Ever since Super Mario 64, the 3D side of the Super Mario series has been a favorite among platforming fans, especially those looking for a challenge. From intricate tests of timing to the ultimate measures of precision, these games contain some of the hardest trials in the entire genre.
While these games have gotten bigger over the years, each of them, from Super Mario 64 to Super Mario Odyssey, presents their own unique challenges. The bright colors and cartoonish aesthetics of these levels may make players underestimate the obstacles they present, often presenting a major roadblock to completion.
Boss Blitz - 3D World
Most 3D Super Mario titles include some variation on the boss rush formula, but this variation from Super Mario 3D World is arguably the toughest. Players have to navigate six boss battles without dying, all within a very strict 500-second time limit, making for a grueling challenge.
Each boss requires excellent positioning and timing skills to dodge attacks and land counterattacks at the perfect moment, and the time limit means that players can't hesitate. Mastering each boss individually is relatively simple compared to the tense experience of taking on all six in a row.
Tick-Tock Clock: 100 Coin Star - 64
In Super Mario 64, one method of collecting stars is to gather 100 coins in a single level, which is often one of the hardest tasks in a world, especially if that world is Tick-Tock Clock. With the many parts of the clock constantly in motion, players have to be vigilant to grab every coin.
Tick-Tock Clock is already notorious for its precise platforming and moving parts that cause players to frequently fall back and lose progress. So, going out of their way to collect every stray coin they can find leads many players to struggle with the rhythms and timings of this notorious level.
Pachinko - Sunshine
Thought by some to be the best in the Mario franchise, Super Mario Sunshine has its fair share of tough levels, and the Pachinko game stands out as one of the hardest and most unique. In this level, players launch themselves into a giant pachinko machine and must maneuver around to collect a series of red coins.
The game's finicky camera adds to the difficulty, but this is not an easy task in the first place, as Mario only has the powers of F.L.U.D.D. to move around the giant maze of pegs and blocks. Perfecting a path across the board takes plenty of planning and fine motor skills, but completing the level is a major achievement.
Special 8-Crown - 3D Land
The final post-game level of Super Mario 3D Land is fittingly harsh, throwing plenty of punishing challenges at players who have already mastered the rest of the game. Everything from incredibly small platforms to a shadowy pursuer makes this one of the toughest levels in the franchise.
Players who can struggle through the many obstacles this level throws at them are rewarded with a vibrant celebration, but getting there will likely take many tries. Memorizing the timings and locations of each and every jump is important in a level like this, but persistence pays off.
Luigi's Purple Coins - Galaxy
The premise of Luigi's Purple Coins is simple: players must collect 100 of the purple coins scattered across platforms shaped like Luigi within the time limit. All of those platforms, however, either flip or disappear whenever Mario touches them, making precision platforming essential.
While players do not need to collect every single purple coin in the level, plotting a precise path across the treacherous platforms is still practically necessary for success. The nature of the platforms and the strict time limit also mean that players must always keep Mario in motion, requiring quick thinking at all times.
Long Journey's End - Odyssey
At the end of Super Mario Odyssey, one of the most acclaimed 3D Mario games, players are presented with this final level, the only one located in the game's Darker Side world. The game throws everything at players, who must use a variety of transformations to navigate a medley of obstacles in this lengthy level.
Between moving platforms and enemy hordes, moving quickly through Long Journey's End is a must, and some segments practically need to be memorized. Plenty of practice and a deep understanding of the game's mechanics are essential to completing this ultimate challenge.
Wing Mario Over The Rainbow - 64
The platforming in Super Mario 64 can get fairly difficult, but the flying is even harder, as evidenced by Wing Mario Over The Rainbow. This level tasks players with collecting red coins with the wing cap up in the rainbow-clad clouds, where small platforms make gravity the greatest enemy.
Landing in the clouds is half the battle, as the imprecise nature of the wing cap makes judging the timing difficult, and it doesn't help that the red coins are spread out across the sky. Once players get a hang of that, though, plotting the best path through the clouds is their only obstacle to the game's hardest star.
Lily Pad Ride - Sunshine
One of the most infamously difficult levels in Super Mario's history is this deceptively simple lazy river ride that asks players to collect a series of red coins aboard a lily pad. Touching the water in this level leads to an instant game over, though, and the lily pad must be propelled by F.L.U.D.D., adding to the challenge.
Using F.L.U.D.D. to control the lily pad precisely is a daunting task, and missing just one coin causes players to lose the whole level, making this an exercise in frustration. There are no fancy tricks to Lily Pad Ride's difficulty, just a seemingly simple task that turns out infuriating in practice.
Grandmaster Galaxy: The Perfect Run - Galaxy 2
Grandmaster Galaxy is a notoriously tough test of platforming skills, arriving at the end of Super Mario Galaxy 2, and its final form requires players to do the whole level without being damaged once. Players must navigate all sorts of floating platforms and gravity wells to pass this level.
The nostalgic opening of Grandmaster Galaxy may recall a simpler level aesthetically, but it clearly sets players up for a grueling ordeal that requires quick and deliberate movement. Lasers, pitfalls, and enemies occupy every corner of this gauntlet, making the game one of the hardest Nintendo games to complete.
Champion's Road - 3D World
The hardest levels in Super Mario 3D World are notorious, so it's not surprising that its final stage ranks among the most difficult in the series. Putting a marathon of obstacles in front of players, Champion's Road demands perfection and threatens to stump even the most hardened Mario fans.
With icy platforms, swinging spikes, and disappearing blocks, to name a few, this level's hurdles force Mario to stay on the move constantly. Without a moment of rest for the entire level, players have to take the time to get to know the positions and timing if they want to stand a chance at besting this gauntlet.