Completion
- “If I had been playing, I'd have found everything! I'm sure there must be some bonus rooms you haven't found!”
- —Cranky Kong, Donkey Kong Country
Many video games feature the concept of completion, which provides an incentive to play the game beyond just reaching the end of the main storyline. This may be through optional objectives, hidden collectables, ranking systems, and the like. These games often indicate the player's completion percentage, usually on the file selection screen.
Some games may feature side quests and objectives even if they do not track or acknowledge the player's completion total. For example, the player might consider Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door to only be fully complete if they fill in the entire Cookbook, complete every Trouble Center sidequest, find all the Star Pieces, etc.
This page details how full completion is achieved in Super Mario games that feature it and what changes take place when it is achieved. For organization, this page details only games which explicitly track or acknowledge the player's total completion.
Mario Bros. series[edit]
Mario Bros. Returns[edit]
In the "Nagatanien World" mode of Mario Bros. Returns, completing a phase after the first 100,000 points reveals a congratulatory message and a code in hiragana that could be mailed in to enter into a drawing for a pack of Super Mario Bros. 3-themed playing cards during the game's post-release promotional campaign. Doing the same after 200,000 points reveals a different message and another code to enter a drawing for a Famicom cartridge of Super Mario Bros. 3.
Mario Clash[edit]
In the Virtual Boy game Mario Clash, a different Super Mario franchise character will be shown with a congratulatory message for every 100,000 points collected. When the maximum 999,999 points have been collected, a cast roll will play with the game's enemies holding white flags. A message then appears which reads "All right, that's it - you win !".
Mario Bros. (Game Boy Advance)[edit]
For the remake of Mario Bros. in Super Mario Advance, up to four Mario heads show up next to the Mario Bros. logo based on how many points have been accrued in the game. Each head appears for every 200,000 points earned, with four heads at 800,000 points being the maximum.
In the other three Super Mario Advance games, up to five stars show up. Each star appears after 180,000 points have been accrued.
Super Mario series[edit]
Super Mario Bros.[edit]
In Super Mario Bros., clearing World 8-4 allows the player to replay the game in Hard Mode. The player can choose which world to start at by pressing 
before beginning Hard Mode. All Goombas are replaced by Buzzy Beetles, Koopa Troopas move faster than normal, and platforms are shorter.
In the Super Mario All-Stars version, the star before the level number indicates that the player is currently playing Hard Mode. The player cannot select which world to start from in this version, and clearing Hard Mode is necessary to complete the game.
Super Mario Bros. Deluxe gives the player two awards for beating the game: the Mario Award for clearing Normal Mode, and the Bowser Award for clearing Hard Mode.
Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels / All Night Nippon: Super Mario Bros.[edit]
In Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, reaching the end of World 8 without using Warp Zones to skip ahead allows the player to continue to World 9, and upon completing World 9 the player returns to World 9-1 in an endless loop until losing one life, revealing an ending unique from that of a warp-assisted completion in World 8-4.
Each time the game is completed, a star appears on the title screen. Once eight stars are acquired, holding the A button begins a new game starting in World A, allowing for progress to Worlds B, C, and D, at the end of which lies yet another ending. The game can have up to twenty-four stars on the title screen.
In the Super Mario All-Stars version, the eight-completions requirement is absent, and World A always follows World 8 or 9, depending on whether Warp Zones were used. Access to World 9 can be permanently lost by using a Warp Zone at all, even if the player had accessed World 9 before.
Neither World 9 nor Worlds A, B, C and D are accessible in the Super Mario Bros. Deluxe version. This version also gives an award for beating the game, the Yoshi Award.
In the Famicom Mini port for the Game Boy Advance, the original requirements for World A remain, but the B button must be held rather than the A button.
All Night Nippon: Super Mario Bros. uses the same game engine as Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels. This game also has an eight-star requirement to access Worlds A through D, but the title screen has a limit of 20 stars. There is no World 9.
Having at least eight stars on the title screen in Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels allows the player to access World A onwards. The title screen can hold up to 24 stars.
All Night Nippon: Super Mario Bros. has the same eight-star requirement, but the maximum number of stars goes up to only 20.
Super Mario Bros. 2[edit]
In the Super Mario Advance version, a green Yoshi egg appears on the title screen after completing the Super Mario Bros. 2 portion of the game. Completing the Yoshi Challenge by collecting all forty eggs throughout the game's twenty levels will replace the Yoshi egg with a grown green Yoshi. If all 100 Ace Coins are also collected, the Yoshi/Yoshi egg on the title screen will turn red, and the title screen's sky will become sunset-themed.
