New Super Mario Bros series: Safe but samey

I've yet to play a bad  Mario game, at least in the main set of platforming titles.

In the 3d series things pretty much seem to have become better and better, from the rock-solid foundation on the Nintendo 64 right up to the superb and beautiful Odyssey on the Nintendo Switch.

Each of those games brought something new. Some new mechanic, some new twist which kept evolving and building on the core experience.

However the same can't be said, in my opinion, for the New Super Mario Bros (NSMB) games which began on the Nintendo DS in 2006.

Back then, I excitedly picked up my copy of the first installment (bottom left in the pic below - don't ask where the case got to though) and had a great time with it.

It boasted gorgeous visuals and a catchy soundtrack, all while maintaining that classic Mario action.

The mix of old and new, coupled with the portability of the DS, made it made it one of my favorite platformers of that time.

In the years to follow, several more entries in the "New" series were released - each following the polished side-scrolling formula.

In addition to the original NSMB, I have played NSMB 2 on 3DS, NSMB Wii and NWMB U Deluxe on the Switch, which also includes New Super Luigi Deluxe.

And after playing all of those in the last six months, I can honestly say my overall impression is... "meh".

Don't get me wrong, none of them are bad. Quite the opposite - they're all solid, well built platformers.

NSMB U Deluxe on the Nintendo Switch

The trouble for me is that in hindsight, none of them are really very memorable or distinguishable from each other.

I'll admit they're largely fun and they do have their own small quirks - but they all feel incredibly safe, for want of a better word, and don't really add much onto what the first game did.

As I play through NSMB 2 at the moment, I feel like I am playing pretty much the same game again, which was the feeling I got when I was playing Deluxe, as well as Wii. 

It's basically been a sort of gaming Groundhog Day. 

As competently made as each of them are, the similarity they all share just leaves me with a slight sense of enjoyable blandness - I've had a good time with them, but I don't remember a great deal of it.

I think maybe it's time to wind down the NSMB series. Either that or do something to shake up the formula.

NSMB 2 on the 3DS

I think we could probably scrap the lives system for a start, in favour of something like Odyssey's coin deductions upon death.

Some new ideas do appear from time to time, but there must be other themes for worlds which could be explored as well.

As much as I enjoy sprinting through classics such as desert, lava, grass, ice and others, it is a bit deflating when they pop up again and again - the same way Green Hill Zone has been a bit overused in the Sonic series.

Why not mix it up with something new, or revisit/revamp some more specific or obscure themes from previous games?

Whatever happens, I'm looking forward to Odyssey's successor! It's hard to imagine that line stagnating any time soon.

Have you played the New Super Mario Bros series? Let me know your thoughts below!