What's the most difficult Mario level?

[Esperahol]

What is the most difficult Mario level you've played? I personally don't have one, because I immediately forget the most traumatic levels in a game or games I play. I do recall that they seem to be Bowser levels and tend to relate to Mario 64 and/or Mario Galaxy. I hate Bowser.

 

[Jacob]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fqzrotoz4Y


Nightmares.

 

[Professor E. Gadd]

What the heck is Ghostly Galaxy? Why are there skelletons everywhere?? How did I miss this???

 

[Thomas Ennis]

I have not played all the Mario games, but I remember some of the levels in Super Mario 3 were extremely difficult. World 8 had some very challenging levels, which I often had to use the P wing to get past. Super Mario World had a few tough levels in star world and the original Super Mario also could really present a challenge.

 

[BanjoKazooie]

I hated one of the last levels Super Mario World, I can't remember which one, I just remember me breaking a controller over it when I was 5... Maybe it would be really easy now, but back then it made me cry..

 

[Esperahol]

Jacob there was no need to remind me of that horrible level. I mean... I mean.. I was doing so well! I'd forgotten anything about that level and you had to remind me. Next thing next you're going to kick a baby into active traffic aren't you? Monster! Seriously though I think I ran through a set of batteries easing my way through while murmering a constant stream of profanity.

 

[Medza]

Not sure which one it was specifically but it was on Super Mario World where you had to use the flying cape for the majority of the level. 8 year old me had great difficulties with that and I remember ragequitting multiple times.

 

[Esperahol]

And now moi capitane? Has it gotten better with age? I recently played through Sonic 2 and was amazed at how quickly I relearned the tricks of the trade while flying through levels.

 

[BanjoKazooie]

I just played that purple coin level from galaxy!!!! It isn't really that difficult. There is a level in NSMB2 for the 3DS (it's a DLC level) where there is literally no room for a single error, it is platforming at its craziest! It is part of a challenge pack.

 

[Jacob]

Jacob there was no need to remind me of that horrible level. I mean... I mean.. I was doing so well! I'd forgotten anything about that level and you had to remind me. Next thing next you're going to kick a baby into active traffic aren't you? Monster! Seriously though I think I ran through a set of batteries easing my way through while murmering a constant stream of profanity.

You sound fun.

 

[Delle LeClair]

A hard one for me that kept me stuck forever was in Super Mario 3, Pipe World. That level I believe was world 7? I could be wrong. It was so difficult! It took me many tries to beat it, although I finally did do it! To this day I cringe when I see that level being played, and I remember how many lives were lost! That is my favourite Mario game, I loved all of the worlds.

 

[TeHDruiD]

Level 8 on Super Mario 3 always made me angry. I felt like every stage in that level was the same in a sense, but the increase in difficulty used to put me in a rage

 

[rosacrux]

I agree with Jacob. Purple Coins level, with Luigi, is the most horrible level in Mario's history. One of the hardest challenge I have ever done in a videogame.

 

[Thomas Ennis]

I don't really remember there being any super tough levels on Super Mario 2, however, there are certain levels, that, if you pick the wrong character, it makes the level a lot harder. One example I can think of, I a waterfall level, where you have to balance on those red monsters and jump to the next one. I can't remember which level that is, but if you pick Toad or Mario it's pretty hard.

 

[averus]

I could've sworn I've already posted this on this forum... :huh:

Anyways, I absolutely hated level 7-4 in Super Mario Bros -_-
Back in my day, there were no walkthroughs, so you had to figure everything out by yourself.

Imagine my frustration after playing through all levels and then I can't figure out a goddamn maze! :angry:

After many tries, I finally got it, remembered it and proceeded to enjoy the best Mario game ever ^_^

 

[Thomas Ennis]

You rank the original as the best? A lot of people probably feel the same way, but I have not heard it said yet. Super Mario 2 is the one I hear most of the negative opinions about.

 

[dustinb12]

the majority of Super Mario Galaxies. both of them. i was so proud i got all the green stars i almost went get one tattooed on my forehead.

 

[averus]

You rank the original as the best? A lot of people probably feel the same way, but I have not heard it said yet. Super Mario 2 is the one I hear most of the negative opinions about.

To be honest, I think almost all Mario games are the best
SMB was the only one I've played by then, so it was the best for me then

 

[CodyMarkBrian]

Luigi"s Purple Coin Challenge on Super Mario Galaxy.....I dont wanna describe how much I loathe that level.

 

[aboleth_lich]

The original, Japanese version of Super Mario Bros 2 for the Famicom was essentially a much more challenging version of the original Super Mario Bros, ramping up with the difficulty with such additions as more aggressive versions of familiar enemies, two Bowsers in certain castles, powerful wind storms that blow our heroes across the screen (wind storms that will moreover change direction), and poisonous mushrooms that will hurt Mario as if it were an enemy! (This game is also notable in that it moreover allowed the player to choose between Mario and Luigi in the single player mode, being the first game to offer a non-cosmetic difference between the two characters!) You can see a long play of this nightmarish gauntlet here.

Nintendo of America considered this original version of Super Mario Bros 2 to be much too difficult for the North American market and thus decided not to translate it for that market at the time! Instead, they replaced the four protagonists from the Famicom's Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic with Mario, Luigi, Toad, and Peach and made that the basis of North America's Super Mario Bros 2 for the NES! You can see a video contrasting North America's Super Mario Bros 2 with the Japan's Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic here.

We North Americans were largely ignorant of Nintendo's cunning deception (similar to one day releasing that we were only getting half of the Final Fantasy games with deceptively small re-numbering) until Super Mario Bros All-Stars was released on the SNES, where a 16-bit remake of the original Super Mario Bros 2 was included as Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels. (And even this remake was less challenging as the original, as the poisonous mushrooms were now more easily distinguishable from their non-toxic cousins and the auxiliary Bowsers were removed!) You can see a video of this 16-bit remake here.

Given the above, I strongly suspect that the most difficult level from any of the Super Mario games is probably the most difficult level from the original, Japanese version of Super Mario Bros 2 for the Famicom!