Summary
TheSuper Mariogames are known for their unique cartoon charm, infamous heroes such as Mario and Luigi, andnotorious bosseslike Bowser and King Boo. Throughout the series, Mario is pitted against numerous villains in the quest to save the Mushroom Kingdom from all manner of threats.
Luckily for the brave plumber, he usually has a vast range of powerups and abilities at his disposal.
However, while his abilities are numerous, he lacks the speech of many of his game counterparts, confined to classic taglines such as Its A-Me Mario! In this respect, many Mario games have made up for the lack of oration from the big man in red with superb supporting dialogue.
A potentially contentious pick,Super Mario Bros. Wondermay not come first to mind when players think of excellent dialogue. The most recent2D Mario platformeron the Switch,Wonder,is quirky in every sense of the word and an outlier in the series for its rather abstract ideas. One of these is the various talking flowers that feature real-life voiceovers.
These flowers sometimes point players in the right direction to discover secrets and often provide odd one-liners bound to make players snigger amongst the game’s mayhem. These flowers are generally funny, with lines such as ‘you must be sweaten’ or ‘can’t I get some shuteye around here’.Super Mario Bros. Wonderis a heavily underrated game for its comedic dialogue, making it deserving of being on this list. Nonetheless, it does lack main and supporting character dialogue, placing it last on this list.
One of the first Mario games to feature extensive dialogue from the series’heroesand villains wasSuper Mario 64. Mario 64changed the game for 2D platformers, giving the popular Nintendo franchise a new coat of paint in glorious 3D.Super Mario 64also had great dialogue with popular villains like Big Bob-omb, ushering a range of great taglines such as “I’m the Big Bob-omb, lord of all blasting matter, king of ka-booms the world over!
The remeaster ofMario 64-Mario 64 DStook the game’s dialogue up a notch, with varied conversations depending on the player’s character. For example, if the player chooses Yoshi, the dialogue of Big Bob-omb will vary with lines such as “I’m the Big Bob-omb, baron of all blasting matter, king of ka-booms the world over! Incredible! You’ve made it this far, even without a mustache. I commend your courage.
Besides villains, heroes such as Koopa the Quick, Lakitu Bro, and Mario were given new dialogue options in the remaster.Super Mario 64 DSis one of the best Mario games with dialogue due to its varied and often long, funny monologues that add depth to the game’s characters, settings, and story.
Super Mario Odysseysaw players take control of Mario as he travelled tovarious kingdomsin search of elusive power moons aboard an airship called the Odyssey. The game introduces new enemies and a new sidekick for Mario in the form of Cappy, a creature that becomes Mario’s cap, assisting him in capturing enemies. Cappy has extensive dialogue in the game, saying lines like ‘“We’ve collected…let’s see… 999 Power Moons! Wow! That’s amazing!“and other cues to aid the player throughout the game.
Alongside Cappy, Mario speaks more than in most games, with other characters such as Toad, Luigi, and Princess Peach having the most andbest dialoguein the series. However, whereSuper Mario Odysseyshines is its great back and forth between the residents of New Donk City.“Welcome to New Donk City! The Big Banana! No place like it!“is just oneline said by New Donkers Daily, which makes the game feel immersive and lived in. Furthermore, the sheer quantity of dialogue throughout the game’s many characters overshadows most games in the series.
WhileSuper Mario Odysseyhas extensive dialogue, it has nothing compared toPaper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door.Released in 2004 on the GameCube,Thousand-Year Doorwas the second game in thePaper Marioseries.ThisPaper Mariowins the award for the most dialogue in any Mario game with huge quantities of speech per character. Stand-out lines include “Am I Mario’s baby–sitter?” and “Bwa ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! I am Bowser, businessman of legend! Fear my accounting!”.
The game has a large list of witty dialogue, placing thisPaper Mariotitle ahead of the rest in the lingo department.Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Doorcomes second on this list as having the best dialogue in Mario games due to the quantity of witty and often quality conversation.
1997
Publisher
Interplay Entertainment
The best Mario game for dialogue isMario Teaches Typing 2.Mario Teaches Typing 2is the second and last Mariotyping gamedesigned for young players to improve their typing skills. Released in 1997 on the PC,Mario Teaches Typing 2was a remake of the first game, adding improved features.
With its simplistic nature, requiring the typing of words to defeat enemies such as Bowser, the game is purely educational. It has the series’ best dialogue, featuring a floating Mario head that narrates the various typing lessons and even tells puns. Mario also sings the song known as ‘That’s Amore” to amuse players. Consequently,Mario Teaches Typing 2has the best dialogue in the series, with the main character speaking and doing more with his voice than in any other game; despite lacking in the sheer quantity of dialogue compared to other titles, it more than makes up for in quality.