Also exclusive to Super Mario Advance, small Mario head icons will appear on save files, one for every 2,000,000 points accrued on the file, with five heads (after 10,000,000 points) being the maximum. Collecting an additional 10,000,000 points will flip the Mario heads to the right side, getting a true completion of 20,000,000 points.
Title screen shown after all 100 Ace Coins are collected, before the Yoshi Challenge is cleared
All 100 Ace Coins collected and Yoshi Challenge cleared, showing on the title screen
A completed file screen
Completed Yoshi Challenge
Super Mario Bros. 3[edit]
The original release of Super Mario Bros. 3 lacks a save battery, so it does not track the player's progress once the system is turned off.
In the Super Mario All-Stars version, reaching a certain world (with or without the Warp Zone) lets the player revisit all preceding worlds through the file select screen. However, the game does not track which levels have been cleared, so each previous world has to be replayed from the start.
The Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 version allows the player to revisit previous worlds and stages after Bowser is defeated in Bowser's Castle. The file select screen tracks how many stages one has cleared on each save file; clearing all 90 will add stars to the current world number on the file select screen, and Toad's Houses, Enemy Courses, and Spade Panels can also be revisited at the player's leisure. The game also has point stars fulfilling the same role as the Mario heads in Super Mario Advance. One star appears over the Super Mario Bros. 3 logo on the game select screen for every 1,000,000 points accrued, with five stars (after 5,000,000 points) being the maximum.
In the Virtual Console and Nintendo Switch Online releases of Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3, all thirty-eight levels of World-e are unlocked by default (even though in the original hardware, only thirty levels could be supported at once). The game keeps track of how many of the total 147 Advance Coins the player has collected, as well as whether each stage has been completed by Mario or Luigi. There are also eight e-Coins to collect, which fill the frames in the e-Coin Castle. There is no reward for completing all the levels, nor for obtaining all collectibles.
Clearing all 90 stages in a file will display stars around the world the player is currently revisiting.
Super Mario Land[edit]
In Super Mario Land, once the player has beaten both the normal and expert mode, a level select option is unlocked. However, the game lacks a save battery, so all progress is lost once the system is turned off.
Super Mario World[edit]
In Super Mario World, 100% completion requires finding all 96 of the game's exits. In the American and earlier European releases of the original SNES version and Super Mario All-Stars + Super Mario World, doing this places a star before the completion counter on the file selection screen. The number is turned blue in later European versions of the original SNES version. Other exits include the Giant Gate past the secret Keyhole in Donut Plains 2, the second Giant Gate in Chocolate Island 2, and the paths accessed using Yoshi's Wings in Cheese Bridge Area, Valley of Bowser 2 and Way Cool (making up a total of 101 exits), although these exits are treated as regular exits and therefore are not also required for 100% completion. Likewise, the Front Door and Back Door are both counted as the same exit, so the player is only required to complete one of them.
Completing the Special Zone will trigger Fall, which changes the map color scheme and the sprites of several enemies (Bullet Bills become Pidgit Bills, etc.). This enemy swap also applies to the credits sequence.
Japanese releases
North American and early European releases
Later European releases
Super Mario All-Stars + Super Mario World
In its Game Boy Advance remake, Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2, clearing all 96 exits will mark the file select screen with "Extra", and a cutscene will play showing Luigi in a balloon throwing down a Koopa Troopa mask, thereby triggering Fall. The game will display the message "Mario and Luigi have found all of the goals. Congratulations!!! Now you can play a slightly different Dinosaur Land!" Collecting five Dragon Coins in each level will trigger a different cutscene where Yoshi transforms a coin into one with a Princess Peach image, and the words "Perfect" will be shown. The game's status screen will also show an image of a Dragon Coin.
Similar to other Super Mario Advance titles, one star will appear next to the Super Mario World logo on the game selection screen for every 1,000,000 points earned, with five stars after 5,000,000 points being the maximum.
Message shown when all 96 exits are cleared.
Message shown when all Dragon Coins are collected.
A completed status screen.
A completed file showing "Extra".
All five stars collected on the "choose a game" screen.
