Mario is arguably the biggest video gaming icon of all time. There’s hardly a single person that doesn’t know who Mario is. In battling Bowser since 1986, Mario’s seen his fair share of crazy worlds, including some outside of his home in the Mushroom Kingdom. Here are some Mario cameos in non-Mario games!
(Nintendo)
Tetris
Who hasn’t played Tetris? Y’know, that infuriating puzzle game where you piece together crazy-shaped bricks to make a full row? Yeah, that one. In the ending credits, you can find Mario celebrating your block-breaking success. Luigi, Princess Peach, Bowser, Donkey Kong, and Pit from Kid Icarus also make an appearance here. Also, you’re welcome for getting the theme song stuck in your head.
(Nintendo)
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is a game for the Super Nintendo where you play as Link and adventure out to save the Seven Sages’ descendants to restore Hyrule from the darkness of Ganon. As you adventure through the game, you’ll notice that Mario makes many appearances. In several houses throughout the game, there is a picture of Mario’s face against the far wall. He must be a Hylian celebrity! Looks like poor Luigi gets overshadowed in Hyrule, too.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
(Nintendo)
(Nintendo)
Speaking of The Legend of Zelda, Mario also makes a cameo along side Luigi, Princess Peach, Bowser, and Yoshi in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on the Nintendo 64. Again, he’s only here in picture form, but at least his whole squad made it, too! The picture above is actually in a non-accessible area, but you can see the pictures through a window right after the game introduces you to Ganondorf, the main villain. Fun fact: If you’re playing the Ocarina of Time remake on the Nintendo 3DS, the portraits were replaced by the World 1-1 theme from New Super Mario Bros. (Left). It’s pretty neat that they went as far as to update some portraits that can barely be seen for the remake!
(Nintendo)
Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!
No, Mario is not a boxer… yet. However, he does show up in Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! for the NES as a referee. Mario never hesitates to shame you when you are knocked over by your opponent by screeching an 8-bit countdown until you get up. Listen, I just have a vendetta against Mario in Punch-Out!!— I was never good at this game when I was a kid. Sometimes I wanted to KO referee Mario instead of Soda Popinski (but not as bad as I wanted to get that dang laughing dog in Duck Hunt).
Pilotwings 64
(Nintendo)
(Nintendo)
Ah, yes. Mario, the first president of the United States of America. Jokes aside, Pilotwings 64 is a great flight simulator game on the N64 where you hop in a plane and play some neat aerial sports! At one point in the game, you’ll fly by Mt. Rushmore, and George Washington’s face is replaced with Mario’s. Funnily enough, if you shoot Mario’s face, it crumbles away and becomes Wario’s face (Right). If you ask me, this was another missed Luigi opportunity. The guy needs more love!
(Konami, Nintendo)
Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes
Honestly, this takes the cake for the most off-the-wall Mario cameo. In Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes for the Gamecube, Mario and Yoshi both appear on Otacon’s desk as little dolls! If you shoot the Yoshi doll, it plays a cute Yoshi sound. However, shooting the Mario doll plays the iconic 1-Up jingle and fully replenishes Snake’s health. How nifty!
Little did Snake know that Mario and Yoshi would be coming for revenge in Super Smash Bros. Brawl four years later.
