There are a few golden rules regarding theSuper Mariogames, and one of them is that 100% completion is a total 180 in difficulty. While completing the story is typically an easy, enjoyable experience, once you try to 100% complete the game, it usually gets extremely hard. Aside from a few excceptions, theSuper Mariogames follow that rule pretty closely, and certain titles are some of the hardest Nintendo games to 100% complete, ever.
EvenShigeru Miyamoto regretted making oneMariogameas hard as it was, and it’s easy to see why. Note thatthese titles will be mainlineSuper Mariogames only, whether in 2D or 3D. As such, there will be noMario Kart,Paper Mario,Mario & Luigi,Donkey Kong, or any other side series. The mainline games are challenging enough on their own, and the 3D platformers, in particular, are some of the hardest in the genre.
8Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels Is A Tough Grind
Eight Playthroughs?
After Nintendo releasedSuper Mario Bros. 2in Japan, the company had to release an entirely differentMario 2in North America, and for good reason. This game is brutally difficult and not entirely in the traditional sense, as much of the difficulty comes from figuring out what you’re supposed to do. Some levels are total puzzles, like 3-1, where the standard path will always lead to awarp zone going back to the start of the game. There are also some wild castle puzzles that go beyond ridiculous.
The Japanese version ofSuper Mario Bros. 2ultimately released internationally in theSuper Mario All-Starscollection under the nameSuper Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels.
The real kicker that makes this game one of the hardest to 100% complete is the bonus levels. First off, there’s a World 9, which isn’t too bad to unlock. You simply need to do a no-warp zone run. However, there are also Worlds A through D. These are highlighted with little stars on the title screen, and to unlock all levels,you must beat the game eight times. Who is going to beat this savagely hard game eight times just to achieve 100% completion? That’s just unnecessary.
7Coins Are The Name Of The Game In New Super Mario Bros. 2
You’ll Need To Be The Richest Person In The Mushroom Kingdom
There are two main reasons whyNew Super Mario Bros. 2is by far the hardest title to 100% complete in the New series of games. First off, there’s the DLC. The final one, the Impossible Pack, is exactly what it sounds like, because it’s arguably the hardest challenge in all ofSuper Mario. You must beat three incredibly hard levels in one go, and if you die, you start all the wayback from the very beginning. At least with hard levels in other games, once you beat it, you’re done and can move on.
The second reason is the coin grind.New Super Mario Bros. 2is all about racking up tons of coins, and you get a reward for obtaining one million of them. By itself, that takes dozens of hours, but there’s also a reward for maxing out the coin counter. That’s9,999,999 coins, which would take an ungodly amount of time to do. Some have resorted to scripts and tool-assisted methods just to rack up that many coins in the background, and when people do that, there’s a serious problem with the 100% difficulty.
6Super Mario 64 DS Is Too Hard To Handle
The Controls Make All The Difference
People have longwanted a modernSuper Mario 64remake, but it’s worth noting that a remake was already released back in 2004.Super Mario 64 DSwas an impressive launch title for the platform, adding a bunch of new content, including characters and 30 additional Stars to collect.That’s 150 Stars total, but even beyond the increased sum, collecting the stars is definitely trickier in the remake.
The originalMario 64was already a challenging game to 100% complete with somewhat dated 3D controls, but the DS remake proves to be much harder to grasp. The DS didn’t have an analog stick, so you’re forced to either use the D-pad or a suggested touch-strap control system. PlayingMario 64on a D-pad or touch controlscan be a nightmare to get used toand makes the game much harder than it should be. It’s still on the lower end of challengingMariogames, as the difficulty itself isn’t too bad, but the controls are undeniably tough.
5Some Of The Most Frustrating Levels Are In Super Mario Sunshine
Hope You’re Good At Pachinko Machines
You know Nintendo messed up when even Shigeru Miyamoto thoughtSuper Mario Sunshinewas made too difficult.Super Mario Sunshineis retroactively consideredone of the bestMariogames of all time, but it’s also one of the hardest. It would be the hardest mainlineMariotitle if we were only considering story completion, but in terms of 100%, it’s not quite top dog. There are some punishing levels here that can take a while to overcome, like theLily Pad and Pachinko Machine, but they’re not as bad as the hard levels that come in future games.