Super Mario Land 2 - 6 Golden Coins[edit]
In Super Mario Land 2 - 6 Golden Coins, similar to Super Mario World, the number of stages the player has cleared is displayed over their file. The game is completed by finding and beating all 31 stages (this excludes Wario's castle, as the game does not save after defeating Wario). A Game Over causes this number to decrement by the number of Golden Coins Mario had before the Game Over occurred.
Super Mario 64 / Super Mario 64 DS[edit]
100% completion in Super Mario 64 is achieved by collecting all of the game's 120 Power Stars. In Super Mario 64 DS there are 150 stars to collect and 28 minigames to unlock by catching rabbits.
After collecting every star, the following changes take place:
- The Big Penguin in Big Penguin Race becomes bigger and has different dialogue.
- Bowser's dialogue in Bowser in the Sky changes from "Nooo! It can’t be! You’ve really beaten me, Mario?!! I gave those troops power, but now it’s fading away! Arrgghh! I can see peace returning to the world! I can’t stand it! Hmmm… It’s not over yet… C’mon troops! Let’s watch the ending together! Bwa ha ha! [Gwa ha ha! in Super Mario 64 DS]" to "Nooooo! You've really beaten me this time, Mario! I can't stand [Always in Super Mario 64 DS] losing to you! My troops… worthless! They've turned over all the Power Stars! What?! There are 120 [150 in Super Mario 64 DS] in all??? Amazing! [What?! in Super Mario 64 DS] There were some in the castle that I missed??!! Now I see peace returning to the world… Ooo! I really hate that! I can't watch—I'm outta here! Just you wait until next time. Until then, keep that Control Stick [Touch Screen in Super Mario 64 DS] smokin'! Buwaa ha ha! [Gwa ha haaaaaaa! in Super Mario 64 DS]"
- The grate for the cannon outside of Peach's Castle is taken out, allowing Mario to use it. The original Super Mario 64 allows Mario to reach the roof of the castle and meet Yoshi, who will give the player 100 extra lives and an improved Triple Jump. Due to the changes made in Super Mario 64 DS, this does not occur; the player will instead find one of Luigi's minigame rabbits on the roof (catching it unlocks Super Mario Slot), three 1-Up Mushrooms, and a ? Block containing a Power Flower (or a Feather in Mario's case).
A completed file in Super Mario 64 DS
The alternate Bowser dialogue in Super Mario 64 DS
Super Mario Sunshine[edit]
100% completion in Super Mario Sunshine is achieved by collecting all of the game's 120 Shine Sprites. The Delfino Plaza area becomes progressively brighter as the player collects Shine Sprites. Collecting them all replaces the after-credit picture of Il Piantissimo finding the magic brush with a group photo of the game's friendly characters with the caption "Have a relaxing vacation!" and adds a red sun icon to the player's save file.
The picture that appears in the credits after all Shine Sprites are collected.
The sun icon that appears on the save file after all Shine Sprites are collected.
New Super Mario Bros.[edit]
New Super Mario Bros. has up to three stars show up next to the player's save file by completing hidden objectives. They are the following:
- Beating World 8-
Bowser's Castle - Spending all 240 Star Coins by removing all Star Coin Signs and acquiring four alternate Touch Screen backgrounds.
- Finding all alternate and secret exits.
Beating the final level and inputting a secret code on the pause menu grants access to the challenge mode, while finding all secret exits unlocks unlimited access to all open Toad Houses.
Three stars on the file select screen
Completed Star Coin icons on the world map
Super Mario Galaxy[edit]
In Super Mario Galaxy, collecting the game's 120 Power Stars and beating the final Bowser battle a second time will unlock the "Super Luigi Galaxy" mode, in which players play through the game again as Luigi. Collecting all 120 stars and defeating Bowser twice in this mode unlocks the Grand Finale Galaxy in both modes, in which the player can obtain one final Power Star for each respective mode and send a commemorative message and photo to the Wii Message Board after talking to Mailtoad. The message reads, "Dear Mario/Luigi, Congratulations! We would like to send you a galaxy-sized thanks for saving all the Power Stars and playing to the very end. Until next time, The SUPER MARIO GALAXY Staff!" In Super Mario 3D All-Stars and the Nintendo Switch port, the message is read out in-game, and the photo is sent to the Nintendo Switch album. Additionally, if the player has collected 9,999 Star Bits, the coconuts turn into watermelons.
A completed save file as Mario
The picture after collecting 121 Power Stars as Mario.
