One of the greater gaming-related joys in 2021 for me was playing Bowser’s Fury, the newest 3D Mario game. Playing a new Mario game often involves experimenting with new power-ups, and Bowser’s Fury brought us the Giga-Bell and the resulting kaiju-like fight with Giant Bowser. Over the course of the 2D and 3D Mario games, Mario and his crew have used a wide variety of power-ups to platform their way across levels. Which power-up is the best?

Starting with Super Mario Bros. for the NES and ending with the aforementioned Bowser’s Fury, the mainline Mario games have brought us a large number of power-ups. The Super Mario Wiki website lists over 75 power-ups. While you may take issue with how they break the power-ups down, and what they include, it’s clear that the series has seen a large number of different items that Mario and friends can use to transform.

When discussing the best Mario power-up, it might be easy to pick one of the all-time classics as the best. The traditional Super Mushroom is iconic, and provides you with the ability to take damage. The Fire Flower and Super Leaf are also emblematic of the series, and could be easy choices. There’s also the ever-present, all-powerful Super Star. The Super Star makes Mario virtually indestructible, and there’s a good argument for it being the best.  

But maybe you’re more into aesthetics. Perhaps the Frog Suit, the Bee Mushroom, or the Penguin Suit makes you smile. Or maybe you want something a little different. The more modern New Super Mario Bros. series of games gave us a number of interesting power-ups like the Mini Mushroom and the Propeller Mushroom. There’s plenty of unusual power-ups out there, including the Power Balloon (or P Balloon), the Spring Mushroom, and the Goomba’s Shoe. 

It’s hard to pick the best! If pressed, I think I might have to choose the Super Bell. Not only does the Super Bell turn Mario into a cat, which is adorable, but the power-up is quite useful for both movement and combat.

Tell us what you think the best is! Do you prefer the Superball Flower from Super Mario Land? Or do you like to be Metal Mario and rock the Metal Cap from Super Mario 64? Let us know below, in the comments, or join the conversation on the Boss Rush Discord. 

SOURCE: Super Mario Wiki

IMAGE SOURCE: Nintendo