10 Most Epic Moments In Super Mario History

And now to where it all began. Though he officially made his debut in the gaming world as 'Jumpman' in 1981's Donkey Kong, this was the moment where most gamers were introduced to Nintendo's main mascot for the first time. The bright colours, the catchy music and collection of blocks, enemies and obstacles made it a 2D platforming adventure unlike anything that had come before.

The level design itself is fairly straightforward, with a couple lines of Goombas being the only real test players might find themselves slipping over. But as a tutorial on the game, it was pretty revolutionary. There aren't any irritating cutscenes or constant reminders on how the controls work, just a couple of blocks containing either Mushrooms or Power Flowers, some Green Pipes and a flagpole by a small castle to tell a player that their work is done.

This level and its layout has gone onto to be referenced and repeated in several Mario games in the franchise, and its influence can still be seen in video games even today. Nothing else in the world of Mario would be possible without this one level, and most fans of the series will still say that this is the moment they fell in love with the franchise.