Super Mario is one of gaming's all-time icons. It's also one of gaming's most formulaic franchises. While Call of Duty and Assassin's Creed may be criticized for following their formula, Mario's formula gets a lot of slack. They say don't fix what isn't broken, but some things may not be the same for everyone.
Mario relies on its cliches, like the Princess and the level structures. Some of them haven't aged the most gracefully, but fans put up with them because they work. However, in certain gaming communities on Reddit, some users have had enough, and they're letting the world know what cliches should be retired for good.
Giant Slot Machines
Giant slot machines are pretty common set pieces in video games. While some may initially associate them with Sonic the Hedgehog, technically they appeared in Mario first. In Super Mario Bros. 2 and its original format of Doki Doki Panic, a giant slot machine would end every level. This comment from an deleted Reddit account expressed frustration with this cliche.
The Redditor decries this practice as unexciting. There's definitely some merit to that. While traditional gambling at least has the possibility of real gain, you've worked to obtain the ability to spin the giant machine. In that way, it feels like the game is just keeping your extra lives hostage. Nintendo continues to put slots in their games, but will this minor presence ever boil over fans' patience?
Too Easy
There's always a perception that video games were harder when we were younger. Sometimes because we were younger and were not as skilled at gaming back then. Sometimes it's because the games actually were much harder. Reddit user chris1980p thinks Mario games should stop trending easier.
Mario games might have never been extremely difficult, but they were certainly harder in the past. The New Super Mario Bros. series of games added a feature that would play the game for you. Commenters in the thread say they played Mario 64 much longer than Odyssey because of this. Do games need to go back to being more difficult?
Themed Levels
Mario games have pioneered the standard video game level layouts. There's a grass world, desert world, ice world, and so on and so forth. You can find themed levels in even the most realistic games, they're that iconic. But some think that Mario relies on them too much.
Everyone loves Super Mario Bros. 3, as it's an incredibly good platformer. But Redditor reiplikash thinks that it was last time Mario's level themes worked. They think that as early as Super Mario World, the "themey" approach to levels was becoming formulaic. The themes vary from ice and snow Mario levels to hot and desert Mario levels, so it's up to fans to decide if enough is enough.
Collectathon Gameplay
Super Mario Odyssey is one of Mario's grandest 3D adventures, recreating the gameplay of Mario 64 and Sunshine. However, some people dislike the sandbox style and prefer the mission structure of the Galaxy titles and Mario 3D World. Redditor Daydays is one such person. They just think the mission structure is more satisfying.
The gameplay of several games in the series can be catagorized as a "collectathon." This is a game with either a large variety or amount of collectables. Typically these games are designed around this, but some still view these game derisively. It seems some fans want them to move away from this style.
New Super Mario Bros.'s Influence
The New Super Mario Bros. series was a financial wonder for Nintendo that also brought back 2D platforming. The titles include some of the highest selling traditional Mario games of all time. But some fans didn't like the series as much. And unfortunately for them, with success comes the desire for synergy.
Redditor ThatsBullocks points out that since the series was created, its influence has seeped into the rest of the series. One it brought back the Koopalings, they started appearing in other games. Other characters and concepts from those games like Dry Bowser and Nabbit have came to mainline games and spinoffs. But as the games are considered quite bland, people don't want that bleed to continue.
Wario's Grossness
When Wario first debuted, he was simply a giant exagerrated Mario. Since Mario was meant to be Mickey Mouse or Popeye, Wario took on the qualities of Pete or Bluto. Wario's main attributes were his masculinity and muscles. But as reddit user prestonbark points out, another quality has taken over his personality.
With the advent of the WarioWare series, Wario's characterization took a gross turn. A lot of his humor is now based on farts and toilets, instead of masculinity. While he's still greedy, a lot of people prefer the previous characterization. Hopefully we'll receive another Wario Land game soon.
Mario Mandate
The Mario Mandate is a fan name for a trend fans have noticed, particularly in the spin-off titles. Redditor Asad_Farooqui explains it well in this thread. Basically, it's the trend that only mainline Mario characters and concepts can appear in the spin-off titles. This is particularly noticeable in the Paper Mario series.
Fans are pretty mixed on the trend. The mainline Mario series characters are generally pretty beloved, but there are plenty of spinoff characters fans would like to see. Particularly the Mario RPG's are put at disadvantage by having to stay vanilla flavored. Fans are hoping these titles can be allowed to explore more with character variety.
Taking Down Fangames
This isn't really a cliche with the Mario games, but more with the Mario brand. Nintendo's has always been very protective of their IPs, even when they don't need to, as redditor Honno points out in their post about Nintendo DCMA-ing fangames. Nintendo has every right to take down fangames, but should they?
Companies like Sega often endorse their fangames, and Valve even let a fangame release on Steam last year. While not all fangames are good, there are plenty of excellent Super Mario fangames to play. These aren't really competing with Nintendo's market, so lots of fans wish they would be less harsh on fangames. Perhaps eventually we will see Nintendo loosen their iron grip.
Guest Characters in Mario Kart
Mario Kart 8 shocked a lot of players with its inclusion of guest characters from other Nintendo series. It's not completely unheard of; Mario Kart DS included ROB the Robot and Mario Kart Wii began the trend of the Miis. But a lot of players, including Reddit user WaluigiBubsyPlok, think that 8's guests were too much. After all, Mario Kart 8 added so many unexpected racers like Link, Animal Crossing's Isabella and Villager, and Splatoon's Inklings.
Fans are worried that Mario Kart will turn into Nintendo Kart. Some might see that as exciting, but we already have a crossover series for all of Nintendo's IP. They're worried if Mario Kart keeps incorporating tracks and racers from other series, it will lose its charm. Although even the user quoted admits that they still have a few crossovers they'd want to see.
Kidnapped Princess Peach
The damsel in distress is an extremely old and tired trope. Redditor DavidFoxtailTheTopat put it the best when they described it as childish. It's a dated concept and mostly put up with because it's tradition. It also makes less and less sense as time goes on because she's gained plenty of unique abilities over time.
Obviously Peach's ability to float differentiates her playstyle, which is why it would be great if she could go back to being Player 3. Super Mario Bros 2.'s roster of playable character was recreated by Super Mario 3D World, and she was playable in that game. Some fans think Nintendo should move away from kidnapping to allow this to happen more often. Peach is a fun character and would be great to see her more, so hopefully we will in the future!