A completed save file as Luigi
The picture after collecting 121 Power Stars as Luigi.
New Super Mario Bros. Wii[edit]
New Super Mario Bros. Wii has a similar star system to its predecessor, although the number next to the save file now goes up to five. The requirements for them are as follows:
- Beating World 8-
Bowser's Castle. - Finding all Star Coins in the regular worlds.
- Finding all Star Coins in World 9.
- Finding all regular exits.
- Finding all secret exits and using every Warp Cannon on the world map.
Fulfilling all of these requirements also gives the player unlimited access to every Toad House in the game. If the player triggers the appearance of a Super Guide Block by losing eight lives in a level since it was last completed, and then the player saves, the stars will not sparkle, even if the player did not make use of the Super Guide effect. Furthermore, collecting 99 lives makes Mario appear without his cap.
Message shown when all Star Coins are collected.
Message shown when completing all objectives to gain five stars on the file.
Five shiny stars on the file select screen.
Super Mario Galaxy 2[edit]
In Super Mario Galaxy 2, collecting the game's regular 120 Power Stars and beating the final Bowser battle a second time will unlock the Green Star comet and a silver crown icon on the save file, with the file rank "The Green Star Challenge Is On!" Collecting all 120 Green Stars will, in turn, unlock both the Grandmaster Galaxy and a golden crown save icon. Collecting both stars from this galaxy will unlock a bejeweled platinum crown save icon and a "Master of Galaxies!" rank, as well as the number of lives used to complete the game. A photo is also sent to the Wii Message Board, with a message that reads, "Dear Player, You deserve a congratulations of cosmic proportions for collecting all of the Stars and playing to the very end. Thank you! You are truly a master of galaxies! SUPER MARIO GALAXY 2 Staff". In the Nintendo Switch port, the message is read out in-game, and the photo is sent to the Nintendo Switch album.
If the player has collected 9,999 Coins in the coin collection in Starship Mario, the Luigi Ghosts will be added to all levels. After depositing 9,999 Star Bits with Banktoad, all coconuts in the game become watermelons and the final mission in Grandmaster Galaxy becomes accessible, provided that the previous mission had already been completed beforehand.
Gold crown on the file screen with 240 Power Stars, before completing the Grandmaster Galaxy
Platinum Crown with the "Master of Galaxies!" rank, after collecting both stars in the Grandmaster Galaxy
Wii Message Board photo after collecting 242 Power Stars
Super Mario 3D Land[edit]
Similar to the New Super Mario Bros. games, Super Mario 3D Land gives the player up to five stars on their save file for completing various objectives. These are:
- Beating the game (clearing World 8-
Bowser's Castle 2). - Clearing all courses through World 8.
- Clearing Special 8-Bowser's Castle, then clearing World 8-Bowser's Castle 2 a second time.
- Collecting all 285 Star Medals in regular courses.
- Grabbing the top of every Goal Pole and clearing all courses with both Mario and Luigi.
In addition to this, the stars on the player's file will sparkle as long as they have never seen an Assist Block (triggered by losing five lives in the same course). Getting the third star makes every level display which of the brothers has cleared it, and getting all five unlocks Special 8-Crown. The life counter can go up to 1,110, which is shown as three crowns. When the lives counter is maxed out, Mario and Luigi lose their caps in their Super forms, rather than their Small forms.
Collecting the mostly optional Star Medals from the 35 unique Mystery Boxes accessed randomly from the World Map brings the total to 335. By using StreetPass Mystery Boxes (which are not unique), the total can go up to 999 Star Medals.
A completed save file showing five stars
Completed level select screen with a star on all worlds, and an icon of a gold flag with stage cleared by both Mario and Luigi
New Super Mario Bros. 2[edit]
New Super Mario Bros. 2 features the save file stars seen in the previous New Super Mario Bros. games to indicate completion. The player earns them by:
- Beating World 6-Bowser's Castle.
- Collecting every Star Coin in Worlds 1-6, including World Mushroom and World Flower.
- Collecting every Moon Coin in World Star.
- Opening every path on every world. This includes finding all normal and secret exits, opening every Star Coin Sign, and using every Warp Cannon.
- Earning 1,110 extra lives.
Fulfilling all of these requirements also gives the player unlimited access to every Toad House in the game. When the lives counter is maxed out, Mario and Luigi do not wear their caps. The stars will also sparkle so long as no Assist Block is triggered in any course; the player can restore the stars' sparkles by clearing all courses that contain an Assist Block.
