Welcome to Game Theory. 90% overthinking Nintendo titles, 10% all other companies, 100% sick of Five Nights at Freddy's.

Well, at least until October.

Nintendo, we need to talk.

Year after year, you release new entries in your exclusive franchises, and in an era where games are more and more cinematic, where the stories they tell are deeper and richer than ever before, you fight against that trend, and hard.

Epic romp through the ancestral memories of a modern-day assassin out to save the world.

Plumber want cake.

A cross-galaxy quest to save the universe from a long-dormant foe, where each choice means the difference between life and death.

Squid people play paintball.

In fact, Nintendo has stayed so silent about its characters that it leads many to question whether their games connect at all.

And when they do release timelines, they, well, they literally make zero sense.

Or at least they didn't, until today.

Because I'm out to prove that gaming's most famous franchise, one thought to be impossible to string together, has a timeline that is not only provable, but makes a lot more sense than most other video game plotlines out there. (*coughs*) I've shown you how Rosalina is Luigi's daughter, and how Toad may be a parasitic plague on the kingdom, but now it's time to figure out how all the Mario games cross over with each other to weave an unexpectedly epic and mind-blowing timeline.

Did somebody say...

Crossover?

Oh, hey Drake, Kenny.

Glad you guys could join me after I so shamelessly name-dropped your old show's title.

Thanks for coming by and helping me put this whole thing together.

There are a lot of games to sort through, so how do we know where to begin?

Well, clearly it would make the most sense to begin with the games where Mario is a baby, right?

That would seem to come before he's an adult adventuring through the Mushroom Kingdom.

But there are multiple games where he's a baby.

So let's refer to this first group of games in the timeline as the Baby Era, which of course starts with Super Mario World 2, Yoshi's Island, 14 years after Mario originally appeared in 1981.

And you know it's first because in Yoshi's Island, Baby Bowser sends his magical minion, Kamek, to kidnap the Mario Bros. from the stork delivering the boys to their parents.

You can't get much more newborn than stork status.

Well, I mean you can, but that's a lesson for a 6th grade health class, not an online video game show.

Yep, no time to talk about the birds and bees now.

I'll save that one for your parents.

But it is time to talk storks.

At the end of that game, Yoshi saves the day, but as we see in the next game, its direct sequel, Yoshi's New Island, the stork ultimately delivers the Mario Bros. to the wrong parents.

You just can't get good help these days.

Yoshi comes to the rescue yet again, solving the Mario mix-up, which leads to Mario & Luigi, Partners in Time, and Yoshi's Island DS.

Wait, we've just started charting this and we're already dealing with time travel?

Well, yeah, actually.

In three out of the four games that comprise the Baby era, a future version of Bowser travels to the past to thwart his arch enemies as children.

I thought you said this was simpler than the Zelda time.

I said it makes more sense.

Nintendo has a habit of making characters travel through time, which definitely doesn't make things simpler.

You see, the key to sorting out the order of these games lies in the reactions between Baby Bowser and his future mature self.

In Partners in Time, Bowser and Baby Bowser team up for the very first time.

However, in Yoshi's Island DS, the Bowsers don't seem remotely phased at all by any of these time-traveling shenanigans, leading us to believe that they've already crossed paths once before.

There's also a line in there where Bowser is calling Baby Bowser, Past Me.

That's right, Baby Bowser is not Bowser's son, Bowser Jr., and instead, his past self.

Well, that's a theory for a whole nother day.

But what about when Future Bowser shows up at the end of Yoshi's New Island?

Gah!

Kenny!

Shh!

Spoilers!

Can it be considered a spoiler when it's so slapped into the game the only explanation that's given is a splash screen that says, Suddenly, warping through time and space, King Bowser appears!

Seriously, Nintendo?

Pretty shamelessly lazy.

But, to answer Kenny's concern, Baby Bowser and Future Bowser don't interact with each other at all in that game.

Plus, based on the intro cutscene for New Island, we know it's a direct sequel, taking place mere minutes after the original Yoshi's Island.

So that gives us a pretty tight timeline thus far.

Super Mario World 2 Yoshi's Island, followed by Yoshi's NEW Island, Mario & Luigi Partners in Time, or the past section at least, and finally ending with Yoshi's Island DS.

