. One of the alternate opening lines, "I have granted kids to hell", is a reference to a controversy involving misheard lyrics of Ashley's Theme using the Turntable souvenir in WarioWare: Touched!. Prior to Version 1.1.1, if a corrupt word is chosen during the second act's second poem minigame, there is also a 1/11 chance of hearing a vocal "bah" sound, which was sampled from creator Dan Salvato's Isolated Vocals edit of Ashley's Theme.[21]
Donut County (PC/Mac/PS4/Nintendo Switch/Xbox One/Android)
In one of the levels, BK the raccoon says one of the passwords is bonkeyk0ng for the remote control tablet of the drone.
Donut Dodo (Multiplatform)
Three of the default high score names spell out "DONKEY KON".
Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance (PS4 and multiplatform)
- Sapphire's Combo attack, "Captured Princess", is a reference to the fights against Bowser in the original Super Mario Bros.: Sapphire is kidnapped by the targeted enemy and caged next to an axe, while Almaz confronts the kidnapper by jumping on its head.
Dragon City (iOS/Android)
- An obtainable dragon in the game originally known as the Jumping Dragon is based on Yoshi. It was available at the Happy New Year event.
- The description mentions a Super Plumber Dragon, as well as Yoshi's ability to walk on spiked obstacles.
- However, its name and design were later changed in an update in September 2018 to ensure that all dragons are in line with the game branding, with its name being changed to "Childish Dragon".
- An obtainable dragon in the game known as the Useful Dragon looks similar to Mario, but without a mustache. It also wears a white hat, blue shirt, and white overalls, making it more closely resemble Stanley's sprite from the NES version of Donkey Kong 3.
- Its ability to throw fireballs is based on Fire Mario.
Duck Season (PC)
- There is a fictional playable game called Battle Bros., which is an endless runner game that resembles Super Mario Bros. in terms of visuals. The main characters also resemble Mario and Luigi's original sprites from the game after they've collected a Magic Mushroom, and the battery-like objects work similar to Starmen.
DuckTales: Remastered (Multiplatform)
- Prior to the boss fight on the Moon stage, when the rat eats the green cheese that makes him grow, Scrooge remarks, "Great Scott! I thought that stuff was supposed to be an anti-aging culture, not an instant growth fungus!", referencing the Super Mushroom.
Duke Nukem Forever (PC/PS3/X360)
- In the mission Blowin' Up the Dam, a long stairway has barrels bouncing towards Duke as he quips, "Where's a hammer when you need one?". Upon reaching the top, when a Pig appears, Duke says, "Huh, I was expecting a monkey."
DX-Ball 2 (PC)
- The ninth level in the "Tribute Set" expansion pack for this game was apparently styled to resemble a classic Starman sprite, consisting of yellow bricks (which is indestructible) in the outer structure with explosive tiles covering the entire inner part. The player is required to hit one explosive tile at the top left to remove the outer bricks and complete the level in a few more hits.
Dying Light (PC/PS4/XOne)
- The game features an easter egg in a form of a secret corridor which resembles a 3D recreation of World 1-1 from Super Mario Bros., playable from a first-person view. The secret room features Goomba-like enemies, explosive zombies, large green pipes, brown and yellow blocks, and large flag pole at the end. The main platform is only one block wide, and floats parallel to the corridor on a vast pool of blood. The corridor's blue walls are decorated with the extruded decals of pixel-like mountains and clouds. The secret corridor is accessible by squatting on a building's chimney that has a green pipe lodged inside it. The player will be instantly warped to the secret corridor, and exit using another pipe at the end of the main platform.[22]
Earthworm Jim: Special Edition (Sega CD)
- The enhanced Sega CD version of this game includes several secret masks for the character, including one of Donkey Kong with an arrow through his head.
Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard (X360/PS3)
- The protagonist of the game was a successful video game character who fell on hard time. Matt Hazard's fall from grace starts with an ill-advised "go-karting spinoff", parodying Mario Kart.
- In the penultime level, Matt must rescue one of his fellow video game hero, a 80's arcade and platform game icon named Captain Carpenter. Captain Carpenter has a similar costume to Mario and Luigi and is found surrounded by mushrooms. After rescuing him, he jumps and hit a Super Block to spawn a Warp Pipe he escapes with, and mentions his wife never approved of his job at the factory because it has "too many barrels".
Eight Marbles 2X (PC)
- One of the girl's attacks features a tube that resembles a Warp Pipe.
Enter the Gungeon (Multiplatform)
- One weapon in-game is called Brick Breaker, in reference to the mechanic from Super Mario Bros.
- One item in-game, the Stuffed Star, is based on the Super Star.
Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion (3DS)
- The spiked stone enemies with Pete's face are based on Thwomps, as they resemble and attack in a similar manner to them.
- Another enemy identical to Pete dons a spiked shell on his back similar to that of enemies such as Spinies and Bowser.
Eversion (PC)
- An achievement for the Steam version of this game is titled "The Princess Is In Another Castle", which is unlocked when the player reaches the normal ending without collecting all 240 gems. This is a reference to the line that the mushroom retainers say when Mario saves them in Super Mario Bros.
Evoland series
Evoland (PC and multiplatform)
- There is a Piranha Plant-like enemy named Pakkun.
- Zombie Goomba-like enemies know as Zoombas also make an appearance.
- On one of the battlefields, Warp Pipes can be seen.
Evoland II (PC and multiplatform)
- The Carapace enemies greatly resemble Spinies.
- In the Genova Sewers, a ? Block can be found.
- Some flowers in some flower pots are Pakkun or Piranha Plants.
- Creatures resembling Thwomps known as Crushers appear.
- After Reno introduces himself as the team's worst nightmare, Fina says her worst nightmare is waking up in a pink dress surrounded by mushrooms who think she is their princess.
- Phase 1 of the fight with the Big Vicious Troll is reminiscent of Donkey Kong.
- One of the selectable names in the Colosseum is "Super Morio".
- The coins in the 3D portion of the game strongly resemble Star Coins.
- During the Novice Test, one of the choices is a 1-Up Mushroom.
- In the PC version of the game, several video game heroes can be seen in Sylph Forest, Mario being among them. Both Mario and Link were removed in the Switch version.
Evolution series (iOS/Android)
- One of the available hats in the game resembles Peach's crown.
FaceBreaker K.O. Party (Wii)
- The back of the boxes' screenshot of the Punch-O-Matic minigame has the players listed as Mario, Peach, Yoshi, and Wario with the images being a pair of lips, a raptor, and a skull and crossbones. (Mario's image isn't shown.)
The Fairly OddParents: Breakin' Da Rules
- An enemy's file name is called "PiranhaPlant.gcp", referencing its namesake.
Family Feud: 2010 Edition (Multiplatform)
- One of the families played against in the game's 1P mode includes two brothers named Marco and Luis who are plumbers. They are references to Mario and Luigi. Marco's wife is named Patricia, she may be a reference to Princess Peach. Patricia has a nephew named Ted, a reference to Toad. Ted's afro is likely a reference to Toad's cap. These characters somewhat look like their Mario counterparts and do similar poses.
Family Guy: The Quest for Stuff (iOS/Android)
- One of Anime Peter's activities has him jumping and punching an ! Block.
- The "Quahog's Not-So-Silent Night" update adds some references to the Super Mario franchise:
- The "Italian Plumber Chris" costume is based on Mario.
- The "Princesses Against Kidnapping" building is a reference to how Peach is often kidnapped.
- Peaches and Monkey Kong are based on Peach and Donkey Kong, respectively.
- The "Crowning Castle" building is based on the fortresses from Super Mario Bros.
- The "Scaffold Tower" building is based on 25m from Donkey Kong
- The "Scrapped Levels Scrapyard" features Coins, Warp Pipes, a Spiny Shell, purple Mushrooms, an Empty Block, and a Piranha Plant.
- The "Killer Greens Nursery" features Warp Pipes housing carnivorous plants similar to Piranha Plants.
- Week 2 of the update requires the player to tap Barrels in order to obtain turtle shells.
- The 8-Bit Event adds additional references to the Super Mario franchise:
- Brian Kong is based on a fusion of Brian Griffin and Donkey Kong.
- The description of 8-Bit Peter's Marble references a common misconception regarding Mario breaking Brick Blocks with his head instead of his fist.
- The Gold Coin Shrine's description references how collecting 100 Coins grants the player an extra life.
- The 8-Bit Castle's description references how the shells of Koopa Troopas can break Brick Blocks, a feature since Super Mario Bros. 3.
- The Levels for Sale description references the plot of Donkey Kong, or more accurately, the version from the Game & Watch Gallery series of games.
- The 8-Bit Griffin House description mentions Super Mario Maker by name.
- The Pile of Barrels' appearance resembles a bunch of DK Barrels. Its description references 25m from Donkey Kong.
- The cutscene at the start of the event mission "It's a Me, Peter Griffin!" references Mario's catchphrase from Super Mario 64: "It's-a Me, Mario!".
- One of Joe Swanson's actions in the event is to ride a Yoshi.
Fez (Xbox 360 and multiplatform)
Taking the well down to Industrial District Sewers
Taking the well up to Industrial District (above ground)
- Gomez can enter wells similar to how Mario enters Warp Pipes.
Fibbage (Multiplatform)
- One of the categories a player can choose is "Mario and Luigi", which gives the clue, "The New York Times was forced to issue a correction after they incorrectly identified the Nintendo characters Mario and Luigi as _______ instead of plumbers." The correct answer is "janitors".
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (PS5)
The third Phenomenon Intel mission in the Junon Region, completed by winning a Fort Condor minigame, is named "Princess in Another Castle", referencing the famous line in Super Mario Bros. spoken by mushroom retainers upon being rescued at the end of castle levels.
Fine Sweeper (Steam)
There is an achievement called 1-Upped that looks like a 1-Up Mushroom if the player earns 100,001 or higher.[23]
Flappy Bird (iOS/Android)
- The pipes used as obstacles in the game heavily resemble Warp Pipes.
Funko Fusion (Multiplatform)
- In the trailer for the Nintendo Switch release, a segment relating to Scott Pilgrim vs. the World shows a Funko Pop! figurine of Ramona Flowers jumping over barrels in a construction site that is similar to 25m from Donkey Kong in all but visuals.[24]
Funky Karts (iOS/Android/PC)
- Objects that bear a strong resemblance to Barrel Cannons, both visually and functionally, appear throughout the game.
- In later levels, a lightning-bolt-shaped power-up appears that shrinks the player's size, similar to the Lightning item from the Mario Kart series.
Futurama (PS2/Xbox)
- An Easter egg in the game involves Leela increasing in size and throwing fireballs, with the former's sound effect from Super Mario Bros. playing when this Easter egg is triggered.
The Gardens Between
In The Gardens Between, there is a section of a level where, on a TV, resembles the beginning of World 1-1.
Geometry Dash series
Geometry Dash (iOS/Android and Steam)
- One of the backgrounds added in Update 2.0 closely resembles the hills found in Super Mario Bros. 3 and later Mario games.
- Added in the same update is a checkered floor ground, which resembles the floor of various rooms in the game, such as those in the kings' chambers.
- Since Update 2.0, text can be added to levels, which can also be customized to display as one of the twelve different fonts included. Font 11 is correspondent to a fanmade, loose recreation of the Super Mario-series logo font known as "Super Mario 256".
- Secret coins are found in trios in each main level like Star Coins (to which they also bear a resemblance) in the New Super Mario Bros. series, and will also turn into outlined, transparent versions when collected.
- Similar items known as User Coins can also be placed in user-created levels, and act in a similar fashion to Secret Coins.
- In the level Fingerdash, there are obstacles that bear a strong resemblance to the Fire Bars and Lava Bubbles.
- In the level Dash, one of the first parts of the level requires hitting blocks from below to slow down a spiked ceiling as it falls onto the player, much like the block-hitting mechanics throughout the Super Mario games.
- The Tower features aspects inspired by the Super Mario series in most of its mechanics and visuals:
- Using jump orbs makes them play a sound effect resembling that of a jump in Super Mario Bros.
- When fulfilling conditions for Secret Coins, the player must hit the corresponding blocks from the bottom to make the coins drop to the ground and be collected.
- At the start of the Sewers, the player drops out of an orange Warp Pipe.
- Some of the pixel art assets added in Update 2.2 bear resemblance to some sprites from Super Mario World, with the vine, door, and a pixelated grassland tileset being close matches.
- One of the grassland tilesets added in Update 2.2 is based on the grassland tileset in New Super Mario Bros. U.
- Since Update 2.2, one of the new level completion phrases that may appear when the "Do not..." option is enabled is "You can now play as Luigi!".
Icon references
Various icons in the game feature many references to the Super Mario series.
- There are cubes that resemble a Shy Guy, a Boo, a Thwomp, a Rotating Block, a Goomba's Shoe, a Propeller Box,[25] a ? Block, a Super Mushroom, and King Boo (in his Luigi's Mansion series appearance), in addition to two upcoming cubes that resemble a Skull Raft and Phanto.
- Two ships in the game resemble a Chain Chomp and one resembles a Torpedo Ted.
- An unlockable ball is based on the Fuzzy.
- Two UFOs feature the likenesses of a Koopa Clown Car and Mario-styled cannons, with the latter having a skull emblem resembling that of ones on the Bill Blasters.
- One of the achievements is named "Jumpman", and fittingly requires the player to jump 400,000 times total. The reward is a wave resembling that of a Bullet Bill.
- Another unlockable wave resembles that of a Blooper.
- Three robots in the game have designs based on Bob-omb, Mechakoopa, and Bowser.
- An unlockable spider is based on the Spiny Shell.
- An unlockable swing is based on King Boo, specifically his appearance from the Luigi's Mansion series.
Gallery
The Super Mario Bros. 3 hills background and a secret coin as seen in the level Geometrical Dominator.
The Firebar-inspired obstacles in the level Fingerdash
Various references to the Super Mario series as seen in a custom level, including User Coins and a Super Mushroom cube.
The "Super Mario 256" font (referred to in-game as "Font 11") being used in the level editor.
The start of the Sewers in The Tower, with the player having dropped out of an orange Warp Pipe.
One of the new balls in Update 2.2, which resembles a Fuzzy
As of Update 2.2's release on December 20th, some icons are currently not available until the next version (2.21), with one of those being a cube resembling a Skull Raft.
Some of the new pixel art assets added in Update 2.2, particularly those with a resemblance to some Super Mario World sprites
The New Super Mario Bros. U-inspired grassland tileset added in Update 2.2, as seen in a User Level
A special completion phrase when the "Do not..." option is enabled, referencing Luigi's unlock prompt from Super Mario Galaxy
Super Mario-themed icons
Geometry Dash SubZero (iOS/Android)
- One of the sections in the level Press Start involves entering a Warp Pipe that leads the player into two mini-levels. The level numberings displayed in the top-left of those sections are "1-1" and "1-2", a nod to the world numbering format used in Super Mario Bros.
