Since its inception in the early 80’s Mario has formed an integral part of almost every console addicts gaming cycle and dare I say even family member. But, who exactly is Mario and what is it about him that makes him such a hit? On the surface Mario is a normal nonchalant plucky Italian plumber but it is the exceptional simplicity with class associated with the character that has made it a rousing hit.

Mario lives in the fictional island along with his shorter older brother Luigi as they both go through adventures after adventures in the fictional Mushroom Island. Mario is plucky with a moustache and a sideburn. He has an unusually large nose and it is the unique simplicity of the character that has drawn people to play Super Mario games. Initially, Mario had to save his girlfriend Pauline in the initial Donkey Kong series. Later editions saw the adorable Italian plumber salvage the world and rescue Damsel in distress Princess Peach receiving a kiss every time as a reward. Mario has an exceptional jumping height and that is used to good effect to move ahead in every single mission of the Super Mario games series. Mario primarily defence mechanism is his ability to knock down opponents upon jumping on them. This manoeuvre knocks smaller rivals down while stunting the bigger ones. Additionally, Mario becomes Super Mario upon taking a special mushroom that allows him to sustain attacks before cutting down to normal size while a special fire Power converts him into a Fire Mario whereby he can gun down his opponents with fire bullets. A feature that makes the Mario games so innovative and original are the different hidden powers in the Mushroom Island which give our Italian hero a wide range of powers.

Most of the relations between Mario and his friends are hidden in the game although Princess Peach does show her appreciation for Mario’s efforts with a kiss. Mario has an older brother in Luigi while he has an archrival in Browser but there are instances in which both of them work together to come up with a common solution. In the latest edition of the Super Mario games series, Mario has an evil twin in Wario although their exact relation is still a secret. Mario is not known to talk too much except quipping a phrase of two upon completing a mission. He speaks in a thick Italian accent although he is given full speech capabilities in the Mario sports titles.

Such has been the popularity of Mario that Nintendo has put up the Italian as their mascot. Nintendo has extensively marketed Mario over the past few two decades and it is this legacy that still attracts young and old to this immortal game. Be it through a console, handheld mobiles and PDA or in computers where loads of teenagers log in to play Super Mario games for free, Mario still remains an indispensable part of the gaming world series and will go down as one of the biggest virtual gaming icons ever.