What about all the spinoff titles where Baby Mario is around, like the kart games?

I think it's best we focus on the main series titles.

Yeah, since Nintendo is playing all fast and loose with WARPING THROUGH SPACE AND TIME, there's probably an explanation in there somewhere for everyone and their mom having a baby version now, and being able to kart and party with them, but again, that's best addressed in another video.

Coming up with a timeline for the main games is tricky enough!

And that brings us to the end of our so-called Baby Era.

Now, it would only make sense to call the next section the Adult Era.

Man, I was really looking forward to some angsty teenage-era Mario games.

For this, we're gonna have to dig deep into the lore and leave no stone unturned.

Every official source is on the table.

If you take a look at the Smash history of the Koopas, you'll notice that the trophy description in Super Smash Bros.

Brawl states that the Shell Koopa Turtles are, quote, "...shelled enemies Mario and Luigi faced back when they were plumbers." Exactly!

That implies that the Mario Brothers were just humble plumbers before they got wrapped up in Mushroom Kingdom heroism.

In fact, it actually tells us that they haven't been plumbers for quite some time.

Nintendo, you've lied to me!

That must mean that Mario Brothers and Super Mario Brothers are the next two games in the timeline, as it's the time that the brothers are plumbers, then they hang up their plungers in favor of edible superpowers, and Peach is sweet, sweet cake.

Yeah.

The true sequel to the NES Super Mario Bros. is what we silly Americans know as Mario The Lost Levels.

But, believe it or not, this game doesn't have any of its own story.

It was really just a glorified map pack that was packaged as its own standalone game.

So, exactly what they did with New Super Luigi U.

But, that was for the year of Luigi, which makes it slightly better.

With that out of the way, the big clue for the next true entry in our Mario timeline lies directly in the manual for Super Mario Bros. 3.

In it, we discover that Bowser has seven children who we'll start seeing in many future installments.

What sets Super Mario Bros. 3 as the first game starring the Koopa Kids is the only dialogue we ever see them deliver.

As you can clearly see, Windio Koopa states, This is the first time I've met up with Mario.

I'm studying his moves very carefully.

Jeez, that almost sounded like Mickey Mouse.

Ha ha!

Quality voice-overing, ladies and gentlemen.

This clearly means that this is the first time that Mario has ever crossed shells with the Koopalings.

And if one manual wasn't enough, how about two?

The manual for Super Mario World clearly states that this game takes place directly after Super Mario Bros. 3.

Next up on the chopping block, Super Mario 64.

Or rather, it's DS retcon, Super Mario 64 DS.

In it, King Boo appears and threatens to trap Mario in a painting, directly foreshadowing the events of Luigi's Mansion, the next game in the timeline.

Following Luigi's solo adventure, we get Super Mario Sunshine.

Oddly enough, what gives away this game's place in the timeline is this super small video feed in the lower right-hand corner of the screen when Mario's new water jetpack, The Flood, scans Mario to register his identity.

In it, we can clearly see the events of the original Super Mario Bros., Super Mario World, and Super Mario 64.

So we know it must come after all of those.

That's all fine and dandy, but what about Super Mario RPG?

That's one of my favorite games ever!

Don't worry, Mario RPG is the next game in the timeline.

Wouldn't you know it?

This game features the birth of Yoshi's love interest, Birdo.

Wait, so Yoshi has been around since Mario was a baby, and he's been seen dating a newborn?

Man, we're uncovering some pretty twisted hidden lore.

Have you watched any, ANY of my Mario videos?

It's a really dark franchise.

Back on track, guys.

Oh, okay.

Super Mario RPG inspired a set of spinoff games known as the Mario & Luigi series, starting with Superstar Saga.

In it, Birdo makes an appearance as well as Professor E.

Gadd from Luigi's Mansion, which is why it has to fall here in the timeline.

And I should be sure to mention that Luigi is flat-out shown to have the Poltergust 3000 from Luigi's Mansion, all facts that solidly place these games right here in the timeline.

This game also introduces a recurring villain in the Mario & Luigi series, Fawful.

It's awful, but with an F.

Fawful.

Fawful also appears in the era-spanning sequel, Mario & Luigi Partners in Time, and even recounts the events of the previous title.