Gex series
Gex: Enter the Gecko (PS1 and N64)
- In levels such as Pangaea 90210, there are strawberry-like plants that behave similarly to Lava Lotuses and Volcano Lotuses, except they shoot five fireballs instead of four. This applies to both the PS1 and N64 versions of the game.
- In the level Fine Tooning, one of the random quotes Gex can say is, "I guess Bowser's on vacation?" This quote is not found in the N64 version of the game.
Gex 3: Deep Cover Gecko (PS1 and N64)
- In the "Marsupial Madness" Secret Level, the sections of the level that lead to higher points have creatures throwing coconuts at Gex and the kangaroo he's riding in a manner similar to Donkey Kong.
Giana Sisters series
The Great Giana Sisters (Amiga/Amstrad CPC/Atari ST/MSX2/C64)
- The first level of The Great Giana Sisters is nearly identical in layout to the first stage found in Super Mario Bros., and the game plays almost identically. The immediate similarity to Super Mario Bros. ensured that The Great Giana Sisters was quickly noticed by both the public and the video game industry itself. Nintendo pressured the makers of The Great Giana Sisters with warning of legal action should they not take appropriate action, and the game was voluntarily withdrawn from sale.[26]
An unofficial sequel called Giana Sisters II was released on the Commodore 64 in 1993, originally with commercial purpose plans though later released for free on the Internet. In 2008, another unofficial sequel was released, entitled Giana's Return.
Giana Sisters DS (DS and multiplatform)
- A sequel/remake to The Great Giana Sisters, this game also has similar levels to Super Mario Bros.
Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams (PC and multiplatform)
- The Fire Wheel, based off the Super Mushroom, returns in this game.
Goodbye Deponia (PC and multiplatform)
- At the pub in the sewers, Rufus must serve three patrons different kinds of swill. One turns a cowboy patron into an ape, another changes a man's gender, and the third changes the size of a plumber. Once all three are served, the ape falls in love with the now-cowering woman and begins throwing barrels at the plumber, à la Donkey Kong. A broken lamp resembling a Super Mushroom can be seen as well.
Goat Simulator series
Goat Simulator (PC and multiplatform)
- One of the Mutators is called "Italian Dinosaur Goat". With this mutator, the goat can swallow objects and turn them into eggs, which can be thrown. This is a reference to Yoshi's ability to swallow enemies and turn them into eggs.
- In the Android/iOS version, there is a Warp Pipe in Goatville. If the goat grabs a black oval with its tongue and carries it to the pipe, it can be entered, leading to a pipeline area.
- The attack button in the Android/iOS version resembles a Red POW Block.
Goat Simulator 3 (Multiplatform)
- At one point during the final battle, the goat enters a game called "Goat Simulator 2D" on a Game Boy-like system, which consists of a 2D Super Mario-like level with ? Blocks, coins, enemies strongly resembling Thwomps, scenery resembling that of World 1-1 from Super Mario Land, and a black-background ending resembling that of standard levels in Super Mario Bros. 3 (except the goal is replaced with a Goal Pole and fortress from Super Mario Bros.), among other, similar elements. Upon reaching the goal, fireworks appear.
Grand Theft Auto series
Grand Theft Auto IV (Multiplatform)
- An 8-bit character jumping in the same way as Mario is seen on the wall of the Videogeddon arcade among other 8-bit sprites.
Grand Theft Auto V (Multiplatform)
- There are two mushrooms in the front yard of Franklin's first house: a tall green one and a short red one (referencing Luigi, who is tall and wears green, and Mario, who is short and wears red). This pair of mushrooms is also present in front of Maude's house.
Guacamelee! series
Guacamelee! (PS3/Vita)
- A poster in the game says "Tag Team #1 Los Super Hermanos". They have mustaches and their masks are red and green. One of them has an L on their mask and the other has an M.
- At the beginning of Desierto Caliente, there is a large obstruction resembling barrels with Donkey Kongs on top.
- At the end of the Temple of Rain, Juan must run from the Alebrije that is chasing him. At the end of the area is a bridge over lava with a gold axe on the other side; collecting it causes the bridge to collapse under the Alebrije as it falls into lava. Afterward, Juan is greeted by X'Tabay, who says, "Sorry Luchador, but your princess is in another castle."
- On a wall in Santa Luchita, the outline of Mario's sprite from the original Super Mario Bros. can be seen.
Guacamelee! 2 (PC/PS4)
- A framed picture resembling the painting leading to Tall, Tall Mountain from Super Mario 64 can be found in the game.
- Toward the beginning of the Templo de la Serpiente, Juan must traverse a lava pit using orange Snake Blocks.
Half-Life 2 (PC and multiplatform)
- On map "d3_c17_08" of Chapter 10: Anticitizen One, the player must go through a small narrow corridor which contains three sealed metal pipes and a Headcrab. The pipes are meant to represent Warp Pipes. The lone Headcrab is uniquely able to be killed by merely touching it, though its placement most commonly results in the player stepping on it, referencing the Stomp ability.[27]
Hard'n Heavy (Amiga/C64)
- Originally meant to be a sequel to the famous Super Mario Bros. clone The Great Giana Sisters, this game was originally known as Giana 2: Arthur and Martha in Future World. This changed due to a lawsuit, as Nintendo threatened to take legal action due to the game's deliberate similarity to their flagship franchise. Just like the The Great Giana Sisters, Hard'n Heavy features two heroes (Heavy and Metal) who make their way through a Super Mario-styled, vertically-scrolling futuristic world.
A Hat in Time (PC and multiplatform)
- The Kickstarter backer-exclusive hat, used as an Easter egg in-game in some areas, is called the Time Sisters hat, which resembles the Mario Cap. Promotional artwork of the game shows Hat Kid wearing said hat, with the name "TIME BROS" written underneath, but with "BROS" crossed out and replaced with "SISTERS".[28]
- Two unlockable dye options, called Cute 'n Dangerous and The Big Appetite, make Hat Kid resemble Princess Peach and Wario respectively. One of the unlockable Brewing Hats also resembles Vivian's hat from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door.
- The Time Rift levels are secret platforming segments, in the style of the secret courses from Super Mario Sunshine. A few of those Time Rifts also include a rotating block platform very similar to the long rotating platforms from "The Secret of Ricco Tower" and "The Shell's Secret".
- Act 6 of Mafia Town, "Heating up Mafia Town", where most of the level is covered in lava, is directly inspired by the mission "The Goopy Inferno" from Super Mario Sunshine.
- Act 2 of Battle of the Birds, called "Murder on the Owl Express", is directly inspired by Chapter 6 of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door; both settings take place on a moving train, and involve various detective mysteries that the hero must solve.
- One NPC in "Murder on the Owl Express" is an Express Owl who lost his contact lens, and instructs Hat Kid not to move so as to not step on it by accident; a reference to Zess T. who had a similar predicament.
- In Death Wish Mode, it is possible for the Snatcher to say, "Did you know you can unlock a 'Luigi' by completing every Death Wish on the first attempt? I don't even know what that is, but that has to be genuine. I read it online!" This is a reference to the playable Luigi rumor in Super Mario 64.
The Haunted Mansion (PS2/GCN/Xbox)
- After collecting the lost souls in the observatory, the player can interact with the ghost of a drunken king who says the line "The princess is in another castle" while attempting to recite a fairy tale.
Hebereke no Popoon (Arcade)
- An unused sprite of Roy Koopa is found in the game's graphics bank for the cutscenes.
The Henry Stickmin Collection (Steam)
Escaping the Prison
- In the Lawyered Up ending (known simply as "the Lame Ending" in the original Flash game), one of the potential attorneys appearing on Henry's contacts list is "J. Pianta", referring to the Pianta judge from Super Mario Sunshine.
Stealing the Diamond
- In the Just Plain Epic ending (known simply as "the Epic Way" in the original Flash game), when Henry runs into the museum's "Retro Room", a Super Mushroom (which is actually a Mega Mushroom, as it grows Henry to an enormous size) from many Super Mario games is one of the options Henry can choose to get past night guards Timothy Lewis and Joseph Jo and steal the Tunisian Diamond. The original Flash version plays a heavy metal version of Bowser's boss theme from Super Mario 64 if Henry chooses it. Additionally, an Item Box and a stick-figure version of Luigi (with his pose being a nod to a particular frame from Hotel Mario) makes a cameo as a painting in this room of the museum.
- The remastered version replaces the remixed version of Bowser's boss theme with an original rock theme, and sound effects ripped from Super Mario Bros. were changed to very similar, yet original sounds. When Henry touches the mushroom in this version, he gains 1,000 points. Additionally, a Spiny Shell makes an appearance in this version's Retro Room, as well as two different-sized frames of the Tiny-Huge Island painting from Super Mario 64.
Infiltrating the Airship
The Green Shell in Infiltrating the Airship
- In the Government Supported Private Investigator ending, when Henry opens the cargo bay door at the Toppat Clan's airship and chooses a Banana Bomb to get past Toppat guards Benjamin Bourseious and Matthew Norbert, the resulting fail screen will display text that reads "Ooooh BANANA!". If clicked on, the "Ooooh, banana!" voice clip from Donkey Kong 64 will play, and a Golden Banana from said game will appear from the bottom of the screen. In the remastered version, the voice clip is replaced with an original, re-recorded clip, and the Nintendo 64 sticker was changed to a top hat sticker.
- Additionally, in the Pure Blooded Thief ending, when Henry gets stranded at the center of one of the propellers at the airship, a Green Shell is one of the options Henry can choose.
- Also from the Pure Blooded Thief ending, the vault of the Toppat Clan's airship contains a coin seen in most Super Mario games in the remake.
Fleeing the Complex
- In the Convict Allies ending, when Henry and Ellie try to sneak past Wall guards Isaac Binderson and Heath Stone, Bounce Bros. is one of the options they can choose.
- In the Ghost Inmate ending, when Henry tries to enter a glassed-out room, a Power Jump is one of the options Henry can choose. Additionally, when Henry makes his way outside to the docks where guards Matteus Guardsmith and Nicholai Dytrim are waiting, a Super Leaf (known as a Leaf in-game) is one of the options Henry can choose. It also transforms Henry into Raccoon Henry.
- Furthermore, in the Presumed Dead ending, when Henry is skidding down the main corridor while Wall guards Friedrich Spielen and Haroldt Cüper prepare to ambush him, an Item Box (known as an Item in-game) is one of the options Henry can choose. The roulette cycles through a Banana, a Green Shell, a Red Shell, Lightning, and Shoop da Whoop, before finally landing on a Boo, which Henry uses to turn invisible and evade the guards.
Completing the Mission
- The Toppat Clan's treasure boxcar has a coin engraved on its sides, as seen in the Capital Gains, Cleaned 'em Out, and Little Nest Egg endings.
- In the Capital Gains ending, as the Right Hand Man tries to thwart Henry and Ellie's attempts to steal the treasure boxcar, "Shell Bounce" is one of Henry's options. When used, Henry and Ellie engage the Green Shell Bros. Attack.
- In the Cleaned 'em Out ending screen, a Super Star and Gold Bone can be seen amongst the loot Henry stole from the Toppat rocket.
- In the Free Man ending, when Henry attempts to break out of his cell on the Toppat Orbital Station, a Metal Cap (known as a Metal Hat in-game) is one of the options he can choose. When used, Henry becomes Metal Henry, which makes him invulnerable to gunfire.
- In the Jewel Baron ending, when Henry is inside the Toppat Orbital Station, Teleporter is one of the options. Once he smashes it to the ground, he is rapidly teleported to various areas; a game of Dr. Mario and a Thwomp in a castle level can be briefly seen. Furthermore, once it stops teleporting Henry, of the many items in the vault, a Super Star can be seen. When Henry collects the emerald and gets caught by the Right Hand Man, Chance Time is one of the options Henry can use.
- In the Little Nest Egg ending, upon finishing the Agility option upon attacking the Toppat transport train, Henry stomps Blast Connors in a manner extremely similar to most Super Mario platformers.
- In both the Pardoned Pals and Toppat Recruits endings, when a blast from a cannonball demolishes the side of the boarding zone to the Toppat rocket and nearly causes Henry to fall, a Note Block (known simply as a Block in-game) is one of the options he can choose.
- In the Special BROvert Ops ending, when Henry makes it to the Hall of Leaders after jamming the rocket's engine, a Painting (known as a Painting Portal in-game) is one of the options he can choose. If chosen, Henry will enter "Kensington's Chamber" and autoselect the mission "The Mischievous Boss" in a complete nod to Super Mario 64, complete with Henry saying "Let's-a go!" and with music somewhat similar to the Koopa's Road theme. Henry is then shot by Jaques Kensington himself at the moment he starts the mission, causing him to lose all of the points to his Health Meter and get a Game Over. As a final nod, the fail screen text reads, "Gotta collect more of those extra life mushrooms."
- In the Stickmin Space Resort ending, when Henry uses his electric scooter to reach the Toppat rocket in time, a Dash Panel is one of his options for evading Toppat members Icepick and Sal Malone. If he chooses said option, he does a trick and is obliterated almost immediately afterward by a Spiny Shell.
- In the Toppat Civil Warfare ending, when Henry attempts to break out the Toppat members remaining loyal to him, "Toppy" (a clone of Cappy) is one of the options he can choose. If chosen, Henry captures Toppat prison guard Floyd Winters to free his allies from their cells.
- In the Toppat King ending, when Henry and the Right Hand Man engage in a team-up attack, stylish move (known as "Style on 'em" in-game) is one of the options they can choose. In the same ending, when the rocket launches while Henry is still stranded on the ground, a Lakitu's Cloud (known simply as a Cloud in-game) is one of the options he can choose to return to the rocket. The cloud also times out just as Henry is about to reach the rocket, just like it does in every Super Mario game where it is rideable.
- In the Triple Threat ending, when Henry and Ellie are shot to ground level and think of a method to reach the rocket in time, "Swap" is one of the options they can choose. As they swap, a sound effect reminiscent of the one for swapping characters in the earlier Donkey Kong Country games plays. At the same point, the fail screen from the "Throw" option is "So long-eh, Henry!", in reference to the "So long kinga Bowser!" quote from Super Mario 64. Also at the same point, a Barrel Cannon (known simply as a Barrel in-game) is one of Henry's options.
