6 Obscure Super Mario Games You May Have Never Heard Of - MAR10 Day

Super Mario has been a staple in the gaming sphere since 1981 and he made his debut in a game that wasn’t even named for him. His first appearance was in Donkey Kong where his first moniker was simply “Jumpman”. He’s been in over 200 games in some fashion or another, so there are bound to be some obscure Super Mario games you’ve never heard of.

Honestly, scaling it down to just six games almost feels like a bigger chore than simply rattling off the titles he’s been in. It feels like everyone has played Mario on the Nintendo Entertainment System. But, how many games have you played on the Game & Watch or the Philips CD-i?

With the ever-changing landscape of the gaming console, Mario has gone through just about every genre you can think of. The history of Super Mario spans far beyond simple platforming and with 44 years of history behind it, some of these titles may be surprising or brand new to you.

Obscure Super Mario Games

I Am a Teacher: Super Mario Sweater

Released exclusively in Japan, this “game” came out on the Famicom Disk System on August 27, 1986. I am a Teacher: Super Mario Sweater was a glorified “sewing simulator” designed to teach you how to knit 15 Mario-branded patterns. It included many beloved characters such as Mario, Luigi, Bowser, Princess Peach, and even designs with a Goomba or 1-Up Mushrooms. I can’t know how cool you’d be rocking up in a self-made Mario sweater in 1986, but I have to imagine it was immense.

All Night Nippon Super Mario Bros.

While it’s an officially licensed retool of Super Mario Bros., All Night Nippon Super Mario Bros. has many differences including, but not limited to: different levels, better jumping heights, different enemies, and more. It was released in 1986 on the Famicom Disk System exclusively in Japan and was based on the radio program, All Night Nippon. In fact, the radio show gave it away as a raffle prize. The biggest difference is that some of the Toads and enemies were replaced with popular Japanese celebrities at that time. It may just be one of the most niche Mario titles to date.

Excitebike: Bun Bun Mario Battle Stadium

Excitebike was wildly popular when it was released on NES in 1984. But, did you know that it had a collaboration with Mario in Excitebike: Bun Bun Mario Battle Stadium? It was released on the Satellaview which was made for the Super Famicom. It was an incredibly unique device that used the St. GIGA satellite radio service. Through it, the game data was broadcast during a special broadcast time called “Super Famicom Hour”. It made it possible to download a game and save it to Satellaview’s internal memory or a separate Memory Pak. This special Mario version of Excitebike was broadcast in 4 installments across 1997 likely making it one of the more difficult Mario installments to have played.

Mario’s Bombs Away

Mario’s Bombs Away was released on November 10, 1987, on the Game & Watch. It may be the only time you’ve ever seen Mario in military garb. It was part of the Panorama screen, so this was a handheld game that was actually in color. There are two play styles here where Game A has the enemy moving their torches up and down while Game B has their torches only moving downward, but it picks up speed faster.

Hotel Mario

Hotel Mario was released on April 5th, 1994 on the Philips CD-i and was the only Super Mario title to be released on this platform. A second Mario game (Super Mario’s Wacky Worlds) was supposed to be released on the CD-i as a sequel to Super Mario World, but it was canceled. Hotel Mario had voice acting, but despite Charles Martinet already being cast as the voice of Mario, Mario and Luigi were voiced by Marc Graue. And — extra tidbit — Charles’ first acting credit as Mario was for another obscure title that didn’t make this list, Mario Teaches Typing.

Alleyway

You may be confused as to why Alleyway is here. It’s just a Breakout style game where you move a bar to bounce balls into walls of brick. It has nothing to do with Mario — or does it? Alleyway was released on Game Boy in 1989 and the box art shows that Mario is inside of the bar that you control. Don’t think that makes it a Mario game? Well, every fourth round, you get to play a bonus level that features various sprites from Super Mario including Mario himself, Koopa Troopa, Goomba, and others.

Happy MAR10 Day! Hopefully, this list has introduced you to more lore about the franchise that you might not have known. What’s your favorite obscure Super Mario title? Let us know in the comments!