This starts a trend in the series where each new installment references the events of the previous titles, giving us a solid timeline of Mario & Luigi Bowser's inside story, followed by Mario & Luigi Dream Team.

And Luigi's Mansion Dark Moon comes in after that.

In it, Professor E.

Gadd outfits Luigi with a brand new Poltergust 5000 to replace the old model that was last seen in Superstar Saga and Luigi's Mansion 1, bringing us into a new age.

Well, that is, a new Super Mario Bros. age, with the events of New Super Mario Bros. and New Super Mario Bros. 2, which don't do anything new for the series, and instead compound on the tropes and elements introduced in earlier games.

But after years and years of saving the Mushroom Kingdom all by their lonesome, in New Super Mario Bros.

Wii and New Super Mario Bros.

U, the Mario Bros. find partners in the form of brand new characters, Blue Toad and Yellow Toad.

Gee, Nintendo, real original names there, guys.

I think they would be better off named something like Buckenberry and Aligold.

With our new Toad friends, we're brought into the Super Mario Galaxy series, and the first appearance of fan favorite, Rosalina.

Rosalina, who loyal theorists will know is actually Luigi and Peach's daughter, comes from the far future, a Rosalina era, if you will.

At the end of Super Mario Galaxy, Rosalina uses her time travel abilities to retcon the entire game, creating a new galaxy, leading directly into the events of Super Mario Galaxy 2.

Let's be honest here, Galaxy 2 was just the same game with a fancy new coat of paint.

That leads us into Super Mario 3D Land and Super Mario 3D World.

There isn't really a definitive way to place these two relative to each other, but we do know they take place after the New Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Galaxy games, since they feature a playable Rosalina, those obnoxious cosmic clones from Galaxy, and the Blue Toad from New Super Mario Bros.

Wii and U.

And with that said, for the console Mario games, this is the end of the timeline.

One where Peach chooses Luigi over Mario, as we discussed in my two-part video on the subject of Rosalina's origins, and that's it.

It's the end of the story for those two, but Mario's story isn't over, as he hops on over to the Game Boy for the Super Mario Land series.

With his younger brother swooping in and stealing his girl, Mario leaves, pursuing an adventure in the country of Sarasaland, where the events of the first Super Mario Land take place.

Here, Mario saves a new princess, Princess Daisy, from an evil alien named Tatanga.

How do we know it's at the end of the timeline?

Well, notice the heart.

Mario's affections have moved on to another woman.

And things finish up with Super Mario Land 2, where, as we read in the manual, Wario's taken advantage of Mario being in Sarasaland to overtake Mario's castle.

Wait, Mario has a castle?

Nintendo, you f- Kenny!

Get a hold of yourself!

And there you have it, the complete Mario timeline.

Feels like we're leaving out a few pretty crucial titles here.

Hey, wait a minute, that's right!

You haven't covered the original Donkey Kong games!

Those were, after all, Mario's big debut as the carpenter Jumpman.

In fact, let's give it a category of its own.

The Jumpman Era.

Which causes a bit of an issue with this timeline, doesn't it?

Mario's well-established as a plumber.

Guys, guys, it would be a problem!

Except for the fact that Mario the Carpenter Jumpman, and Mario the Plumber Super Mario, aren't actually the same person.

But rather, drumroll please... ...

Oh god, I can't get good sound effects anywhere.

But rather, father and son.

What?

Uh?

Dun dun dun!

See, if I can't get good sound effects, I'll just do it myself.

To prove it, it's gonna take some monkey business.

We have to hop franchises and look for clues sprinkled throughout the Donkey Kong Country series.

They're technically gorillas, not monkeys.

It's an expression- never mind.

By now, everyone knows that the original Donkey Kong, the one climbing girders in the arcade cabinets, aged into the surly ape we all know and love as Cranky Kong.

It's also fairly common knowledge that the current-day Donkey Kong, the one with the sporty tie, is actually Cranky's grandson.

Current-day Donkey Kong first appeared alongside Baby Mario as Baby DK in Yoshi's Island DS, which tells us two things.

That Mario and DK are about the same age, and that our current-day DK is neither Cranky Kong nor Donkey Kong Jr.

You know, the one who appeared in the original Mario Kart, and the one who appeared in Donkey Kong Jr. the game.

DK Jr., then, is of course Cranky's son, making him DK's father.