Being themed around coins, New Super Mario Bros. 2 also features a coin counter that tracks the total number of coins players have collected across all three save files and in Coin Rush on their copy of the game. The title screen will also reflect the total by displaying piles of coins that grow increasingly larger as the player collects more, and the game will display a message whenever the player reaches a milestone. When the player collects 1,000,000 coins, the title screen changes to a golden color and a gold statue of Mario appears on the title screen. When the player collects 9,999,999 coins (the highest the counter goes), the statue is replaced with one of Raccoon Mario.
The message that displays when the player collects 9,999,999 total coins.
New Super Mario Bros. U / New Super Luigi U[edit]
New Super Mario Bros. U and its expansion, New Super Luigi U, once again feature the ability to earn five stars on a save file for fulfilling various conditions. Unlike in the previous New Super Mario Bros. games, the game will display a message whenever the player fulfils one of these conditions, which are:
- Beat the game (clearing The Final Battle).
- Clear every level through Peach's Castle.
- Collect every Star Coin in every stage through Peach's Castle.
- Unlock Follow That Shell! (Flying Squirrel Ovation in New Super Luigi U) in Superstar Road.
- Collect every Star Coin in Superstar Road, find every exit in the game, and catch Nabbit all seven times.
Fulfilling all of these requirements and earning the stars also gives the player unlimited access to every Toad House in the game. Similar to New Super Mario Bros. 2, the stars on the player's file will sparkle so long as they never use the Super Guide, although in this case, they are permitted to trigger the Super Guide Block's appearance. Additionally, having a life count of 99 will cause the number to appear gold on the file select screen.
Additionally, earning a gold medal across all Challenge Mode categories will display a congratulatory message to the player.
Message shown when completing all Challenges with a gold medal
Message shown when completing all objectives to gain five stars on the file
Super Mario 3D World / Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury[edit]
As in Super Mario 3D Land, Super Mario 3D World gives the player stars on their profile to indicate completion, and uses similar criteria for them to be unlocked. Completion of World Crown is optional, so the following criteria do not apply to its levels. To complete the game and earn five stars on their profile, the player must:
- Touch the Goal Pole on The Great Tower of Bowser Land.
- Collect every Green Star.
- Collect every stamp.
- Touch the top of the Goal Pole on every level, which gives each level icon a gold flag on the World Map.
- Touch the Goal Pole of every level with all five playable characters.
The progress of the latter four criteria can be checked by opening the Map menu while on the World Map and moving to the Course List section, which lists every unlocked level and its fastest clear times and highest scores, alongside indicators for Green Stars and Stamps. Individual character completion can also be viewed after unlocking World Crown.
Similarly to New Super Mario Bros. 2, the stars on the player's file will shine if the player clears every level without using the Invincibility Leaf (there is no penalty for having the Assist Block appear, only for collecting its power-up). If the player loses their shining profile stars, they can be regained by clearing all levels where the Invincibility Leaf had been used again without using it. In the Nintendo Switch reissue, using the Cat Mario amiibo to obtain the Invincibility Bell does not affect the stars' shine.
Furthermore, as in Super Mario 3D Land, the life counter can go up to 1,110, which is shown as three crowns.
Bowser's Fury[edit]
The Bowser's Fury campaign has separate profiles from the main game, which can also display a maximum of five stars.
Three stars are earned by defeating Fury Bowser as Giga Cat Mario, with each time the player defeats him adding one star until he is defeated three times. A fourth star is earned upon collecting all one hundred Cat Shines, and a fifth is earned if the player defeats Giant Bowser after collecting one hundred Cat Shines. Additionally, the stars will shine if the player does not use the Cat Mario amiibo to obtain the Invincibility Bell.[citation needed]
By collecting all one hundred Cat Shines and defeating Giant Bowser again, a special painting is shown after the credits. When returning to gameplay, Cat Mario and Bowser Jr. have different appearances, with the former's suit being changed to look like Giga Cat Mario, and the latter gaining cat-like ears, fur, and a tail, with his Clown Car also gaining whiskers. Fury Bowser also has bright white hair and spikes. While the changes to character design are purely aesthetic, future battles against Fury Bowser and Giant Bowser on that save file are notably more difficult. However, there is no reward for completing this new version of the ending sequence.
Five shining stars on the Bowser's Fury save file select screen