- Two Toppat members known as Marty O. and Louie G., who are based on Mario and Luigi, respectively, appear in the Triple Threat ending when Henry and Ellie crash into the Toppat Rocket's cafeteria, and in the Special BROvert Ops ending when Henry makes it through the main door of the rocket. Louie G.'s speech about the new leader is similar to the Italian gibberish heard in the Mario & Luigi games. Additionally, their dance during the Diversion option on the Triple Threat ending is the choreography for Do the Mario.
- Another Toppat member known as Konkey Dong bears a strong resemblance to Donkey Kong. He is only seen during the Diversion option of the Triple Threat ending, where he is seen performing Donkey Kong's main dance from Donkey Kong 64. His character bio also outright features the "If he shoots ya, it's gonna hurt." line from the DK Rap.
Hitman (Multiplatform)
- In episode two, Sapienza, a red plumber and a green plumber can be found working in the sewers; they are referred to as Mario Saltatore and Luigi Saltatore respectively.
Homescapes (iOS/Android)
When the player clears the 1740th level, they get to unlock a scene where Austin and Robbie play "Super Rosario Cousins" on a Gametendo console, which are parodies of Super Mario Bros. and the SNES, respectively. In the next scene, when Austin and Robbie attempt to explain their grogginess to Austin's girlfriend Katherine, a thought bubble appears to liken Austin and Robbie to Mario and Luigi, respectively.
Hyperdimension Neptunia series
Megadimension Neptunia VII (PS4 and multiplatform)
- A scout named "Maryo" appears as a man with a moustache, gloves, and a purple cap. The scout is unlocked in the nation Lowee, which is named after the Wii. Also in Lowee is a dungeon named "Maryo Land", a possible reference to the Super Mario Land series.
- Another scout named "Toady" appears. Her hair resembles Toad's cap.
- Several enemies resemble Warp Pipes.
Super Neptunia RPG (Multiplatform)
- The game's hunt quest "Mush Ado About Nothing" requires the player to defeat a Dogoo resembling Toad named "Daot". The enemy is located within a pipe in an underground area, resembling the underground levels of Super Mario Bros. The area also features brown Dogoo enemies with fangs resembling Goombas.
- During the story, antagonist Filyn turns several characters into blocks resembling ? Blocks. Before battling the heroes, in reference to one such block, she wonders if a Star will appear from it if struck.
Icon Pop Quiz (iOS/Android)
- In the credits, the lead designer Erna Chai's name has an emblem of a Mushroom above it.
- On the Weekend Specials menu screen, the Game Characters category panel shows a Super Star sprite from Super Mario World. Among the Game Characters icons are Mario (Mario's overalls), Donkey Kong (Donkey Kong's tie) and Bowser (Bowser's shell).
- Another Weekend Specials category, Game Titles, has an icon of Super Mario Bros. (A ? Block sprite from said game).
The Impossible Quiz Book (Flash)
- The 71st question asks readers which country produces the finest plumbers in the world, with the choices being "Russia", "Italy", "Poland" and "Ethiopia". The correct answer is Italy, as it references Mario and Luigi, and they are Italian.
- The 77th question has readers search for an "evil" object. Among the objects they may find are Mario/Luigi's head and a Super Mushroom.
- The 96th question requires the player to find Jason, the son of Ethan Mars, the main protagonist of Heavy Rain. In there, a ? Block can be seen in the background.
- The 141st question begins with the Warp Zone message in Super Mario Bros. The question involves the player selecting a portal that can take them to another question, similar to the Warp Zone. Due to the possibility of returning to a previous question, it also alludes to Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, where some Warp Zones can take the player to previous levels in the game.
The Incredible Machine: Even More Contraptions (PC)
- In the "Easy" contraption lineup, there is a puzzle named "Super Mel Brothers". In said contraption, Mel has a younger brother named Angus, referencing how Luigi is Mario's younger brother. The contraption is also composed mostly of bricks, referencing the Brick Blocks found throughout the Super Mario franchise.
Injustice 2 (Multiplatform)
- One of Supergirl's quotes is "Your princess is in another castle", as a reference to Super Mario Bros.
Jersey Devil (PS1)
- A large, purple and green enemy will throw toxic waste barrels at Jersey Devil when he gets near them, similar to 25m from Donkey Kong.
Jet Set Radio (Dreamcast)
One of the songs that play in the game seem to reference Super Mario Bros.[29]
C'mon goin' to rescue Peach
We're the Super Bros.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
We like the Mushroom
Jill of the Jungle (DOS)
- A "News Bulletin" announces Mario, at age 72, is giving up superhero status because of Jill's "incredible" popularity. "We are not cool enough. We just did not stand a chance." states the newsflash. It also says that he will return to his old job, cleaning gorilla cages at the local zoo.
Jurassic: The Hunted (Multiplatform)
- A turret based boss fight in a swamp features combat against two Tyrannosaurus Rexes, one a lime green and the other a pinkish color. The palette choices were based on the Nintendo characters Yoshi and Birdo, who are often paired up by fans as a couple to match other characters in the Super Mario franchise.
Just Dance series
- In Just Dance Wii, the debut title of the Japanese edition series, Mario appears on a track called "Just Mario" with the artist credited as "Ubisoft meets Nintendo", unlocked by playing all the other songs in the game. In Just Dance 3 for the Wii in North America and Europe, it returned as downloadable content exclusive to the Wii version and was released in December 2011 for 250 Wii Points. The track is no longer obtainable in Just Dance 3 due to the closure of the Wii Shop Channel in 2019. It later returned in Just Dance 2018 as an exclusive track for the Nintendo Switch version of the game, remade to represent more modern games in the series such as New Super Mario Bros. U. However, an internet connection is required to play the track, which is similar to the previous Nintendo Switch-exclusive track, "How Deep Is Your Love" by Calvin Harris and Disciples.
- Exclusive to "Just Dance Unlimited" for Just Dance 2018 on the Nintendo Switch is an alternate version of the song "Naughty Girl" by Beyoncé features Rabbid Peach as the dancer.[30]
Just Shapes and Beats
- In Story Mode's Paradise chapter, the only level there is set to the song "New Game" by electronic music artist Nitro Fun, which incorporates sound effects from Super Mario Bros. The boss the player is fighting in the level enters and exits a Warp Pipe, using its original sound effects. The boss then "powers up" afterward by eating a triangle, accompanied by the "powerup" sound effect.
- The game's Story Mode also features the songs "Vindicate Me" by Big Giant Circles and "Final Boss" by Nitro Fun, both of which feature sound effects from Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros. 3.
Kart Sweetie (App Store)
- Four of the T1 karts highly resemble some karts from the Mario Kart franchise. There are 7 T1 karts, the 4th resembling the Sprinter from Mario Kart Wii, the 5th resembling the Standard Kart from Mario Kart Wii, the 6th resembling the Standard Kart from Mario Kart 7 with Standard tires and the 7th resembling the Cloud 9 with Sponge tires, also from Mario Kart 7. The Cloud 9 is called "Cloud" in this game.
Kingdom Rush series (Multiplatform)
Kingdom Rush
- Two of the achievement names reference the Super Mario franchise:
- "SuperMario" is achieved after 30 stars are obtained. The name references Mario himself.
- "Super Mushroom" is achieved after defeating the boss Myconid. The name and picture of the achievement reference the Super Mushroom power-up.
Kingdom Rush Frontiers
- The "SuperMario" achievement returns from Kingdom Rush.
Kingdom Rush Origins
- In the level "Royal Gardens", one of the shrubs can be changed to resemble a Piranha Plant.
- In the level "Arcane Quarters" during the Heroic Challenge, Yoshi would take the place of Beresad for the level, but in an update Yoshi was removed.
- The hero Razz & Rags have an ability named "Hammer Time", which causes Rags to repeatedly slam around them with a hammer. This references the Hammer item in the original Donkey Kong arcade game.
- The hero Wilbur has an ability named "Boom Box Mk.", which summons walking bombs that resemble Bob-ombs.
Kingdom Rush Vengeance
- In the level "Kazan Mines", Monty Moles periodically jump out of holes. The player can whack them to interrupt them, which they will become angry and go back in the holes. If the player whacks five in a row, they will earn an achievement.
- During the level "Kazan Mines", Donkey Kong can be seen on a minecart escaping from a Kremling. The player can destroy the Kremling's minecart to earn an achievement.
KleptoCats (iOS/Android)
- Two items for a cat to wear include a red hat (with a C instead of an M) and a nose and mustache resembling Mario's.
- One of the obtainable items resembles and references the Boo enemies.
Kung Fu Heroes (NES)
A number of sound effects from Super Mario Bros. are reused for this game, such as the sounds for collecting coins, breaking bricks, and collecting 1 up Mushrooms.
League of Legends (PC)
- One of the Rammus' skins, King Rammus, is based on King Bowser.
LEGO series
LEGO Batman: The Videogame (Multiplatform)
- In the villain mission for Power Crazed Penguin, A Daring Rescue, the Penguin and Killer Croc must use multi-colored pipes which act similar to Warp Pipes.
LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 (Multiplatform)
- In the sixth and final level of The Chamber of Secrets, The Basilisk, Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley must use a tube that looks like a Warp Pipe to reach the ledge where the Sorting Hat with the large sword is located to finish the level.
LEGO City Undercover (Wii U, Nintendo Switch)
Due to this LEGO game being co-published by Nintendo, the Wii U and Switch versions of the game have many Super Mario references.
- Chase McCain, the game's protagonist, can build a Warp Pipe out of Lego bricks and enter it just like Mario, complete with the Super Mario Bros. sound effect. In the remaster, this was replaced with a Teleport Pad.
- Five ? Blocks appear. The player can jump up and hit them, producing the same sound effect as if a Coin had been collected (though nothing comes out of them aside from several Lego studs after they've been hit three times). In the remaster, the boxes were replaced by Rex Graffiti Skullptures.
- There is a parade with floats of stars, and one of them looks like a Super Star. In the remaster, the star remains but with the eyes removed.
- Five Super Stars can be also built around the city, and when all five are built, the Pop Star character token is unlocked. In the remaster, these stars were replaced by police badges.
- To unlock the fisherman, the player must fish at the Wharf, catching a Lego Cheep Cheep. In the remaster, the Cheep Cheep was replaced by a normal fish.
- Under one of the tunnels is an aquarium where another Cheep Cheep can be seen. A shark will eventually come to eat the Cheep Cheep, but will instead be eaten by a larger Cheep Cheep. In the remaster, the Cheep Cheeps were replaced by normal fish and a shark does not appear.
- There is a Lego Wiggler wandering back and forth over an ivy-covered tunnel entrance. In the remaster, there is nothing above the tunnel entrance.
- A buildable Bob-omb is used to break the cage containing the Chan Chuang token. In the remaster, the player has to use Rex Fury instead of having to build something.
- In an area of downtown, there are cannons that fire Lego Bullet Bills, which act like they did in Super Mario Galaxy. In the remaster, there are no cannons that fire in that area.
- A Large Lego version of Dry Bones can be built in the museum once Rex Fury has been unlocked. This was removed entirely in the remaster; instead, a character token is obtained.
- A Fire Piranha Plant can be built behind the dojo in Bluebell National Park once the farmer costume is unlocked. It is hostile and will spit fireballs. In the remaster, the Fire Piranha Plant was replaced by a normal plant but it is not hostile and will not shoot fireballs.
- A Goal Pole can be interacted with at the top of the castle in Fort Meadows. It does the exact same thing it does in New Super Mario Bros., complete with fireworks and the original sound effect. In the remaster, the Mario victory pose and fireworks remain, but the Goal Pole was replaced by a regular flag, and the "Course Clear" theme from Super Mario Bros. does not play.
- One Red Brick enables Chase to wear Mario's hat. This was the only red brick not to make it into the remaster, including the Switch version.
- In the "Miner Altercation" level, the player comes across an area with multiple ladders and boulders falling down ramps, referencing 25m from Donkey Kong. As the player traverses the area, Chase remarks, "I hope there isn't a giant ape at the top of this thing!" This is another reference to Donkey Kong.
- In order to defeat the game's final boss Rex Fury, in the first phase, Chase has to grab and spin Rex's T-Rex Bot around by the body and the tail and fling it into one of the energy containers. This parodies how Mario defeats Bowser in Super Mario 64.
In the multi-platform remaster of the game, all the explicit references were replaced with non-Nintendo references due to copyright, but in an update for the Nintendo Switch version, a majority of these references were brought back.
LEGO Marvel Super Heroes (Wii U)
- Right before the level Bifrosty Reception, the Human Torch makes a reference to the Mario Kart series by saying, "Something about that big rainbow road... Looking at it, I just feel like... I wanna RACE!"
LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham (Multiplatform)
- A mission for Gorilla Grodd is titled "Ohh, Banana!" referencing the soundbyte from Donkey Kong 64. When it is completed, he quotes the line.
LISA (PC)
- In Area Two, a man dancing has a man dressed in red resembling Mario on his left with a man dressed in green resembling Luigi to his right. The man in green will talk about how much he hates his life, a possible reference to how Luigi is constantly picked on by other characters. The man in red, however, will talk about how he used to chase after females, a reference to how Mario is constantly rescuing Princess Peach.
LittleBigPlanet series
LittleBigPlanet 2 (PS3)
- When bouncing on a Bounce Pad, Sackboy will occasionally strike Mario's classic jumping pose.
Sackboy: A Big Adventure (PS4/PS5)
- Sackboy is able to do a Flutter Jump. He can also roll short distances in the same vein as Donkey Kong's Roll Attack, complete with the roll gaining unlimited momentum by having another Sackperson run on top of him, akin to the Kong Roll.
Little King's Story (Wii)
- The first princess saved in the game, Princess Apricot Fizz, is a reference to Princess Peach.
- A crate with a ? marked on it can be found in the Skull Plains, just north of the entrance to the Worrying Labyrinth. It resembles a ? Block. The box houses either either a Mush Bro, a Moonflower or a Cockadoodledo, likely referencing the Super Mushroom, Fire Flower and Cape Feather power-ups.
- The end of the jingle whenever Spoils are traded in for Bol resembles the first six notes of the Super Mario Bros. Ground Theme. This section of the jingle was removed in the non-canon reimagining New Little King's Story for the PlayStation Vita.
Little Kitty, Big City (Multiplatform)
- One of the collectible hats is the Turtle Hat, which resembles a Green Shell and whose description reads, "Now, WHY do I suddenly want to race go-karts with a plumber in red overalls?", a reference to the Mario Kart series.
Little Runmo - The Game (PC)
- In Level 1, at the top of a peak is a Warp Pipe that Runmo can enter to access a secret room.
