Mario’s had a large variety of power-ups over his nearly 40-year run of platformers, and the best ones have always been incredibly creative, unique, and most of all, fun. These come from all across the series, and it’s always fun to draft a list of the ones you’d love to see together in one game.
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That’s kinda what this list is, going across the entire mainlineSuper Mario Bros.series (whatever that means to you) and picking out the best power-ups that stand out for being incredibly creative, and always being an absolute joy to use whenever you get them.
Our picks come from a variety of Mario games, but there’s a degree of subjectivity when it comes to labeling the ‘best!’
10Super Mushroom (Most Mario Games)
The Quintessential Power-Up
If we’re talking Mario power-ups, it’d be disrespectful to not mention the essential, emblematic icon of video game power-ups in general, the Super Mushroom. This, if you somehow don’t already know, makes Mario one block taller and lets him get hit once before losing it.
This is the basic, essential formula for howa good power-up in a video gameis supposed to work. It’s laid the groundwork, and on its own is still great to have and fun to use. It enables a much more speedy, reckless gameplay style, since you know you have that safety net, and it’s great.
9Super Ball Flower (Super Mario Maker 2)
An Oldie, But a Goodie
Super Mario Maker 2had the interesting situation of getting rid of the beloved Amiibo costumes from the first game in place of unique cameo power-ups, and one of the ones we got was the Super Ball Flower that turns Mario into a Super Mario Land-esque form, and lets him throw bouncy balls.
These balls ricochet off of any wall or floor they collide with, and if you’re one for puzzle levels, challenge levels, or just any of the interesting fan creations in Mario Maker, you’re probably a pretty big fan of it. It’s really fun and inventive, just really simple and not super notable.
8Fire Flower (Most Mario Games)
The Best Boring Powerup
On the topic of simple but effective power-ups, the Fire Flower is a staple for good reason. It has the same health-boosting capability of the Super Mushroom, but with the added benefit of being able to freely lob balls of fire at your enemies, which has always felt really great.
Aside from some fringe cases (seriously, what was Galaxy on about?) the Fire Flower has always worked pretty much the same, always been a really solid staple in Mario’s kit, and although it’s not the most exciting, it’s certainly always nice to have.
7Master Sword (Super Mario Maker 2)
May Be From a Different Franchise, But It’s Still Great.
Mario and The Legend of Zelda have always been pretty closely linked franchises, so seeing a power-up that literally transforms Mario into Link is pretty satisfying. It comes with a whole bevy of moves, like a sword, bombs, a bow, and a downwards stab.
The only reason it’s lower on this list is because, for one, it’s definitely more of a gimmick than a practical power-up. And secondly, it’s a bit sluggish and not the most fun to control, but once you get it down, it can be a big avenuefor super creative and great levels, and it’s the main reason Super Mario Bros. gets used in Mario Maker 2.
6Ice Flower/Penguin Suit (New Super Mario Bros. Wii)
Freezing is Fun
The Ice Flower is both kinda useful and just an incredibly cool concept, and I’ll include the Penguin Suit in the same spot since it serves a very similar purpose. Both of them let you shoot ice, freeze enemies, then pick ‘em up and throw them to instantly kill them if they hit a wall.
On top of that, the Penguin Suit also increases your swimming ability and lets you belly slide, so it’s a direct upgrade. Regardless, getting to freeze enemies and turn them into platforms or just watch them slam into a wall and crumble is immensely satisfying.
5Cloud Flower (Super Mario Galaxy 2)
Floaty Platforming Never Felt So Good
The Cloud Flower is a full-on platforming power-up with no utility for dispatching enemies, but man, if it isn’t super fun to use. Every time you spin, you get a new cloud placed beneath your feet, and this simple concept leads to some of the best levels Galaxy 2 has to offer.
You only get three, but there’s usually quite a few flowers dotted about the level to allow you to recharge and keep going. What’s best about this one is the skips you can do, since you can jump across massive portions of the level with perfectly timed long jumps and spins. It’s just super fun all around.
4Blue Shell (New Super Mario Bros.)
More Fun Than In Mario Kart
It’s a bit one-note, but there’s a reason that every 20-25 year old Nintendo fan never shuts up about the Blue Shell fromNew Super Mario Bros., and I’m one of ‘em. It’s just a shell you get that lets you go pretty fast and become a sliding bastion of death, and it’s awesome.
The main reason it’s so beloved is for New Soup’s heavily underrated multiplayer versus mode, where you and a friend could duke it out in an arena. Using this shell to get stars and hit your opponent in this mode is one of the most satisfying feelings ever.
3Bubble Flower (Super Mario Bros. Wonder)
Skipping Platforming In Style
It may be just a smidge of recency bias,but Super Mario Bros. Wonder is almost a year old(I apologize for saying that) and my feelings about the Bubble Flower have remained incredibly positive. It’s so fun to throw out bubbles, hit enemies with them or use them for platforming.
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It’s like the Cloud Flower in 2D with even more utility, being able to use it to simply take out whatever enemy is in front of you, or chain one after another to skip large bits of platforming if you’re skilled enough to do so. It’s an awesome power, and one of my favorites.
2Cape Feather (Super Mario World)
Swiftly Sailing Through the Sky.
There’s a variety of flight power-ups throughout the entire series, but I decided to only go with one for this list, that being the Cape Feather. Though for most people it might be more cumbersome and annoying to use than something like the Tanooki Leaf, the Feather is my GOAT.
It’s always so fun to spin and tear through enemies, plus the super smooth animations on it make it great to look at, and the actual flight mechanics of it are incredibly skill-based and fun to pull off. It’s just a great time to soar through the sky with perfect control over Mario.
1Super Bell (Super Mario 3D World)
Honestly, Quite Ameowzing
Though the Feather has my heart, I can’t deny the charms of the Super Bell. It’s iconic for a reason, namely because it lets you climb walls, fluidly slash at enemies while not stopping for a second, and pounce to go even faster.
It’s just a fun power-up to use, and leads to a ton ofcreative level design, especially in Bowser’s Fury. It’s a power-up that integrates so naturally into Mario’s core abilities and I really hope it’s a mainstay for the series onward.
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