Nintendo legend Shigeru Miyamoto has revealed the two Mario games that impressed him the most during his decades-long career, offering fans a rare look into the inspirations behind some of gaming’s most iconic titles.
The comments came during an interview with Casa BRUTUS, which recently published a special issue celebrating Super Mario Bros. The conversation explored Miyamoto’s personal connection to the Mario series and the games that stand out in his own creative journey.
Super Mario World and Super Mario 64 remain Miyamoto’s defining milestones
When asked which Mario games left the strongest impression on him, Miyamoto pointed to Super Mario World and Super Mario 64. He explained that completing Super Mario World made him feel he had finally mastered the formula for two-dimensional Mario games.
Reflecting on Super Mario 64, Miyamoto said it rekindled childhood memories and reminded him of the creative hobbies he enjoyed before entering the game industry.
“By the completion of Super Mario World, I felt that I’d, to a degree, mastered the two-dimensional Mario world. But then, with Super Mario 64 going 3D, I was reminded of my childhood.”
He recalled growing up watching NHK puppet shows and building miniature “monster dioramas” that he photographed with a camera. Those experiences later influenced his approach to designing Mario’s first fully 3D adventure.
Miyamoto also drew a comparison between the two styles of Mario games, explaining:
“Two-dimensional Mario felt like drawing manga, while 3D brought me back to puppet theater… It’s somehow all connected.”
The interview follows Miyamoto’s earlier comments about the future of the Mario franchise, where he suggested Nintendo had explored nearly everything possible with Mario on the original Switch and hinted that the development team is now focused on discovering new ideas for the Nintendo Switch 2.