Looney Tunes: Duck Amuck (DS)
- The beginning of the opening cutscene is a parody of Super Mario Bros., with Daffy as Mario and Elmer Fudd as a Goomba.
- After clearing Level 5 of Exploding Piano, Daffy will say "Goombas ate my lunch, my dear plumber."
Magic Touch: Wizard for Hire (iOS/Android)
- Characters which are not unlocked yet wear a ? Block on their heads.
- The background "Flame" appears to be based off Bowser's Castle, and it also contains an enemy resembling a Chain Chomp. ! Blocks are on the ground.
Maniac Mansion (NES)
- When the player turns on a "video game," some music is played, and the player can hear the first five notes of the Super Mario Bros. theme.
MapleStory (PC)
- King Croopa, a character that appears during Mushroom Castle quest, is a parody of Bowser.
Marble Race (Steam)
- Older versions of the game use the modern countdown sound effect from Mario Kart for its starting countdown timer, most likely as a placeholder.
McPixel (Android/PC)
- Mario appears as a patient in the hospital of Chapter 2, Round 3.
- At Chapter 2, Special Round, Mario and Raphael from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles appears in a level. In the level, the three are in a bridge with lava underneath it. A mushroom is found in the bridge, and a Fortress and a Toad are seen in the level. If McPixel picks the mushroom and gives it to Raphael, he will spit a fireball which will hit Mario, causing him to get smaller.
- Mario appears in the hub of Chapter 3.
Meat Boy series
Super Meat Boy (Xbox 360 and multiplatform)
- The game's title has the same initials as Super Mario Bros.
- Warp Zones, secret portals to an 8-bit world, appear four times in every world: Two of them in the Light World and two of them in the Dark World.
- When entering a Warp Zone or a Glitch World level, the screen is a parody of when entering in a level in Super Mario Bros.
- The names of the Glitch Worlds are references to the Minus World glitch in Super Mario Bros.
- The character selection screen is very similar to the Super Mario Bros. 2 character selection screen.
- When Meat Boy finishes a Warp Zone or a Glitch World, a character says "Sorry Meat Boy, but Bandage Girl is in another Warp Zone," a reference to the mushroom retainers' line from Super Mario Bros. Similarly, the endings of the Game Boy-like Warp Zones are a reference to the fake Daisy from Super Mario Land.
- After defeating a boss, a flag and fireworks appear, which are a reference to clearing a stage Super Mario Bros.
- The way Dr. Fetus is defeated is a reference to how Mario defeats Bowser in Super Mario Bros.
- The Glitch World of The End is a reference to the Airship levels in Super Mario games.
- One of the Game Boy-themed Warp Zones is titled Sky Pup, a possible reference to the Sky Pop from Super Mario Land.
- In Cotton Alley there's a level called "Bullet Bob". This is probably a reference to Bullet Bill, because this level is focused on bullets.
- In this game there is an enemy called Oob, which name is reversed Boo and they act similarly to them.
Super Meat Boy Forever (Multiplatform)
- The opening of Chipper Grove references the opening of Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars.
- After clearing a stage in Tetanusville, Dr. Fetus might use a device to vacuum up Nugget, akin to Luigi vacuuming up ghosts in the Luigi's Mansion series.
Meat Boy and Bandage Girl, representing Mario, while Nugget and Dr. Fetus represent Princess Peach and Bowser respectively.
Dr. Fetus vacuuming up Nugget
Mega Jump (iOS/Android)
- An unlockable playable character called "Super Redford" is the game's protagonist Redford but sporting a mustache and cap similar to those of Mario. This character was only available for a limited time during November 2011 to support Movember. Super Redford's name come from Mario's neutral form, Super Mario.
Mega Man series
Mega Man (NES)
- The Killer Bomb (also known as Killer Bullet) resembles a Bullet Bill and is based on its Japanese name, Killer. The enemy reappears in remakes and also has a background cameo in Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes, where it is redesigned and closer in size to a Banzai Bill.
Mega Man Battle Network 3 (GBA)
- Mario's clothes appear on the wall in Yai's room.
Mega Man ZX (DS)
- Two brothers in Area C, named Yu and Lou, resemble Mario and Luigi.
Mega Turrican (Genesis)
- Hidden within the game's data is a sprite of Mario frozen in carbonite similar to Han Solo in the Star Wars films.[31] This is restored in Mega Turrican Director's Cut.
Metal Gear series
Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes (GCN)
- Mario and Yoshi dolls can be found in Otacon's Lab. Shooting the Mario statue plays the 1-up jingle and awards Snake with a small health boost, and shooting the Yoshi doll simply makes it say "Yoshi!".
- Psycho Mantis may mention Super Mario Sunshine ("You've been playing Super Mario Sunshine, haven't you?") and Super Smash Bros. Melee ("Oh, so you've played Super Smash Bros. Melee before.") if the player has save data for those games on their Memory Card.
Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D (3DS)
- Yoshi dolls appear as collectible items, replacing the Kerotan dolls found in the original PlayStation 2 game. Their presence in the game is explained by Para-Medic as being due to Yoshi's popularity in the Soviet Union increasing.[32] This is anachronistic, as the game takes place in the 1960s ― pre-dating Yoshi's 1990 debut in Super Mario World by roughly 30 years and before video games in general ever existed.
Minecraft (PC and multiplatform)
- Main article: Minecraft
- One of the 4x3 paintings that the player may get is 100m from the Donkey Kong arcade game. The picture the painting is based off is "Kong" by Kristoffer Zetterstrand.[33]
- An item called Elytra (used for gliding) that was added in the 1.9 update has very similar mechanics to the Wing Cap from Super Mario 64. Shortly before the feature was revealed, one of the developers even stated "it's like Mario 64".[34]
- A free content pack based on the Super Mario franchise, called the Super Mario Mash-up, was released as part of a game update for Minecraft: Wii U Edition as a collaboration between Nintendo and Mojang Studios, and was later released physically as well. It was also included in later releases of the game on other Nintendo consoles, namely the Nintendo Switch and New Nintendo 3DS editions and the Bedrock Edition on the Nintendo Switch. The pack includes a Super Mario-themed texture pack, pre-made skins usable by the player based on Super Mario characters, and a pre-made world.
- When an achievement is earned, "Achievement Get!" and the name of the achievement is broadcast in the chat to all players in the world. This may be a reference to the Japanese version of Super Mario Sunshine, which features the prominent text "Shine Get!" when Mario obtains a Shine Sprite.
Mirror's Edge (PS3/Xbox 360)
- A secret achievement/trophy called "Hey, it's-a-me!" can be unlocked by executing a stomp on an enemy, which is a reference to one of Mario's catchphrases and how he often defeats enemies.
Monster Hunter 4 (3DS)
- Mario appears as a downloadable skin in the game.
Monster Legends (iOS/Android)
- The monster Bloomskips looks identical to a Piranha Plant.
- Its description mentions Warp Pipes and plumbers.
- The monster Koopigg bears resemblance to either Baby Bowser or Bowser Jr., and its adult form resembles Bowser.
- Its description mentions kidnapping princesses.
- The monster Pandalfio resembles Mario with a more monochrome outfit and an M-less hat.
- Its companion resembles a Boo.
Monster Rancher series (PS/PS2/GBA/DS/Mobile/Switch/Steam)
- In Monster Rancher, when a Dino monster is punished, he uses the exact same roar as Bowser from Mario Kart 64 until Super Mario Sunshine.
- This also applies to Monster Rancher 2 (Monster Rancher in PAL territories) whenever a Zuum monster is given the command to Rest.
- In the Switch release of Monster Rancher 1 & 2 DX, Nintendo is listed as an artist when summoning monsters, with some of their albums being related to the following Super Mario games for the aforementioned system:
- Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker
- Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
- Luigi's Mansion 3
- Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020
- Mario Golf: Super Rush
- Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
- Mario Party Superstars
- Mario Tennis Aces
- New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe
- Paper Mario: The Origami King
- Super Mario 3D All-Stars
- Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury
- Super Mario Bros. 35
- Super Mario Maker 2
- Super Mario Odyssey
- Super Mario Party
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (While technically not a Super Mario game, it does feature characters from the series like newcomers Daisy and Piranha Plant.)
- WarioWare: Get It Together!
- Yoshi's Crafted World
- Additionally, in LINE: Monster Farm, a Japan-exclusive game for iOS and Android, one of the attacks used by the Yggdrasil monsters has the fairy-like half bop the head of the frog-like half to have the latter lash out its tongue, referencing how, in Super Mario World, Mario bops Yoshi on the head to have him lash out his tongue.
Moon: Remix RPG Adventure (PlayStation/Switch)
Geno is referenced with the character "Noge", which is an anagram of "Geno". Geno's and Noge's Japanese names are also anagrams of each other (ジーノ Jīno and ノージ Nōji). Both games share the same character designer, Kazuyuki Kurashima.[35]
Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks (PS2/Xbox)
- The area where the player rescues Kabal from a cage is a homage to the Donkey Kong arcade game. Nameless Shokan soldiers throw boulders at Liu Kang and Kung Lao and they must climb up several cliffs while avoiding them until they reach Kabal and free him from the cage.
Motoko-chan no Wonder Kitchen (Super Famicom)
Viruses as they appear in Motoko-chan no Wonder Kitchen.
Mou (Windows Phone)
- In this unofficial Windows port of Pou, one of the items which the player can buy as a costume is Mario's mustache. The mustache is simply named "Mario" in the game.
My Boo 2 (Android/iOS)
- One of the horn costumes that can be given to the player's Boo is called "Boowser Horns", which is a pun on the names "Boo" and "Bowser".
My Singing Monsters series
My Singing Monsters (iOS/Android/Steam)
- Many of the Monsters' default nicknames are references to Super Mario characters and enemies.
- The game's social media accounts have posted multiple images of My Singing Monsters-themed parodies of famous movies, TV shows, and video games, some of which are parodies of Super Mario games.
- In the trailer for their SkyPainting 2024 seasonal event, the Monster-Handlers are seen going through paintings, in a similar fashion to Super Mario 64.
- A YouTube Short made by the official My Singing Monsters YouTube channel consists of Monster-Handler Tyson McGavin mimicking the Koopa Troopas' dance in the New Super Mario Bros. games.
My Singing Monsters Playground (Multiplatform)
- The overall gameplay style is very similar to that of the Mario Party series, in which players must play mini-games to progress.
- In the mini-game "Bitter Critters", the Bitter Critters that players must avoid bear a striking resemblance to Spinies.
My Talking Angela (iOS/Android)
- The Level 3 Game Console in the Terrace shows Talking Tom grabbing a Coin and a Mushroom in a game similar to Super Mario Bros.
N (PC) / N+ (XBLA and multiplatform)
- In N+, two of the selectable player skins strongly resemble Mario and Luigi, named "Player 1" and "Player 2" respectively.
- A Thwump, a reference to Thwomps, is introduced in both games. The official description for this enemy is as follows:
"According to legend, in pre-robotic times there existed a race of large, spiky stone dolts whose complete invulnerability and hereditary hatred of heroic Italian plumbers led to their persecution, and eventually to extinction. Thankfully they've been recreated, in robot form, and 3 of their 4 sides have been rendered harmless."
Need For Speed: Most Wanted U (Wii U)
- In the Wii U version of the game, there are three green pipe structures scattered throughout the map resembling Warp Pipes. Positioning the player's car on top of one of these pipes correctly causes the car to be lowered inside Super Mario-style, and the player is taken to one of three secret rooms. Within all three rooms is stylized text on the wall reading either "Level 1-1," "Level 2-1," or "Level 3-1"; green pipes scattered throughout the room, yellow Warp Pipe structures marking the exits; and construction beams painted on the walls positioned in a similar manner as Donkey Kong.
- Within the "Level 1-1" room is an 8-bit stylized "?" on the wall above an Ariel Atom 500 V8 in red with blue trim, the colors of Mario.
- The "Level 2-1" room features an 8-bit crown above a Caterham Superlight R500 colored pink with white stripes, referencing Princess Peach.
- The "Level 3-1" room contains an 8-bit egg on the wall above a BAC Mono painted light green, Yoshi's colors.
- Revealing each of the rooms unlocks three special license plates: one with the red Ariel Atom with "Plumber" inscribed upon it, one with the pink Caterham on it with "Princess" inscribed on it, and one with the green BAC Mono with the word "Dinosaur" on it.[37]
Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors (DS)
Ace's line referencing Donkey Kong.
- While a group of characters (Junpei, Ace, and Santa) are exploring the ship's engine room, they come across a group of barrels stacked underneath a set of stairs. Santa jokes that they should get Seven (a large, heavyset character) to throw the barrels down the stairs, "like that old game." Ace reinforces the reference by describing the "gorilla who threw barrels" and how one needed to avoid the barrels as they made their way to the top.
Nuts & Milk (Famicom)
- In the bonus rounds, a Mario Bros.-style fireball moves across the screen as time runs out.
- The common spring object resembles and performs much like the one in Donkey Kong Jr.
- The layout of level 19 is a simplified version of 25 m in Donkey Kong.
One Piece: Super Grand Battle! X (3DS)
The game is compatible with certain amiibo. If the player scans a compatible amiibo, they unlock a costume of that character for one of the Straw Hat Pirates. The compatible Mario-related amiibo are Mario, Luigi, Donkey Kong and Yoshi, which unlock their costumes for Luffy, Franky, and Usopp respectively.
Onion Assault (Switch / PC)
- The game draws inspiration from the Super Mario franchise, primarily the ability to pull out onions from the ground and throw them similar to the Vegetables of Super Mario Bros. 2.
Overlord II (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
- At one point in the Hunting Grounds, the Yeti will throw barrels at the Overlord from two different boats similar to Donkey Kong.
Overwatch (Windows, PS4, Xbox One, and Switch)
- One of D.Va's pre-match lines to gorilla character Winston is "A giant gorilla! Just like in those old video games!", a reference to Donkey Kong.
- Torbjörn's Dance emote is based on "Do the Mario".
- The “Grand Theft” spray exclusive to Roadhog has him running in an almost identical pose to some of the classic art of Mario. He also holds on to Pachimari in a near identical fashion as a Super Mushroom or a Vegetable.
Pac-Man World Rally (GameCube, PS2, PSP, Windows)
- The Pac-Bomb items are based off of the various shells in the Mario Kart series, with the green ones going straight and bouncing off walls similar to the Green Shell, the red ones chasing other racers similar to the Red Shell, and the blue ones going after the leader similar to the Spiny Shell. The green and red ones can also come in groups of three, similar to their respective shells.
Party Hard (PC)
- There is a character that emerges from a manhole who looks like Mario himself.
