List of Mario role-playing games

Mario role-playing games
The Paper Mario series logo features the series title in an angular, red font, with a white paper outline around each letter.
The Mario & Luigi series logo features the series title in a rounded font with a black outline, with "Mario" in red and "Luigi" in green.
Mario + Rabbids series logo features the Super Mario series logo and the Rabbids series logo.
The words "Super Mario RPG" written in an angular yellow font, outlined in red. The letters are three-dimensional.
From top to bottom: The Paper Mario, Mario & Luigi and Mario + Rabbids series logos, and the logo header of Super Mario RPG
Genre(s)Role-playing
Developer(s)Square
Intelligent Systems
AlphaDream
Ubisoft Milan
Ubisoft Paris
Acquire
Publisher(s)Nintendo
Ubisoft
Platform(s)Super NES
Nintendo 64
Game Boy Advance
GameCube
Nintendo DS
Wii
Nintendo 3DS
Wii U
Nintendo Switch

The Mario franchise, which originated as a series of platform games, has inspired a variety of role-playing video games released on multiple Nintendo video game consoles. All games feature Mario as the protagonist, who is often accompanied by one or more playable characters, with the goal of defeating the main antagonist, primarily Bowser. The first role-playing game in the franchise, Super Mario RPG (1996), was developed by Square for the Super NES. The two primary sub-series, Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi, follow conventions established in the original game.

The Paper Mario series is developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo, the first game being Paper Mario which was released for the Nintendo 64 in 2000. The original Paper Mario games are role-playing games, though installments in the series since Sticker Star also incorporate action-adventure elements.[1] The series has received positive reviews, being praised for its paper-inspired aesthetic,[2] writing,[3] and characters,[4] but changes to gameplay, such as in combat, received mixed reception.[5] Recent entries since the release of Sticker Star have been criticized for the removal of original fictional races, the abundance of identical Toads, and the restrictions limiting unique character designs.[6]

The Mario & Luigi series was developed by AlphaDream and published by Nintendo, the first game being Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga for the Game Boy Advance in 2003. The Nintendo 3DS remake of Bowser's Inside Story was AlphaDream's final game before declaring bankruptcy in 2019. Three months after the declaration, however, Nintendo filed a trademark for the series in Argentina.[7] The series had generally received critical acclaim,[8] being praised for their writing,[9] gameplay,[10] and graphics,[11] with some criticism for lack of innovation.[12]

The Mario + Rabbids series is co-developed by Ubisoft Milan and Ubisoft Paris and published worldwide by Ubisoft and published in Asia by Nintendo and is a crossover series with the Raving Rabbids franchise, the first being Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle for the Nintendo Switch in 2017.

  1. ^ Robinson, Andy (July 9, 2020). "Paper Mario: The Origami King May Not Be the RPG Return Fans Were Craving". Video Games Chronicle. Archived from the original on July 10, 2020. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  2. ^ Reeves, Ben (October 5, 2016). "Paper Mario: Color Splash – Coloring Inside The Lines". Game Informer. Archived from the original on October 8, 2016. Retrieved October 5, 2016.
  3. ^ Scullion, Chris (July 15, 2020). "Paper Mario: The Origami King Review (Switch)". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on July 16, 2020. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  4. ^ Schneider, Peer (October 11, 2004). "Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door Review". IGN. Archived from the original on July 31, 2012. Retrieved February 17, 2008.
  5. ^ Ryckert, Dan (October 14, 2016). "Paper Mario: Color Splash Review". Giant Bomb. Archived from the original on December 14, 2016. Retrieved January 20, 2017.
  6. ^ * "Paper Mario Sticker Star review". Nintendo Life. November 6, 2012. Archived from the original on November 9, 2012. Retrieved November 6, 2012. The supporting cast is mostly made up of Toads, with virtually no sign of anyone more interesting, which is disappointing for a series that has otherwise proven itself quite fresh.
    • Ryckert, Dan (October 14, 2016). "Paper Mario: Color Splash Review". Giant Bomb. Archived from the original on December 14, 2016. Retrieved January 20, 2017. That's never hard to do, because everything is a goddamn Toad in this game. Previous Paper Mario games have featured a wide variety of NPCs, complete with tons of different looks and personalities. In Color Splash, it's just a bunch of Toads of different colors.
    • Vazquez, Suriel (July 27, 2020). "Paper Mario: The Origami King Review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on November 18, 2022. Retrieved January 27, 2023. Cast of characters isn't as charming as previous entries
  7. ^ Doolan, Liam (January 12, 2020). "New Trademark Suggests The Mario & Luigi Series Is Making A Comeback". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on February 26, 2021. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  8. ^ "Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga — Metacritic". Metacritic. Archived from the original on December 11, 2010. Retrieved April 7, 2011.
  9. ^ Torres, Ricardo (October 7, 2009). "Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story". GameSpot. Archived from the original on November 7, 2012. Retrieved November 15, 2012.
  10. ^ Craig Harris (November 17, 2003). "Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga". IGN. Archived from the original on February 12, 2013. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  11. ^ Jonathan Metts (December 3, 2005). "Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time Review – NWR". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on January 8, 2021. Retrieved June 26, 2008.
  12. ^ Concepcion, Miguel (January 29, 2016). "Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam Review". GameSpot.