5 Great Games Like Super Mario that You Will Love

We will always have a soft spot for Super Mario, as it is the quintessential game that has hooked several generations on consoles and gaming in general. Our parents played it, we’ve spent hours playing all the latest iterations – from Mario Cart to Super Smash Bros – and it’s something we will proudly teach the next generation how to play.

Even reputable publications have written about the influence of the plucky plumber on our culture and how he continues to inspire and innovate.   

However, variety is the spice of life, and today we will be looking at a few other games – some of them well-established franchises in their own right – that have the same magical and adventurous feel, albeit with some unique twists.

Some safety precautions when playing online

A quick word of caution before we move on – some of these games have online multiplayer or co-op modes, and you’ll want to take some precautions against hackers and trolls. Online gaming is exciting, but it might not be the safest. Not all gamers are friendly and honest, and, in worst-case scenarios, they might even target you with DDoS attacks.

It means that they try to push you offline to win the match or interrupt your gaming. While you cannot stay completely immune to this, a gaming VPN can help minimize its impact. Additionally, this tool will mask your IP address, meaning that other gamers will not be able to locate you. Since swatting and even more severe threats persist, it is crucial to protect your identity while gaming.

1.  Crash Bandicoot Trilogy

This plucky and highly agile mouse-like marsupial is probably the closest to Super Mario in layout, game mechanics, colorful settings, and the overall vibe. You have an evil adversary, Dr. Neo Cortex, a kidnaped love interest, jumping on boxes and slamming them with your head, though you collect gems instead of huge coins.

The trilogy has recently been polished up to feature higher-quality graphics, and it looks simply stunning. It’s sure to give you hours of fun and a bit of frustration now and then, especially during the time trial runs through the levels.

2.  Sackboy: A Big Adventure

On the dangerously cute end of the spectrum of Mario-like games, we have Sackboy, a brave little puppet-like creature and member of the noble Sackpeople. As you might imagine, a bad guy called Vex tries to take over their home, Craftworld, through the use of a diabolical machine, and Sackboy is the only one who can stop him. It’s a quirky and fast-paced full 3D platform adventure game, an offshoot of the massively successful LittleBigPlanet series.

You get to collect Dreamer Orbs, unlock bonus levels, access power-ups, and even customize Sackboy with different outfits. 

3.  Rayman Legends

Another old-school classic revamped for the modern age, complete with breathtaking scenery, big and challenging levels, incredibly responsive controls, and a killer soundtrack as icing on the cake. You get to play Rayman, a uniquely quirky protagonist, as well as Barbara, Globox, the Teensies, and Barbara’s two sisters.

Up to four players can play together, making this an incredibly fun, if at times nerve-wracking, experience for the whole family or a group of friends. You now also have the ability to shoot out fists at enemies and well over a hundred unique levels to explore. There’s even a cool multiplayer game called “Kung Foot,” where you need to punch and kick a ball into an opponent’s goal to score points. 

4.  The Legend of Zelda – Breath of the Wild

We come now to veritable video game royalty, a revered franchise dating back to 1986 and with dozens of iterations over the decades. The game follows Link, an elf-like Hylian with all the fashion sense and honorable intentions of Robin Hood and the silent brooding look of Legolas.

You can use a variety of weapons, explore large levels, pick your clothes and gear carefully based on the situation, fight tons of challenging foes, and continue the legacy of all those brave heroes before you. With the latest game in the series, the direct sequel to Breath of the Wild, scheduled to hit the stores in 2022, you can rest assured that the adventure will continue. 

5.  Spyro Reignited Trilogy

The cute purple dragon Spyro is neck and neck with Sackboy when it comes to overall cuteness and warm fuzzy feelings, but he is a unique beast. You get to explore vast open levels, breathe fire, fly around, pick up gems and dragon eggs, and just have a blast.

The entire trilogy has been remastered and has wonderful graphics, but the old voice actors also came in to re-record their lines, and even the music was redone to fit modern, high-quality audio systems.

Conclusion

With these five great adventure and platforming games, you are sure to get a hit of nostalgia and that tingling feeling in your stomach that you had while playing Mario games as a kid and even as an adult. Be sure to give them all a try – you won’t be disappointed.