Penn & Teller's Smoke and Mirrors (Sega CD)
- During the 'sucker intro', Teller briefly puts on a red hat and fake mustache as he twists a wrench on a piece of metal pipe, while Penn mentions a 'short immigrant piping engineer with lots of facial hair', referencing Mario and his profession as a plumber.
Perfect Dark Zero (Xbox 360, Xbox One)
- "Bubbler" is one of the names that can be randomly attributed to bots in offline multiplayer games.
Persona series
Persona 4 (PS2) / Persona 4 Golden (PS Vita and multiplatform)
- If the player returns to the Void Quest dungeon after unlocking the Heaven dungeon, Yosuke will say, "Our princess is in another castle, dude," referencing the mushroom retainers' quote from Super Mario Bros.
Persona 5 (PS3/PS4) / Persona 5 Royal (PS4 and multiplatform)
- While looking at the instructions on how the Battle Arena in Sae Nijima's Palace is played, Futaba Sakura comments on it by comparing it to the "Challenger Approaching" mechanic from "Super Bash Bros."
Petit Computer (DSiWare)
- If the pre-made games, Dot-Racer or Simple STG are played and lost, a song similar to the Super Mario Bros. Game Over theme plays.
Phantasy Star 0 (DS)
- Two Japan-exclusive bazooka-like weapons are modeled after green and yellow Warp Pipes.
Phineas and Ferb: Across the 2nd Dimension (Wii, PS3)
- Some of the weapons can be modified with Sound Chips. One of them plays the fireball sound effect from Super Mario Bros.
Pico Park (Multiplatform)
- An enemy that is visually similar to and behaves like a Boo appears in some levels.
Pixel People (iOS)
- The quote for Peter Piper or Mary Piper (Plumber Gene) says: "My princess is on another planet," which is a pun on the Mushroom Retainer's line in Super Mario Bros., "Thank you Mario! But our princess is in another castle!".
Pizza Tower (PC)
- The game takes inspiration from, and pays tribute to, the Wario Land series.
- One example being that when Peppino runs at high speeds, it resembles Wario's dash attack from Wario Land 4 and when he launches from a Max Fastosity Dasherator in Wario Land: Shake It!
- The character Gustavo is a tribute to Mario, and as such heavily resembles him. Many of his animations are also homages to Mario.
- The rat that Gustavo rides, named Brick, acts as a parallel to Mario riding Yoshi.
- Some of the game's instruments are taken from Super Mario 64 DS and WarioWare: D.I.Y. This includes the a capella instruments used for the Trampoline Time minigame, which in turn is based on the a capella vocals used in Super Mario Sunshine's secret courses, as well as various vocal synths from WarioWare: D.I.Y. (most notably the Do-Re-Mi Voice) being used in secret areas and the theme of the fourth boss.
- The Swedish Monkey's defeat sprite closely resembles Donkey Kong's in Donkey Kong Country.
- A parody of Mario Bros. called Pizza Bros. appears on a poster in the background of the level Don't Make A Sound.
- The Noise, a character who has become playable since version 1.1.0, has a ghost transformation that heavily resembles a Boo.
- Swap Mode, also added in version 1.1.0, features various similarities to the "tag-team" system from the Donkey Kong Country series.
- Whenever the player(s) swap characters, the screen darkens and time freezes before the characters swap positions.
- Whenever a character gets hurt, they temporarily flee before reappearing.
Plants vs. Zombies series
Plants vs. Zombies (PC and multiplatform)
- The Chomper is thought to be based off either Audrey II from Little Shop of Horrors, the Venus flytrap, or the Piranha Plant.
- The Sun-shroom's initial design is thought to be based on that of a Mushroom from the Super Mario franchise.
- The Digger Zombie has overalls and a red shirt, similar to Mario.
Plants vs. Zombies 2 (iOS/Android)
- In the Chinese version, the Coconut Cannon when it is costumed and used Plant Food on it, it shoots a bullet that looks very similar to the Banzai Bill.
- The Melon-pult has a costume that resembles the Mario Cap albeit without the 'M' emblem, it was used in the Chinese version, but it was found in the files of the international version albeit without the Plant Food upgrade.
Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare (Multiplatform)
- The Chomper variant Fire Chomper is thought to be a reference to the Fire Piranha Plant.
- The fire variant of the Sunflower is called the Fire Flower, which may be referencing the Fire Flower.
Platform Panic (Browser/iOS/Android)
- ! Blocks, neon-models of Super Stars, and in-background panels featuring hills with eyes can be seen in most backgrounds.
- Warp Pipes, under the name "Pipes", appear as gimmicks in the game, as of Update 2. They can be entered instantly, however giant spiked balls can also go through them.
- In the same update, the new level layouts added also feature Piranha Plants in a new jungle-themed background.
- An unlockable character, Plumber, is based on Mario. His special ability is being able to jump on enemies to defeat them, further strengthening the reference. His description mentions that he is "more likely to go down a pipe than clean it".
- There are jumping Panic Bots that make a sound similar to the one used when Mario is kicking a shell.
- Collecting a Coin makes a sound similar to the one heard in Super Mario Bros., but higher in pitch.
PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale (PS3/PS Vita)
- One of Fat Princess' alternate costumes resembles Daisy's color scheme.
Plok (SNES)
- A pair of red overalls that resembles Mario's appears at the end of level 5, "Rickety Bridge", as the end goal flag. Plok says "Hey! I recognize those!" upon encountering them.
Pocket Card Jockey (3DS)
- One of the horses' names is "One-up Mush", a reference to the 1-Up Mushroom.[38]
Pocket Planes (iOS/Android)
- Being a NimbleBit game, the Plumber A (Mario) and Plumber B (Luigi) costumes from Tiny Tower reappear in this game.
Pocket Trains (iOS/Android)
- The Pipes cargo strongly resembles green Warp Pipes.
- While costumes from previous NimbleBit games don't appear in this game, passengers wearing the Plumber A and B costumes can be seen.
Poker Night at the Inventory (PC)
- Tycho remarks that he enjoys playing Tetris Attack and asks the Heavy if he has played it. He also tries to get the Heavy interested by making it seem more dangerous than it really is.[39]
- Tycho also references the phrase "on like Donkey Kong" and the fact that it has been copyrighted by Nintendo.
Pole's Big Adventure (WiiWare)
- This game borrows elements from Super Mario Bros., such as ? Blocks that come in three different colors, blue Super Mushrooms, and even the end-of-level Castles.
Pop'n Music 14 FEVER (Arcade)
- One of the playable songs is a Super Mario Bros. medley. The song is not included in the PS2 home port because Nintendo's policies do not allow content from its franchises to appear on competing companies' systems.
Postal series
Postal 2 (PC)
- A model of Kamek, based on the appearance of Magikoopas in Super Mario World artwork and the Super Mario World television series, is present in the game's files.[40]
Postal 4 (PC)
- Inside one of the houses is a game similar to Super Mario Bros. playing on the living room's TV screen featuring a character named "Gimpio", a pink Goomba, ? Blocks that are white and have red Xs on them, and gray Warp Pipes with spiky rims.
Project Spark (Xbox One/PC)
In the quest that comes with the Conker's Big Reunion DLC pack, while running through the Tediz brewery, Conker must take a series of slopes with giant barrels rolling down to reach the second floor. The similarity to the Donkey Kong setting is commented on by Conker: "What's going on? [The barrels] never stop coming. Is there some big ape throwing all these barrels down or what?" He will later chime in, "Can someone call a plumber?", in reference to Mario.
Project X Zone series
Project X Zone (3DS)
- In one chapter, the character Xiaomu makes an allusion to the Rainbow Road stage from the Mario Kart series while the group are talking about how they can cross the rainbow that connects the worlds of Adventure of Valkyrie and Endless Frontier, saying that they "could even bust out a go-kart".
Project X Zone 2 (3DS)
Xiaomu mentions Triple Red Shells.
- The character Xiaomu makes multiple references to the Mario universe, and sometimes Mario himself.
- After Sheath is revealed to have survived Nine Nine's destruction, Xiaomu compares it to Mario ditching Yoshi, saying "You have as much moral integrity as an Italian plumber!".
- During the Ace Attorney-esque trial, Xiaomu mentions Triple Red Shells.
- During her post-battle dialogue with Aty, Xiaomu mentions a Poison Mushroom.
- During the Goblin chase sequence, when capturing the first one, it will say "Sorry, but our prin-I mean, your key is with another goblin!" referencing Toad's line in Super Mario Bros.
Ratchet & Clank series
Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time (PS3)
- During the Plumber's sole appearance in Clank's subconscious, he is seen searching through a Warp Pipe, which he later drops Clank into to awaken him from his mind trip; he refuses to go in because, in his words, "plumbers don't go diving down strange pipes all willy nilly. That'd be ridiculous!" (While not completely related to Super Mario, also noteworthy is that Charles Martinet has a major voice role as Orvus, Clank's father.)
Ratchet & Clank (PS4)
- When unlocked, the Metal Currency appearance cheat turns all bolts that Ratchet & Clank collect into coins.
Rayman series
Rayman Arena (PS2/PC/GCN/Xbox)
The Donkey Kong-esque part of Pipe Maze in the PC and GameCube releases of Rayman Arena.
- At one point in the race course Pipe Maze, player characters must traverse a series of slopes and climb fence-like ladders, while avoiding metal kegs rolling down these slopes. The layout of this portion resembles 25m from Donkey Kong, in which Mario must also traverse sloped girders and climb up ladders while avoiding barrels rolling down said girders.
Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 (Wii & DS)
- In a Nintendo Power preview of this game, there is art of a Rabbid decked out in Mario's clothes holding a Nintendo Power that has had its name changed to "Nintendo Plunger". This costume does not appear in the final game, however.
- A character with a similar design would later debut in Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle - Rabbid Mario. Whether the resemblance to this artwork is coincidental or not is currently unknown.
- In the DS version, the player has to avoid Warp Pipes in the mini-game Lunch Time.
Rayman Origins (Multiplatform)
- A secret area in the Mystical Pique level Golly G. Golem resembles 25m from Donkey Kong. It involves a stone man throwing lava rocks at multiple angled platforms, similarly to how Donkey Kong throws barrels.
Rayman Legends (Wii U/NS)
- In the original Wii U version, Rayman can wear a Mario costume and Globox can wear a Luigi costume.[41] The Mario costume is called "Ray Plumber" and the Luigi costume is called "Glob Plumber". When Rayman glides with the costume, wings appear, making him look like Wing Mario. The costumes return in the Nintendo Switch expansion, Rayman Legends Definitive Edition.[42]
Realm of the Mad God (Flash/PC)
- The seasonal event boss The Glitch quotes Fracktail's glitching out as taunts.
- The Void Entity, the final boss of the Lost Halls dungeon, quotes Shadoo upon starting the fight, and also quotes Bonechill upon initiating the final phase.
- Three Pet skins, the Green Turtle Shell, Red Turtle Shell, and Blue Turtle Shell, are modeled after the Koopa Shells as they appear in Mario Kart.
- The description of the Toaster pet skin contains a reference to Hotel Mario.
River City series
River City Ransom: Underground (PC)
Pipes in A&R Auto Shop Basement.
- After falling down the sewers near the beginning of the game, The Flock will come out of a pipe in the A&R Auto Shop Basement. The sewer pipes have a striking resemblance to a Warp Pipe, and if lingered on the screen, The Flock will say, "I've always wanted to do that!"
River City Girls (Multiplatform)
- In Uptown's Cart Mart, one of the edible video games is a title called "Plumberinos". While the cover artwork is of an anthropomorphic orange cat and blue rabbit, they wear matching overalls and caps in reversed color schemes, referencing Mario Bros.
- In the background of the mart, there are several cover arts of a variety of games, one of which features a character who resembles Mario.
- The Bad Cop chief enemy "Fujimoto" is dressed in Mario's original colors from Donkey Kong. In River City Girls 2 (which retains the above references), Fujimoto's artwork additionally includes a more distinct mustache and some white tape instead of gloves, giving an even greater resemblance to Mario.
Rocket League (Nintendo Switch)
- Exclusive to the Nintendo Switch version, two of the Nintendo-themed battle-cars are designed after Mario and Luigi, named "Mario NSR" and "Luigi NSR" respectively.[43]
- Two of the customizable options for the battle-cars are the Mario topper[44] and Luigi topper.
Runbow (Wii U)
- One of the victory lines that can randomly appear after a player wins a match is, "Your +1 is in another castle."
Sam & Max series
Sam & Max Save the World (PC and multiplatform)
- During Episode 5, Reality 2.0, Sam & Max need to collect 5 gold coins (which greatly resemble the coins from the Super Mario franchise) in order to buy a Wooden Sword from Bosco's. Three of them require the world's gravity to be altered in order to be acquired. After this is done, clicking on the coins will trigger a cutscene in which Sam says "Look, Max! It'sa me, Sam!" and jumps up to grab the coins, taking a pose similar to Mario's jumping sprite.
Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse (iPad and multiplatform)
- In Episode 4, Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, Sam snarkily refers to General Skun-ka'pe as "Donkey Wong" while trying to get him to stop blocking the freezer in Stinky's diner.
The Sandbox (iOS and multiplatform)
- After completing Day 9: Breaking Bad in "SandMix Vol.2", the completion message warns the player that if he crawls into a pipe, he could "end up in the lair of a big green turtle", which refers to Bowser.
Sangokushi Taisen (arcade)
- The men on the「間者の戦計」card resemble Mario and Luigi. The fact that the latter of the two men is begging for mercy while crying references Luigi’s cowardly nature.
Satsui no Kaisou: Power Soft Renzoku Satsujin Jiken (Famicom)
- During the game, Power Soft's president Tomino Yutaka says the most popular game from the company is Super Marx Brothers, a parody of Super Mario Bros.
Sayonara Wild Hearts (NS, PC, iOS)
- At the end of level 8, Forest Dub, there are four mushrooms. Each one enlarges the player for a period of time in a similar manner to the Super Mushroom and Mega Mushroom.
Scooby-Doo! First Frights (Multiplatform)
During the funhouse area of Episode 2, Level 2, there are several drawings of Chain Chomp-like monsters on the walls.
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game (PSN and multiplatform)
- The "Subspace Highway" bonus areas are a reference to Rainbow Road, and the blocks in the areas are based on the Super Mario blocks.[45]
- When Stephen Stills finishes a level, he jumps into a Warp Pipe. Multiple Warp Pipes also appear on the overworld map.
- If the player fails to destroy the car towards the end of the second level, the game will spawn multiple explosives, one of which looking similar to a Bob-omb.
- The Angry Sun appears above a can of Red Moose in the Mini-Marts shop found in the first level.
