10 Hardest Mario Levels Of All Time
Looking at the Super Mario levels that were designed to punish the player.
The Super Mario franchise has always been known for its easy-to-access gameplay. Because of its smooth controls and cutesy design, you'd assume each entry in the series is a piece of cake. Although the games are relatively easy, Nintendo tend to put in at least one rock-hard stage for the most die-hard fans.
When long-time players are asked about the most difficult Mario levels, World 8-3 in Super Mario Bros. and the final zone of Super Mario Bros. 3 usually spring to mind. As tricky as these courses are, those games came out over 30 years ago. Despite the fact their difficulty is legendary, Super Mario has churned out FAR more challenging courses in other games over the years. Some of them have no checkpoints or power ups but are filled to the brim with instant-kill pits, indestructible obstacles, invincible enemies, and unreasonable time-restraints.
Once you have died on some of these stages for the umpteenth time, you will question if Princess Peach is worth the hassle of rescuing. We all know people who live and breathe video games like to be challenged but the difficulty of these levels is just ridiculous.
10. World 7-5 - Super Mario Bros. 3
Picture this. You are in a labyrinth-like course, trying to find the exit. Through trial and error, you find the pipe that leads to the goal. Because it's on the ceiling, all you have to do is jump up to it to complete the level.
But as you jump, you bonk into a block. Wait... that block wasn't there a moment ago. Naturally, you go to another spot and jump towards the pipe again, only to be hindered by another sneaky block. If that sounds annoying, that's what happens throughout Super Mario Bros. 3's most annoying level, World 7-5.
To reach the pipe, you have to hit every hidden block you can find until they create a bridge. You then need to backtrack and find the correct path to the exit. (Everyone loves backtracking!) There's no way to tell where the hidden blocks are so you have just have to jump around like an idiot until you find them all.
As annoying as the baddies are, your greatest enemy is the clock. When you start running out of time, you get sloppy, making it more likely you will stumble into a Koopa Troopa or a Bob-omb, forcing you to start all over again.