5 Super Mario Bros Games We Almost Got (And Why They Were Never Made)

The Super Mario Bros. franchise is one of the biggest series in gaming, with over 200 distinct releases across the mainline platformers, sports-focused spin-offs, and genre reinventions. Despite this, not every Mario game that has even been in development has actually made it across the finish line.

Sometimes, it’s due to internal conflicts over hardware discontinuities and new consoles. Other times, Nintendo simply didn’t gel with the concept or saw a developer leave for another company. In some cases, elements of the cancelled games were even salvaged for other titles. Here are five Mario games you never got to play, and likely never will.

Super Mario’s Wacky Worlds

Super Mario’s Wacky Worlds highlights just how Nintendo’s internal experimentation with hardware has impacted its flagship franchise. Super Mario’s Wacky World was proposed as an exclusive title for the Phillips CD-i, which had licensed out some of Nintendo’s franchises for their own console. For the most part, these games have been considered lackluster entries in the overarching franchises, but Super Mario’s Wacky World could have broken that trend.

Intended as a direct follow-up to Super Mario World, the hope was to replicate the massive sales of that title by giving the Philips CD-i a killer app. While Nintendo was reportedly impressed by the demo presented to them, the game was ultimately cancelled amid the financial struggles that would eventually sink the CD-i. Notably, a handful of copies of the demo still exist, with one even selling on auction.

Mario Artist: Sound Studio

Building off of Mario Paint for the SNES, the Mario Artist series of games for the N64 was an interesting experiment by Nintendo in Japan. The Mario Artist: Polygon Studio games were intended to be a major title for the 64DD, the disc-drive upgrade for the N64, which was only released in Japan. Intended as an answer to other disc-drive rivals like the Sega CD and the PlayStation (the latter of which quickly became a major force within the gaming world), the lackluster sales of the 64DD kept Nintendo from ever launching it globally.

While the first game, Mario Artist Polygon Studio, made it to shelves, the sequel didn’t. The second entry, Sound Studio, was among many similar “creator” games proposed for the 64DD that were eventually canceled amid the discontinuation of the add-on. While the games remain a footnote in the overall history of the franchise, the series and their short mini-games served as a key inspiration for the eventual development of the WarioWare series.

Super Mario 64 2

Given the massive success of Super Mario 64, it’s no surprise that a sequel was reportedly in development at one point. The game was reported on by the media at the time and was suggested to be for the 64DD. Miyamoto himself spoke about the project and his excitement for it. However, the failure of that add-on to connect with players led to the game being cancelled early in production. Reportedly, elements of the game ended up being salvaged and utilized in other titles, like Super Mario Sunshine and Super Mario Galaxy.

The sequel was also intended to feature other characters like Luigi, and was even considered as a potentially multiplayer game. The game’s approach to including other playable characters might have also been salvaged and used as a major selling point for Super Mario 64 DS. Meanwhile, the Super Mario 128 footage that many came to believe was intended for Super Mario 64 2 ended up being more of a tech demo for the GameCube than anything else — although it did help lay the groundwork for Pikmin in later years.

A Bunch Of Donkey Kong Games

The Donkey Kong sub-franchise had a nice resurgence during the N64 era. Rare was the developer on both Donkey Kong 64 and Diddy Kong Racing, both of which became fan favorite titles for the console. However, Rare was bought by Microsoft in 2002, ending their relationship with Nintendo. This ended up sinking a number of games that were in active development at the time, including an entirely aerial-based sequel to their kart racing game, Diddy Kong Pilot.

Other Donkey Kong games were also in active development when the announcement came in, leading to the shuttering of production on Donkey Kong Racing and Donkey Kong Coconut Crackers. The former, a GameCube spin-off of Diddy Kong Racing, was cancelled as Rare shifted focus onto their final game with Nintendo at the time, Star Fox Adventures. However, a trailer was released for the game at the 2001 E3. Meanwhile, the latter — a GBA puzzle game — was tweaked and made into It’s Mr. Pants, which was released in 2001.

Super Mario Spikers

Developed by Next Level Games, Super Mario Spikers was meant to be a follow-up to Super Mario Strikers. Intended for the Wii, the game was meant to be the Mario Sports version of volleyball, albeit with some elements more commonly seen in wrestling games, such as a huge ring and physical combat. The game’s early concept art has been released online, and the game was formally pitched to Nintendo.

However, Nintendo rejected the game due to the wrestling moves. According to reporting, the publisher felt the violence was too realistic and off-brand with the more fanciful version of the Mushroom Kingdom that appears in their games. Next Level Games shifted gears, though, and began development on Punch-Out!! for the Wii, likely taking ideas from the wrestling game and filtering it through the boxing genre instead.