- Graffiti of what appears to be a Toad head can be found at the entrance of the tunnel in the first level.
- A Spiny Shell, minus the spikes, appears on a crate in Wallace's Secret Shop.
- Starting at the Tengu Garden section of the fourth level, Turnips can be plucked from the ground and used as weapons.
- At the Techno Shack shop in the seventh level, players can purchase a Food Pill, which looks reminiscent of a Capsule.
Scribblenauts series
Scribblenauts (DS)
- If the player typed "Weegee", a plumber will appear. This is not a direct mention to Luigi; it comes from the internet meme, which was spawned from the missaying of Luigi's name in the PC version of Mario is Missing!.
Super Scribblenauts (DS)
- 4-1 is a parody of a typical Super Mario level. There are parodies of Piranha Plants, Koopa Troopas, Super Mushroom, the flagpole, and the Fire Flower. The in-game hint for the level is "Starite Get!", a reference to the "Shine/Star Get!" text when obtaining a Shine Sprite or a Power Star in the Japanese versions of Super Mario Sunshine, Super Mario Galaxy, and Super Mario Galaxy 2, which briefly became a popular Internet meme.
Scribblenauts Unlimited (Wii U/3DS and multiplatform)
- On the Wii U version of the game, the player can summon the following Mario-series characters: Mario, Luigi, Peach, Yoshi (with several colors), Toad, Bowser, Goombas, Koopa Troopas (both red and green colorations), Bob-ombs, Boos, and Shy Guys.
- Most of these characters have special interactions whether with each other or with Maxwell. This includes Peach running away from Bowser, enemies using their original behavior from their home series (including Boos and Goombas), Mario fighting Bowser and related enemies, Toad attacking Shy Guys, and Mario and friends being capable of riding Yoshis and karts.
- A Super Mushroom, Fire Flower, Tanooki Suit (called "Tanuki Suit"), Frog Suit, Coin, and Super Star are some of the Mario-series items that can be summoned in the Wii U version of the game. The above characters can interact with some of these items, mostly behaving the same way as their source games.
- The Exclamation Point stage's Starite mission has hikers trying to reach the peak of a mountain. This mountain has its paths slanted and short vertical paths that function identical to ladders in the game, much like 25m from Donkey Kong. Additionally, there is a yeti on the peak of the mountain throwing barrels as an obstacle, similar to what Donkey Kong does in the aforementioned game.
Scribblenauts Remix (iOS and Android)
- 8-9 is similar to 4-1 in Super Scribblenauts, meaning once again it is a parody of a typical Super Mario level.
Sea of Thieves (Multiplatform)
Plunder Outpost (Sea of Thieves)
Donkey Kong Island (Donkey Kong Country)
Plunder Outpost has a similar geography to Donkey Kong Island as it appears in Donkey Kong Country.
T.T. appeared as a placeholder in this game, he never actually appeared in the final released game, however.
Sega GT (Dreamcast)
Segagaga (Dreamcast)
- In Alex Kidd's sad story about his career, Alex mentions both "Nintendo" and "Mario", with one syllable in each word censored (任天〇 (Ninten**), マ〇オ (Ma**o)) to avoid copyright issues.
Shantae: Risky's Revenge (DSiWare)
- One of the residents of Scuttle Town says "When I moved to this town, I owned a monkey, but a couple weeks after arriving, he was gone. I wonder what ever happened to little Chewbonky Kong?"
Shovel Knight (Multiplatform)
- The map style in the campaigns Shovel of Hope, Plague of Shadows, and King of Cards is based on that of Super Mario Bros. 3, where the main character (either Shovel Knight, Plague Knight, or King Knight) moves across the grid of map lines.
- Additionally, the moving gems on a map parallel the Treasure Ships, and the map boss ambushes are similar to how the Hammer Brother map icons work.
Simple DS Series Vol. 44: The Gal Mahjong (DS)
- Sprites of Yoshi and a Shy Guy from Yoshi Demo can be found in the game data.[47]
The Simpsons series
The Simpsons Game (Multiplatform)
- A character resembling Mario can be seen working in the video game factory.
- One of the lines in the video game factory is "Did you ever meet Bowser? Terrible guy.".
- Players can use Warp Pipes to travel around, complete with a similar sounding sound. When characters exit Warp Pipes, they adopt the pose that Mario does in various logos for the series.
- An ape uses barrels to attack, similar to Donkey Kong.
- A cut-scene shows Professor Frink marrying a female turtle-like creature resembling a Koopa Troopa.
- Before the last part of the thirteenth level (Big Super Happy Fun Fun Game), Homer and Lisa can be seen running towards a flying boat, which loosely resembles the flying ship from Super Mario 64. Additionally, if the player opens the to-do list, it will say the flying boat is an airship.
- In the cutscene before Episode 16, as the video game world collapses, the Mario lookalike, alongside other video game characters, flees to the Simpsons' house. In the house, Homer asks what's for dinner, and the Mario-like character says "I hope it's-a spaghetti! Here we go!", in a manner very similar to the actual Mario. In the next cutscene, the Mario lookalike is one of the characters seen running to Heaven.
The Mario lookalike working at the video game factory.
The Donkey Kong-like ape capturing Professor Frink.
Lisa emerging from a structure resembling a Warp Pipe.
Professor Frink with the Koopa Troopa-like creature.
The Mario lookalike at the Simpsons' house.
The Simpsons: Tapped Out (iOS and Android)
- The quest for building Luigi's is called "It's A-Me, Luigi!", a reference to Luigi's catchphrase. Luigi Risotto says the phrase himself after the quest is completed.
- During the Halloween 2013 update, Homer has a new option, "Deal with Ghosts". Homer will eat a Donut, Grow, and eat the ghost. He will then run around with his arms back like Mario and Luigi, eating donuts that are appearing like the way Mario and Luigi collect coins.
- During the Tap Ball 2015 event update, at the Alternate Joke side questline, the dialogue has an evil doppelganger of Luigi Risotto who has the name Waluigi as well. Homer and Professor Frink even acknowledge it as a reference to a video game.
- The startup screen for the arcade-themed update features a parody of Donkey Kong titled Monkey Kong.
The Sims series
- For SimCity developed by Nintendo for the SNES, see List of references in Nintendo video games § SimCity (SNES).
MySims Kingdom (Wii)
- If the player listens closely to Hopper in The Forest of the Elves, he will sometimes make sounds similar to Yoshi.
MySims Agents (Wii)
- When investigating the sewers in the Industrial District, if the player examines a pipe, they will wonder if any turtles live inside in reference to Shellcreepers and their behavior in Mario Bros.
SimCity DS (DS)
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- Bowser's Castle makes a cameo as a unlockable landmark for the player's city.
The Sims 4 (PC and multiplatform)
- If a Sim wins at a game of Genie's Curse, they get a +2 Energized buff with the following message: "(Sim name) has dispelled the Genie's curse, but the princess is in another video game."
- The City Living expansion pack contains a Build/Buy object called "Pipe Brothers" with the following description: "Fill your room with pipes, but don't forget to call a plumber. Maybe an Italian one, I hear they are the best."
- The Dream Home Decorator game pack comes with an unlockable overalls outfit with Mario, Luigi, Wario, and Waluigi's colors as available swatches.
The Tower DS Classic (DS)
- There is a building called Mario Tower (マリオタワー), which the player can enter a minigame to gain more money when they are short of funds. The tower is a statue of Mario posing. The minigame also features music taken from Super Mario Bros.
Sin: Episodes (PC)
- There is a pipe that teleports the player at one point to a warehouse, similar to a Warp Pipe. A warning sign also shows a man entering a Warp Pipe and says "DANGER: Exposure To Extreme Heat May Cause Warping In Pipe Segments".
Six Sides of the World (PC/Wii U/Switch)
- In the third galaxy "Altair" and on the second level "Another Way to Travel", there is a hologram of the beginning part of World 1-1 from Super Mario Bros. This is a reference due to it being the level that introduce pipes, which allows the character to travel from one end of the pipe to the other end. In addition, trees that are shaped as mushrooms are seen, which references the red Mushroom from the Super Mario franchise.
Skullgirls (PS3 and multiplatform)
- The character Peacock features multiple references to other forms of media, especially old cartoons, but among the references are an attack involving the Goomba's Shoe, and another attack involving a sword with a similar design to a Banzai Bill. When using the former move, she has a chance of saying "Here-a we go!" in a similar inflection to that of Wario; a selectable voice pack gives her a different quote for the move, in which she exclaims "Kuribo!".
- Several alternate costumes present in the game make references to characters from other media, and a few of these alternate costumes reference the Super Mario franchise:
- The DLC character Fukua (who would later become a base game character in Skullgirls 2nd Encore) has an alternate costume resembling the general color scheme of Daisy. This seems to be based on a common statement among the Super Mario fandom that Daisy is a clone of Peach, itself stemming from her redesign since Mario Party 4 and eventually being emphasized with her inclusion as an Echo Fighter of Peach in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate sometime after Fukua's eventual release in Skullgirls Encore.
- Peacock also has an alternate costume resembling Daisy's color scheme.
- The DLC character Umbrella has an alternate costume resembling the general color scheme of Peach herself, with her Living Weapon, Hungern, recolored to match Peach's own parasol.
- The DLC character Big Band (who would later become a base game character in Skullgirls Encore) has a DLC alternate costume exclusive to Skullgirls 2nd Encore resembling Wario.
- Marie, the titular Skullgirl who later was added as a DLC character, has an alternate costume resembling the general color scheme of Luigi, with her vacuum being recolored to look like the Poltergust 3000. Additionally, another one of Marie's alternate color schemes resembles Ashley.
- The opening of Fukua's story begins in a scene where the character Filia (from whom Fukua's appearance and moveset is cloned) is shown sleeping in bed, similar to the ending of Super Mario Bros. 2 where Mario is also seen asleep in bed. The shades of blue used in the scene are similar to the NES version of the aforementioned ending.
- In the version for mobile devices, the preview image for the Costume Party Prize Fight from October 1st to October 30th shows a zombie-like young girl on the right dressed up in a costume resembling Princess Peach.
- The DLC character Black Dahlia features a move where she kicks an oil barrel forward. If the player jumps over the barrel with proper timing, a similar sound to that of Donkey Kong plays, and an aesthetic indicator for 100 points shows up next to their character.
Peacock using the Goomba's Shoe.
Peacock using the Banzai Bill sword.
Fukua's Daisy alternate costume.
Peacock's Daisy alternate costume.
Umbrella's Peach alternate costume.
Big Band's Wario alternate costume.
Marie's Luigi alternate costume.
Marie's Ashley alternate costume.
The preview image for the Costume Party Prize Fight.
Sky: Children of the Light (iOS and multiplatform)
- Nintendo Switch version players can visit the "Nintendo Area" where objects with the motif of pipes and blocks in the Super Mario world are placed on the stage like a 2D platform. The area also uses sounds inspired by Super Mario. To enter the Nintendo Area, the player must purchase a starter pack and wear a limited cape (blue or red), or non-purchasing player with another player wearing it, go to the Golden Wasteland Social Space and go through the pipe in the far left of the Closet shrines.
Skylanders series
Skylanders: SuperChargers (Wii U, Nintendo 3DS)
- Turbo Charge Donkey Kong and Hammer Slam Bowser figures can be used in the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS versions of the game. They drive Barrel Blaster and Clown Cruiser vehicles, respectively. Donkey Kong drives the Barrel Blaster with Diddy Kong, while Bowser's Clown Cruiser resembles the Hurricane from Mario Kart DS. This is a result of a collaboration between Activision and Nintendo.
Donkey Kong, as seen in the game.
Bowser and several Koopas, as seen in the game.
Artwork of Donkey Kong.
Artwork of Donkey Kong, alongside Diddy Kong, in his vehicle.
Artwork of Bowser.
Skylanders: Imaginators (Wii U, Nintendo Switch)
- Turbo Charge Donkey Kong and Hammer Slam Bowser figures are compatible in the Wii U and Nintendo Switch versions of the game, which makes them playable. Their moves and abilities remain the same as its predecessor.
Slap the Fly (Steam)
- In one of the maps there is a room with a few posters, one of which depicts a figure resembling 8-bit Mario but with blue overalls.[48]
Smule Magic Piano (iOS)
The following Super Mario-related songs are playable:
- Ground Theme from Super Mario Bros.
- Underwater Theme from Super Mario Bros.
- Chill from Dr. Mario
- Jungle Theme from Donkey Kong Country
- King K. Rool's Theme from Donkey Kong Country
- Main Theme from Super Mario Bros. 2
Soda-Powered Penguin (PC)
In the level Antarctic Alcove, the pattern on the thirteenth bottlecap resembles the M Graffiti from Super Mario Sunshine and the pattern on the fourteenth resembles Wario's face.
Sonic franchise
Sonic the Hedgehog (Genesis)
- The level Marble Zone contains fireball obstacles that behave similarly to Lava Bubbles.
Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing (Xbox 360)
- Banjo & Kazooie's in-game racer profile states the former's 1st appearance as "DIDDY KONG RACING (1997)".
Sonic the Hedgehog (iOS/Android)
- One of the notifications that pops up on the player's smart device when closing the game reads "Thank you Sonic! But the Chaos Emeralds are in another zone!", referencing the famous Mushroom Retainer quote from Super Mario Bros.[49]
Sonic Lost World (Wii U)
- Yoshi's Island Zone is a DLC level which features Sonic in a Yoshi's Story-themed level. This DLC level was part of Sonic Lost World because of Sega's collaboration with Nintendo.
South Park series
South Park: Chef's Luv Shack (N64 and multiplatform)
- The Bad Kitty minigame is structured after 25m from Donkey Kong, with Cartman's pet cat replacing Mario and Eric Cartman throwing dodgeballs similar to how the title character from the arcade game throws barrels.
South Park: The Fractured but Whole (Multiplatform)
- Upon gaining a follower after taking a selfie with them, the image of Eric Cartman's superhero alter-ego appears with a similar pose to Raccoon Mario on the boxart of Super Mario Bros. 3.
- During one of the side missions involving collecting Memberberries, one of the Memberberries asks the player "Member[sic] collecting all 120 stars in Super Mario 64?"
- One part of the "From Dusk till Casa Bonita" DLC has the New Kid go through the "Water Level", which strongly resembles the water-themed levels of Super Mario Bros. Additionally, a screen shows the New Kid's lives and level name right before the level, which resembles the screen showing Mario's lives and the level location in Super Mario Bros. as well.
The intro of the Water Level
Gameplay of the Water Level
Spelunky series
- One of the items is a yellow cape resembling the cape power-up from Super Mario World. It allows spelunkers to descend slowly, similar to the power-up. Additionally, one random name a shopkeeper can have is "Yoshi".
