Mario, and educational games with Mario Teaches Typing. Beyond this, other branches of games Mario stars in expand beyond the platforming genre, such as role-playing games with Paper Mario, puzzle games with Dr. Mario ( English: / ˈ m ɑːr i oʊ, ˈ m æ r-/, Italian: ) is the main protagonist of many games across the Mario franchise, mainly the Super Mario series, and is the face of others, such the Mario Kart and Mario Party series. The games all typically share common enemies. Other main and supporting antagonists appear as an additional hindrance with minor roles, such as the Koopalings.
Some games, such as the Super Mario series, have supporting protagonists that aid the main character, such as Cappy from Super Mario Odyssey and Professor E.
Throughout each series of games, numerous characters have been introduced and have since become recurring. introduced Toad alongside numerous enemies, with Bowser and Princess Peach replacing both Donkey and Pauline. introduced Mario's fraternal twin Luigi, and Super Mario Bros. Due to the critical and commercial success of Donkey Kong when it was released in July 1981, Mario would reappear in Mario Bros. Unable to obtain licensing rights for the characters, Miyamoto made later changes to their appearances and personalities, such as making them more lighthearted in tone. Designed by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto they were built off the base of characters from Popeye. Various characters have different plots and goals that vary in each series for example, the Luigi's Mansion series focuses on Luigi ridding his new mansion of ghosts, while Wario stars in games that center around his greed and desire for money and treasure.Ĭharacter roots begin with Donkey Kong where Mario, Donkey Kong, and Pauline originate. The games primarily revolve around Mario, and usually involve the motif of Bowser kidnapping Princess Peach and Mario rescuing her. While Nintendo is usually their developer and publisher, various series are usually developed by other third-party companies, such as Hudson Soft and Intelligent Systems. The Mario franchise is a collection of video game series by Nintendo. The main characters of the Mario franchise: Wario, Donkey Kong, Luigi, Peach, Mario, Toad, Daisy, Bowser, Yoshi, Boo, and Waluigi.