I would sayMario Sunshinehas the most frustrating levels, however, in terms of how punishing and unfair they can be. Aside from the hardest levels, the other two main issues are theBlue Coins and 100-coin Shine Sprites. There are 240 Blue Coins scattered throughout the game, and you get a Shine Sprite for every 10 you collect. Finding them all is a massive grind. For 100-coin Shines, you must be in a specific chapter within the stage to obtain 100 coins, so be sure to research before attempting, as you may waste a lot of time.
4It Takes Two For Super Mario Galaxy
100% The Game Twice
LikeSuper Mario 64 DS, the firstSuper Mario Galaxywould be on the lower end of challenging Mario games. The 120 Star journey is not too bad here. WhenSuper Mario 3D All-Starscame out,I thought getting 120 Stars was a breeze, but I’ve been playing this game since I was very young. The problem occurs with Luigi.
After you beat the game with 120 Stars, you unlock Luigi’s campaign. It’s exactly the same as Mario’s, but Luigi controls a little bit differently. The issue arises from the fact that Nintendoincluded a double 120 Star reward, as there is one final level: Grand Finale Galaxy. It’s not a hard level, but the requirement of essentially 100% completing the game twice is just unnecessary. Thankfully,Mario Galaxy 2fixed this, but it had its own share of brutal challenges.
3Put Your Skills To The Test In Super Mario Galaxy 2
You’ll Need A Perfect Run
Super Mario Galaxy 2is my pick for thebest 3DMario, but it also set a new standard as the hardest 3DMarioto 100% at the time of its release. The Comet missions are significantly harder than inMario Galaxy 1, and the levels themselves have a bit of a difficulty boost, too. Even getting the first 120 Stars inGalaxy 2feels great,but you’re far from doneafter completing this task. There’s still one final level, and it requires you to do some preparation.
You’ll need to collect all 120 Green Stars, which actually isn’t too bad, and max out the Toad star bit counter. After that, you’ll unlock the Grandmaster Galaxy, and it’s as hard as you’d expect. There are six total sections, and it’s a gauntlet, but the worst part is that the Comet mission for this galaxy requires you to beat theentire level without taking damage and with no checkpoints. The Perfect Run has to be one of the hardestMariolevels ever, making the game incredibly difficult to 100% complete.
2Super Mario 3D World Brings The Whole Cast
Everything With All Characters
Super Mario 3D Worldhas the usual suspects that make for a brutally difficultMariogame. There are some truly tough levels, andChampion’s Road is arguably the hardest level in the series. There are a ton of collectibles with Green Stars and Stamps, plus, all levels must be beaten with you grabbing the top of the flagpole. That part can be easy to forget. The hardest part of3D World, however, is something else entirely.
Super Mario 3D Worldfeatures five playable characters: Mario, Luigi, Peach, Toad, and Rosalina. For 100% completion, you need tobeat every level in the game with all five characters. Once again, this is incredibly unnecessary. There is a workaround that utilizes cooperative multiplayer, but it’s still a pain, and you’re able to mess it up if you’re not careful.
1Super Mario Odyssey Takes A Fortnight To 100% Complete
The Hardest Mario Game All-Around
The hardestMariogame to 100% complete would beSuper Mario Odyssey. There are a total of 880 unique Power Moons, plus an additional 119 Moons you must buy from the shopto reach 999. By that number alone, this 100% completion would take the longest, minusNew Super Mario Bros. 2, but the difficulty itself is no easy feat.Mario Odyssey’sbosses are some of the hardest in the 3D games, and it features many challenging levels revolving around these tough fights.
Additionally, there are some brutal races and minigames, like volleyball, which are harder than most levels. This isn’t to say thatMario Odysseyis lacking in hard levels, however, because that’s far from the case. Dark Side has some of the hardest levels in any 3DMario, although the brutal gauntlet stage, Long Journey’s End, isn’t as bad as The Perfect Run or Champion’s Road. Still, when factoring in the huge time commitment to get all 880 Moons and the general challenge on top of that,Mario Odysseyends up being the hardestSuper Mariotitle to 100% complete.