Splashy Fish (iOS, Android)
- The player controls a fish resembling a Cheep Cheep through pillars.
- The Arcade Elements in the Splashy Fish store add Warp Pipes to the game.
- If the player taps the screen three times quickly, the jump sound will change to the 8-bit sound from Super Mario Bros.
SpongeBob SquarePants franchise
SpongeBob SquarePants: Creature from the Krusty Krab (Gamecube, PS2, and XBox)
In Patrick's section, there are sharp-toothed cardboard box enemies that act identically to Chain Chomps, lunging at Patrick when he approaches and being released when the button they are chained to is slammed down.
SpongeBob SquigglePants (Wii and 3DS)
- The gameplay is heavily based on the WarioWare series, with each stage featuring various "nanogames" in quick succession.
- Super Mario Bros. and many other NES games are parodied in individual nanogames during the PixelBob stage.
Spore (PC)
- In the Creature Creator chapter of the Prima Games guide, one of the creatures is called "Sloshi", a reference to Yoshi. Its description also references Mario (as Miguel, a Spanish carpenter), Princess Peach (as Princess Apple), and Bowser (as Growser, a terrapin). The Mushroom Kingdom is also parioded as the "Ivy Kingdom". Finally, the Koopa Troop is also parodied via a reference to Growser's "tortoise minions".
- In the Space Stage, creatures from other empires or the player's empire can offer a mission to destroy one colony of an opponent empire. If the player accepts the request, the creature says, "Ho, yeah, buddy! It's on! It's on like Tronkey-Kong!"
Spyro series
Spyro the Dragon (PS1)
- In the level Gnorc Cove, the Gnorcs that throw barrels at Spyro are reminiscent to how Donkey Kong throws barrels at Mario in Donkey Kong.
Spyro: Year of the Dragon (PS1)
- The Rhynocs in Seashell Shore throw barrels at Spyro, similar to Donkey Kong.
- The slides in the Crystal Island and Haunted Tomb levels in Midnight Mountain are strikingly reminiscent to the slides in Cool, Cool Mountain and The Princess's Secret Slide from Super Mario 64 and were most likely inspired by them.
Spyro: A Hero's Tail (Multiplatform)
- There is a robot character named Mergatroid with a red shirt, blue overalls and a red cap with the letter 'M' on it who is a parody of Mario.
- There is an enemy that looks like a Piranha Plant. Some of these enemies also spit fireballs much like a Fire Piranha Plant.
- There is a Yeti enemy in the cave levels who throws barrels, similar to Donkey Kong.
- While trying to recall the name of the collectible items of the game, Light Gems, the Professor mentions Power Stars and Red Coins.
Stair Dismount (Android)
One of the levels, named "Monkey Business", is modeled after Donkey Kong, specifically the 25m stage. A gorilla-like model grabs barrels that are dropped down above it and rolls them down the platforms. While the player cannot use them, there are also ladders lined along the platforms. Some blocks are also scattered along the bottom of the stage.
The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe (Nintendo Switch)
In the Nintendo Switch port of the game, there is a newspaper which reads The New Donk Times, replacing the text which reads The New York Times in other releases. In addition, the headline "You Will Not Believe How Many Bananas This Ape Has Been Hoarding For Years" references Donkey Kong and the banana hoard.
In the painting that depicts a panda with a gun to its head, the hand and sleeve are changed to resemble Mario's glove and red shirt. The caption underneath is also changed to "BUSINESS-A STRATEGY".
SteamWorld series
SteamWorld Dig (3DS and multiplatform)
- A hidden area leads to Mario's castle. Inside the castle, there is an area that contains coins and blocks from the Super Mario series.
SteamWorld Heist (3DS and multiplatform)
- One of the hats in the game is a Red Cap, which resembles the Mario Cap with a letter "L" instead of the letter "M". The description reads, "When hanging out with mushrooms and reptiles, you oughta show who's king of the piping. A real go for the big bro."
SteamWorld Dig 2 (NS and multiplatform)
- At the end of the Trial of Flight, the player runs down a corridor towards approaching fireballs cast by a robot, who is defeated by pulling a lever on the other side of him, collapsing the bridge and causing him to drop into the lava below, similar to the end of the castle stages in Super Mario Bros.
Stick it to The Man! (PC)
In Stick it to The Man!, there is a section where Ray is confronted by two mobsters. Before Ray saves the guy locked away in a trunk, the player can read the minds of the mobsters' victims already "sleeping with the fishes". One comments how selling online tickets to Mario and Luigi with a convenience fee got them where they ended up.
Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People (PC/WiiWare)
- In Episode 5, the real world is merged with the video game world, and many of the people of Free Country, USA think that they are video game characters. Marzipan, who was previously helping Bubs fix his Concession Stand, thinks she is "Lady Crate Ape". She kidnaps Bubs and goes to the top of the stand. She then jumps and causes the scaffolding around the stand to collapse and begins throwing crates around. This is a reference to Donkey Kong. The box art for Lady Crate Ape also appears in the game, depicting a female ape that bears a strong resemblance to Donkey Kong.
- Also in Episode 5, one of Strong Bad’s digs at his younger brother, Strong Sad, is giving him the nickname of “Dumpy Kong Jr.”, a reference to Donkey Kong Jr. himself.
Streets of Rogue (Steam)
- The Recorder makes an appearance as an item called an "EarWarpWhistle", sharing the same sprite as in Super Mario Bros. 3.
- Level 2-2's music is called THWOMP!, after the enemy of the same name.
Subway Surfers (Multiplatform)
In the game, a character named Lee has a green jacket that has a Mushroom and a Star on it.
Suicide Guy (PC and multiplatform)
One of the levels is based on the Super Mario franchise, which features a cross between ? and ! Blocks, Poison Mushrooms that make the blocks big and heavy, a few Warp Pipes, and several pipes with dead Piranha Plants.
Sumoman (PC)
There is an achievement called Plumber,[50] and unlocking it requires smashing something by your head. This is a reference to the Brick Block, as many people mistake Mario breaking them with his fist when jumping as breaking them with his head (though he technically can break them with his head in Super Mario Bros. if he jumps while crouching).
SUPER BENBO QUEST: TURBO DELUXE (Windows)
Fire Bar-like object in BoneHell.
In the BoneHell level, there are objects that look like a faster version of a Fire Bar. In addition, the common "PLONK" sound resembles the sound effect of kicking a shell from many Super Mario games.
Super Cat Tales series
- The main developer of the game has used the current engine from both games to recreate Super Mario Bros.' famous World 1-1 as seen in a video. The thumbnail also features Alex (in his Super Cat Tales 2 app icon pose) wearing Mario's hat and mustache. Note that this level is nowhere to be seen in both games, given its nature of being used as a showcase.
Super Cat Tales/Super Cat Bros. (iOS/Android)
- The game is titled "Super Cat Bros." in the Android version.
- The world map music uses the same soundfont as the one used in Super Mario World.
- Secret exits are colored red, similar to the red Goal Poles in the New Super Mario Bros. series.
- The level transition screens parallel that of the ones used in Super Mario 3D World.
- Red Coins are hidden in the game in a similar fashion to their appearances in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island.
- The Butterfly Jar acts similarly to the Red Rings, with the butterflies acting as a stand-in for the Red Coins.
- Some enemies share the same behaviors (and in some cases, similar appearances) with some Mario enemies, such as the beetles paralleling their behavior with the Spike Tops, and a black slime enemy acting almost similarly to the Stretch enemy from Super Mario Bros. 3.
- Olli is similar to Cape Mario in the sense that he uses a similarly-colored yellow cape to glide.
Super Cat Tales 2 (iOS/Android)
- Olli's ability to glide has been relegated to an item with a similar function - Olli's Cloak. It retains its yellow coloration when equipped (with the exception of Olli which is orange on him), making it slightly analogous to the Cape Feather.
Super Cat Tales: PAWS (iOS/Android)
Shop listing for the "Videogame Hat", a VIP-exclusive hat resembling Mario's Cap
- This game introduces Hidden Coins in some levels, which act identically to their New Super Mario Bros. incarnations.
- By purchasing VIP Premium for this game, the player can get access to exclusive hats, one of which is the "Videogame Hat". Said hat resembles Mario's Cap and its description features Mario's catchphrase, "Let's-a go!".
Super Daryl Deluxe (Multiplatform)
- At one point, Daryl fights a boss named Gorilla Jim, a parody of Donkey Kong. The boss fight also features girder platforms and barrels designed after those of the original Donkey Kong arcade game.
Super Fowlst series
- All games feature Warp Pipes, appearing under the official name "Tubes" from Super Fowlst's App Store/Play Store description. They can be used to transport Fowlst to another location of the map, just like with regular Warp Pipes.
- In Super Fowlst, the tubes are colored green, strengthening the reference to Warp Pipes.
Super Fowlst 2 (Multiplatform)
- The game's key sprites are reused from Dadish, and still resembles the key sprite from Super Mario World, although heavily edited.
Super Seducer 3 (PC)
- In the level "Supermarket Seduction", dating guru Richard LaRuina picks up a girl named Emma in a supermarket and offers to cook tacos with her. At one point while cooking, Emma notices that Richard has a PlayStation 5 and a Nintendo Switch and asks him what games he likes. One of the games Richard says he likes is Super Mario Odyssey, to which Emma replies that she is a huge Nintendo fan.
- In the level "Gym: Fitness Flirtation", at one point while hanging out at the juice bar, Richard states that he creates the Super Seducer series with Maria replying that she has heard of those types of games and that the only game she has ever played was The Sims. In response, Richard asks Maria if she has ever played Super Mario Bros. or Sonic the Hedgehog. This scene only happens if the player chooses the option "Video Games" during the part where Maria asks Richard what he does for work.
- In the level "Text To Sex Part 2", after the segment where the player has to time Richard touching Nastya's hand, Richard's friend and bartender Raoul can be seen playing Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on a Nintendo Switch, fighting against each other as Link and Zelda respectively on Hyrule Castle, at one point.
Super Stickman Golf 3 (iOS/Android)
The Red Plumber outfit.
The Green Plumber outfit.
- There are four hats titled Red Plumber, Green Plumber, Red Mushroom and Green Mushroom that greatly resembles Mario Bros. (lacking the M and L letters) and the Toad species. Red Plumber and Green Plumber also appear as golfer outfits, which captioned as a reference to the two famous quotes "It's-a me, Mario!" and "Lets-a go!"
Superhot (PC)
There is an achievement called "It's a me, Mario!"[51] that is obtained when killing an enemy by jumping on it, referencing Mario's Jump used as his main method of defeating enemies as well as his catchphrase.
SuperTux (Linux and multiplatform)
- While this game is in the style of Super Mario Bros., the twenty-first level of the main story (the fifth level of the cave) - which is entitled "Miyamoto Monument", referencing Shigeru Miyamoto - begins with a layout similar to that of World 1-2 of Super Mario Bros.
Super Lucky's Tale (Xbox One / Windows) / New Super Lucky's Tale (Nintendo Switch and multiplatform)
In the level "Secure the Talent", there is a section that features a yeti throwing spiked barrels down a path that Lucky must climb up in a similar manner to Donkey Kong.
Taiko no Tatsujin series
Taiko no Tatsujin DS: Touch de Dokodon! (DS)
- The Super Mario Bros. theme is one of the available songs that the player can interact with playing the correct rhythm.
Taiko no Tatsujin Wii: Kettei-Ban / Taiko no Tatsujin Wii: Chogouka-Ban (Wii)
- Mario, Luigi, Yellow Toad, and Blue Toad appear on the New Super Mario Bros. Wii medley track, as well as several enemies and the Koopalings.
Taiko no Tatsujin (arcade) / Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum 'n' Fun! (Switch)
- "Jump Up, Super Star! - Short Version" is a playable song in both games, and is credited as being from Super Mario Odyssey.[52] The "Short Version" in the title references the omission of the second verse.
Taiko no Tatsujin: Rhythm Festival (Switch)
- "Super Mario Bros." is a playable song, being a medley of music from the game of the same name.
- Costumes for Don-chan based on Mario and Luigi are available to use.
Tales series
Tales of the Abyss (PS2 and 3DS)
- When Mieu finds a mushroom in the Mushroom Road (Malkuth Empire's north, near of Grand Chokmah), he asks Luke if eating it would make him bigger, referencing Mario's ability to power-up upon eating a Super Mushroom.
T-Blocks Puzzle New Generation Jigsaw Puzzle (iOS)
- A picture of Princess Peach was one of the levels. A broken-up picture of Princess Peach was the app's icon.
Team Fortress 2 (PC)
- The May 15, 2017 update adds a hat from the Rainy Day Cosmetic Case for the Engineer class based on the Mario Cap called the Plumber's Cap.
- The Scream Fortress 2018 update adds a cosmetic item based on the Mini Mario toys called the Mini-Engy.
The Plumber's Cap
The Engineer wearing the Plumber's Cap
Tekken Tag Tournament 2: Wii U Edition (Wii U)
- Among the several Nintendo-related elements, characters in battle can collect Super Mushrooms and Mega Mushrooms to grow bigger, Poison Mushrooms to shrink, and Super Stars. The power up/down sound effects from Super Mario Bros. can also be heard. Characters can also wear Mario, Luigi and Bowser costumes.[53] Later on, additions of Toad and Peach costumes were also revealed for the characters. Each character has one Nintendo costume assigned:
- Mario: Heihachi Mishima, Paul Phoenix, Kuma, Eddy Gordo, Bob Richards and Jack-6
- Luigi: Marshall Law, Prototype Jack, Wang Jinrei, Miguel Caballero Rojo, Sebastian and Slim Bob
- Bowser: Ganryu, Alex, Roger Jr., Mokujin and True Ogre
- Peach: Ling Xiaoyu, Christie Monteiro, Panda, Julia Chang and Lili de Rochefort
- Toad: Jinpachi Mishima, Lei Wulong, Feng Wei and Tiger Jackson
Terraria (PC and multiplatform)
- A weapon known as a "Flower of Fire" appears in the game, which is a reference to the Fire Flower. Similarly, there is also a weapon known as a "Flower of Frost", which is most likely a reference to the Ice Flower.
- Two single-piece armor items, the "Green Cap" and the "Mushroom Cap", slightly resemble Luigi's cap and Toad's head, respectively.
- An outfit based on Mario appears in the game as the Plumber's Set. In current versions, it uses the original red and blue color scheme, while a reverse-color version of the outfit appears in older-generation console versions which is much closer to Mario's appearance in the arcade version of Mario Bros.
