The Mario Franchise: A 100-Day Mapping Project
A Delightful Mashup of Fan Theory
The Mario franchise has come a long way since its release on the Nintendo Entertainment System, splintering off into cross-platform games, movies, TV shows, and more. And it’s become so ingrained in our cultural consciousness that endless lore and fan theory have developed alongside its different iterations.
A 100-Day Mapping Project
One fan, Charlie from YouTube channel CharlieandLuke, has given one of the best responses to the Super Mario universe and its confusing array of levels and lands. Charlie spent 100 days mapping out the whole of Super Mario’s planet, and made an epic video explaining their process, theories, assumptions, and more.
The Video
The video, created by Charlie, is a delightful mashup of fan theory worked out of hours spent playing the game and information taken from various sources, including other series in the Mario universe, Mario movies, concept art, and more. Charlie starts out by laying down some ground rules and then jumps into the process, one land at a time.
The Process
Charlie cross-references the different creatures found in each land, looks at game details like where the pipes start and end up, considers weather patterns, and references made to geography/location throughout the Mario franchise. But he does so much more than this during his action-packed video full of clips from different games.
Combining Facts and Interpretations
I love how Charlie combines hard "facts" about the lands with his own interpretations, such as when he’s discussing the geographical features of Dinosaur Land. It is assumed that the land mass of Yoshi’s Island used to be attached as one, but slowly broke apart from "natural erosion, several attacks from Bowser over the years and the heavy, earth-shattering movements you’d expect from the kind of creatures you’d expect to find somewhere called ‘Dinosaurland’."
The Final Result
The final result is a 2D map, which shows the whole of Mario’s planet laid out in an easy-to-digest way. Brilliant.
Conclusion
This project is the perfect companion to the Super Mario Bros 3D remake, which saw the platform game remade in Unreal Engine 5. Both bring new joy out from the Mario universe – I’ve loved seeing fans get so creative with beloved video game characters.
FAQs
Q: How long did Charlie spend mapping out the Mario universe?
A: Charlie spent 100 days mapping out the Mario universe.
Q: What sources did Charlie use to create his map?
A: Charlie used various sources, including other series in the Mario universe, Mario movies, concept art, and more.
Q: What is the final result of Charlie’s project?
A: The final result is a 2D map, which shows the whole of Mario’s planet laid out in an easy-to-digest way.