- Exclusive to the desktop/mobile versions of the game is a vanity outfit set based on Toad named the Mushroom Set, added in the Journey's End update. It resembles his appearance in the Super Mario All-Stars version of Super Mario Bros.
- Rosalina’s dress and crown appear as part of the Star Princess set. Additionally, Rosalina’s wand can be obtained as the Celestial Wand, which when used summons a pet star that resembles a Power Star or a Luma.
Them's Fightin' Herds (Multiplatform)
- The character Tianhuo has an alternate costume inspired by Bowser. The title of the costume is "In Another Castle", referencing the famous line uttered by the Mushroom Retainers from Super Mario Bros.
Thomas Was Alone (Steam)
- When the player jumps a total of 2,400 times in the game, an achievement called "Mario" is unlocked, most likely referencing Mario since he is often associated with jumping.
Tiny Tower / Tiny Tower Vegas (iOS/Android)
- On Bitbook, a parody of Facebook, a few of the many randomly generated Bitizens' posts make references to the Super Mario franchise:
- "I need a plumber to fix my sink and save a princess."
- "With our new roommate <Bitizen name>, we can finally play Mario Party."
- "Sometimes life sends you a blue shell."
- Two of the unlockable costumes Bitizens can wear are the Plumber A and Plumber B costumes, which are based on Mario and Luigi, respectively.
- In the plumber commercial floor in the original Tiny Tower, a seemingly wilted Piranha Plant in a Warp Pipe and a Mario Cap and overalls hung on a coat hanger stand can be seen in the background.
- The costume shop commercial floor in the original Tiny Tower has a Luigi Cap as the symbol for the custom hat item. Also, the cap as well as his overalls can be seen in the shop's background.
- One of the many Bitizens' quests involves tapping loose Warp Pipes to collect them.
- A series of connected Warp Pipes can be seen below the tower itself.
Tinykin (Multiplatform)
- One of the in-game achievements is called "Super Milo Bros.", referring both to the protagonist Milodane and Super Mario Bros.
Toki: Going Ape Spit (Genesis)
- There are blocks in stages starting in Stage 2 that resemble the Hard Blocks from Super Mario Bros.
Toontown: Corporate Clash (PC/Mac)
- All of the plants in the Lawbot HQ are named with plant-based puns on celebrities and pop culture. One of them is Bonsai Bill, referencing the Banzai Bill.
Toontown Online (PC/Mac)
- At Goofy Speedway, there is a Mario Kart-esque racing game complete with items, item boxes and bananas used as obstacles.
Touhou Project series
Touhou Fuumaroku ~ the Story of Eastern Wonderland (PC-98)
- The Bakebake that were common enemies in the PC-98 games bear a resemblance to Boos, as well as the basic Puka Puka enemies from the Pocky & Rocky series. Coincidentally, the Duplighosts from Paper Mario would later use the same name in Japanese, albeit spelled differently (バケバケ instead of 化け化け).
Touhou Yumejikuu ~ The Phantasmagoria of Dim.Dream (PC-98)
- Two of the in-game objects the player can shoot resemble objects from the Super Mario franchise; Hoshikazo are stars and the Crescent enemies are moons.
Touhou Seirensen ~ Undefined Fantastic Object (PC)
- The Myouren Temple is likely based on the Treasure Ship from Super Mario Bros. 3. However, the ship's "treasure" only goes as far as a mention in the game's dialogue.
Touhou Shinkirou ~ Hopeless Masquerade (PC)
- After Futo defeats Mamizou, she says "Tanuki are most contemporary of late. To imagine that they wouldst don westerly attire and soareth through the skies!", referencing the Tanooki Suit.
Transformice (Multiplatform)
- A large number of accessories purchasable in the Shop reference the Super Mario franchise, including:
- Plumber cap, Yoshi's eggshell, Blue Shell, and Yoshi hat head items.
- Brick Block (small box), Mystery Block (large box), Piranha Plant (short and long planks), Mushroom (ball and trampoline), Freezie (anvil), Chain Chomp (cannonball), and Boo (balloon) shaman items.
- There is a defilante title achievement called "Super Mouse Bros".
Trivial Pursuit Live! 2 (Switch)
- In the Nintendo Switch version, one of the Grab Bag questions in Entertainment involves eight characters in the Super Mario franchise: Wario, Luigi, Bowser, King Boo, Goomba, Peach, Toad, and Daisy.
UNDERTALE series
UNDERTALE (PC and multiplatform)
- Some of the sound effects and background music (including "Dogsong") use the Mario, dog, and cat instruments from Mario Paint.
- The enemy "Vulkin" attacks by having lava spawn on both sides of the board, with fireballs shooting out at the center. These fireballs look and act a lot like Lava Bubbles.
- The PS4 and PS Vita versions of UNDERTALE feature a song titled "Absolutely Overfamiliar Shrine", played after the player donates 13G to the Dog Shrine. The song uses the same soundfont as Super Mario World and is composed in the same style as the Bonus Screen theme from that game.
- In the Nintendo Switch edition, surviving the fight against Mad Mew Mew without getting hit will cause her to exclaim, "That was Gnarly! Tubular! Way Cool! Awesome! Groovy! Mondo! Outrageous! Funky!", the names of the Special Zone courses in Super Mario World.
- Examining a picture on a wall in New Home brings up the message "(Macaroni art of a flower.) ('For King Dad!')", which is a reference to how the Koopalings address King Koopa in The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3.[54]
DELTARUNE (PC and multiplatform)
- In Chapter 1, C. Round transforming into K. Round mimics Mario's transformation into Super Mario, even using a similar-sounding power-up sound effect. At the end of both of its battles, K. Round also shrinks back into C. Round while mimicking Mario's shrinking animation and sound effect.
- At the end of Chapter 1, Asriel is said to have liked a green egg-laying lizard from a video game named "Super Smashing Fighters", as mentioned by Toriel when asking her about him. He also had a birthday party themed around the character before Asgore and Toriel separated, including eggs with green spots painted on them.
- Similarly, at the end of Chapter 2, talking to Father Alvin about Asriel will make him mention that the latter tried to confess his "sin" of "dropping the lizard in the pit to jump high", a reference to the Yoshi Boost technique from Super Mario World. Asriel then "confessed" to Kris' "sin" of dropping the lizard on purpose.
- In Chapter 2, the background music "WELCOME TO THE CITY" samples the cat and dog instruments from Mario Paint.
- In Chapter 2, after Kris, Susie, Noelle, and Berdly are captured by the Queen, Ralsei is left behind. Realizing that she had no more cages left and is unable to capture Ralsei, Queen laughs as the screen fades out with an iris-out transition, accompanied by a sound effect that strongly resembles the end-of-level sound from Super Mario World.
- In Chapter 2, when checking a box of fruit in Sans' grocery store, the flavor text reads "(Grapes, melons, oranges, and the scent of fresh pineapples...)", referencing lyrics from the DK Rap.
UPIXO in Action: Mission in Snowdriftland (PC)
The second artifact, the "Classic Brick", uses the same sprites as the Brick Block in Super Mario Bros., albeit with the tan-colored pixels recolored to yellow.
Vampire Survivors (Multiplatform)
Upon acquiring a coffin, the unlocked character says, "Thank you (player character), but the vampire is in another coffin!", a reference to the mushroom retainers' quote in Super Mario Bros.
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines (PC)
- When the player passes by the arcade at the Santa Monica pier, sound clips from Donkey Kong can be heard.
Viewtiful Joe (GCN)
- If the player holds down the X button, Joe will throw up a bomb, juggle it on his knee, and whistle the first 6 notes of the Super Mario Bros. theme. If player does it in mid-air, he will whistle another part. If the player does it in Slow Motion, he will whistle another part. This has been removed from the later PS2 release.
West of Loathing (Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux)
- In the Nintendo Switch version of the game, the default name for a male horse is Yoshi, rather than Tim.
WHAT THE GOLF? (Apple Arcade, Microsoft Windows, Switch)
- The game's World 8-A features redesigned Brick Blocks and ? Blocks with ! icons, and the world itself also features a Super Mario-themed level that features parodies of World 1-1 and World 1-2 from Super Mario Bros. and of Donkey Kong. The redesigned blocks also return as platforms in other levels.
Where's My Water? (iOS/Android)
- The Lost Levels (a collection of event-based levels from the free version of the game including previous Levels of the Week) references the title of Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels.
World Gone Sour (PC and multiplatform)
- Upon encountering the gum enemies in the first level, the narrator says "You can jump on these to kill 'em? What? Like mushrooms!" This line is referencing the enemy Goomba.
World of Warcraft (PC)
- Two NPCs carrying giant hammers, named Larion and Muigin, have similar names to Mario and Luigi and wear outfits similar to their's.
- An item known as "red white-spotted mushroom" can be obtained, which is a reference and resembles a mushroom. It bears resemblance to the mushrooms that appear in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars.
- A green and a purple parrot, named Squawks and Quawks respectively, appear in the game as references to the two parrots of the same names from the Donkey Kong Country series.
Wreck-It Ralph (DS/Wii/3DS)
- In a cutscene, Fix-It Felix Jr. says, "Who needs mushrooms, when you can have pie!" to Wreck-It Ralph, referencing the recurring Super Mario items, which, like Felix's invincibility pies, are power-ups.
Yakuza series
Yakuza 0 (PS3 and multiplatform)
- In the substory "Arakure Quest", the second enemy Kiryu faces is referred to by the game as "Gang Goombah". He threatens to "stomp [Kiryu] flat" when confronted, and laments that he was "stomped" instead when beaten.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon (PS4 and multiplatform)
- In the Spanish language version of the game, the achievement for completing every cup and rival race in the Dragon Kart minigame is named "It's-a Me, Ichiban", a reference to Mario's catchphrase. The English version of the achievement is titled "Pop the Cork", a reference to the victory screen from Super Mario Kart.
Yooka-Laylee series
Yooka-Laylee (Multiplatform)
It has a song called Yooka-Laylee Rap is is a reference to the DK Rap song in Donkey Kong 64.
Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair (Multiplatform)
- In the tutorial level, Capital B exclaims (with platform-specific buttons omitted), "Bah... Even a stubborn ape could roll-attack and then jump in mid-air!" This is a reference to the mid-air roll-jump that Donkey Kong can perform in the Donkey Kong Country series.
- Humish's description references Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, saying "Humish the luckiest guard, gets lucky wins all the time on Swarmio Kart 8 Beeluxe."
- The description for the H2GO Tonic references Enguarde, saying "Yooka swims faster, thanks to lessons from a friendly swordfish."
- In the level Boom-Bloom Blast - Breakthrough, there is a section resembling Bramble Blast. The Boom-Blooms themselves are based on Barrel Cannons.
- The secret area has a challenge area with a similar layout to 25m.
Gallery
The section resembling Bramble Blast
The challenge resembling 25m
Zombeer (PC)
- At one point a Warp Pipe-esque object takes the player to an underground area with coins, with the player exiting the area via a similar pipe.
Miscellaneous apps
Banana Kong is an endless runner with many elements and mechanics borrowed from the Donkey Kong Country series, including Banana Balloons and Animal Friends. The main character himself is a reference to Donkey Kong.
Box Maker is a PC app parody of Super Mario Maker available on the Steam Store, featuring new characters and graphics as well as interfaces identical to that of the original game.
Numerous unauthorized apps based on the Super Mario franchise have appeared; many are subsequently removed because of copyright issues, although others have retooled the basic Super Mario platformer premise (i.e. new graphics, power-ups and backstories, etc.) enough to remain active. These sorts of games include:
- 3D Cartoon Land Safari, a slightly altered version of Super Mario 3D Land
- Barrels!, similar to Donkey Kong
- Cloud Run, starring a stick figure wearing Mario's hat, among other parallels
- A Kaizo World, featuring Super Mario-styled levels
- Lep's World, a Super Mario Bros.-like platformer
- Mario Parody, just as the title suggests
- MineKart 64, a supposed combination of Minecraft and Mario Kart 64
- Mobile Andrio, based on Super Mario World
- Mobile Jario, based on Super Mario Bros.
- Rufio Adventures, another Super Mario-esque platformer
- Stardash, a sped-up version of Super Mario Land
- Super Androix, based on Super Mario Bros. 3
- Super Monster Bros., based off Super Mario Bros. with Pokémon as the playable characters and sounds copied from Super Mario World
- Secret Maryo Chronicles, a game inspired by Super Mario World
- Banana Kong, an endless runner heavily inspired by Donkey Kong Country and Donkey Kong Country Returns.
- Box Maker, a PC level editor being a parody of Super Mario Maker and its 3DS port, using a rabbit wearing Mario's signature clothes as the main character, new graphics, enemies, and music, as well as copying several designs, animations, and interfaces from the original game. The game is available on Steam Store, and has not been acknowledged by Nintendo yet.
The Android game Era's Adventure used a Yoshi as the titular character, causing controversy among many Super Mario fans and Nintendo contacting the developer, causing him to change the character model to resemble a Yoshi less. The developer did not actually intend to copy Yoshi, for he was not familiar with the Super Mario franchise and just got the model off a stock site.
As well as platformer games, other types of apps also arise, such as Mokus Line up, a match-3 game using Super Mario franchise Mushrooms as the icons. Another example is iRwego, which used the iPhone's accelerometer to detect a person's movements and play the appropriate Super Mario sound effect, such as the Mario jump sound for jumping, the Warp Pipe sound for crouching, as well as hitting brick blocks, and stomping Goombas, among other noises, tunes and a few choice Mario catchphrases (such as "Here we go!", which is the inspiration behind the app's title). However, due to iRwego's unexpected popularity, its creator decided to remove the app to avoid any copyright conflicts with Nintendo.[55]
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The model is called “Kamek”, and its inclusion is likely a reference to one of the developers of the game, who uses “Kamek” as an alias.. suppermariobroth.com. Retrieved June 25, 2023. (Archived June 25, 2023, 08:45:43 UTC via Wayback Machine.) - ^ GameXplain (August 7, 2013). Rayman Legends - Nintendo Direct Gameplay Footage (8-7-2013). YouTube. Retrieved June 30, 2024.{[dead link}}
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- ^ "Game Over for iRwego Mario app"[dead link] Geek.com (Retrieved June 13, 2013)
| Super Mario in culture | ||
|---|---|---|
| References | By external sources | Advertisements • Film • Internet • Music • Publications • Real life • Television (animated · live-action) • Theater • Video games (Nintendo · third-party) |
| Within Super Mario media | References in the Super Mario franchise • References in The Super Mario Bros. Movie • References to Super Mario Bros. | |
| Other lists | Advertisements • Controversies • Rumors and urban legends • Unofficial media acknowledged by Nintendo | |
