Game Over

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This article is about the term that refers to when a game ends. For other uses, see Game Over (disambiguation).
Mario defeated.
LINE sticker portraying Mario's defeat with an emerging Boo Mario
“Peach... Noble princess, pure of heart... Do you take Bowser to be your lawfully wedded husband 'til your game be over?”
—Count Bleck, Super Paper Mario

"Game Over" is a message used in video games when the player has run out of lives or chances, or when players complete a game. However, nonstandard Game Overs are sometimes used to punish specific mistakes. The Game Over screen differs from game to game, but the text is usually set against a blank screen. After a Game Over, the player is typically given an option to restart the game from the last save point. However, many games from earlier hardware generations lack saving functionality, requiring the games to be restarted from the beginning.

In the Super Mario franchise, the "Game Over" message has seen several variations, and it has even been used in-universe as a euphemism for death, most particularly in Super Paper Mario.

Super Mario Odyssey and the Bowser's Fury campaign of Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury are the only games in the Super Mario series thus far not to include a Game Over, as there are no lives or 1-Up Mushrooms in the games, with typical life-loss being replaced by a 10- and 50-coin deduction, respectively. Donkey Kong Bananza follows the same design, causing Donkey Kong to lose 10% of his gold (up to 500 gold in Normal Mode and 100 gold in Assist Mode) after losing all of his health.

History[edit]

Super Mario series[edit]

Super Mario Bros.[edit]

In Super Mario Bros., when the player runs out of lives, the level turns into a black background with the words "GAME OVER" (as well as the name of the character who received the Game Over in multiplayer mode, either Mario or Luigi), while the HUD is still present; after the Game Over, the player is sent back to the title screen, where they have to start over from the beginning at World 1-1. If Mario or Luigi times out on his last life, "TIME UP" appears first while the Game Over music plays; the player can try again from the beginning of the world they lost in at the title screen by holding down A Button and then pressing Start Button.

Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels[edit]

In Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, the Game Over screen has "GAME OVER", as well as the choices "CONTINUE" and "RETRY", which has the player either restart at the first level of the world they lost a life on or otherwise restart the game. If the player runs out of lives in World 9, the Game Over screen looks different. Instead of the usual choices "CONTINUE" and "RETRY", under the words that say "GAME OVER", there is a message that reads: "YOU'RE A SUPER PLAYER! WE HOPE WE'LL SEE YOU AGAIN. MARIO AND STAFF."

Super Mario Bros. 2[edit]

In Super Mario Bros. 2, the Game Over screen just depicts the words "GAME OVER" in a black background. After a few seconds, the text changes into two choices, reading "CONTINUE" and "RETRY". If the player chooses "CONTINUE", the game will resume from the beginning of the world, but if the player chooses "RETRY", the game will return to the title screen. Also, the player can use only two continues (this is depicted by the number of continues remaining on the Continue screen); the third Game Over shows only "RETRY" on the screen after a few seconds. In all later versions, the player has an unlimited number of continues; also, the player can save the game with two choices replacing "RETRY": "SAVE & CONTINUE" and "SAVE & QUIT".

Super Mario Bros. 3[edit]

In Super Mario Bros. 3, receiving a Game Over returns the player to the map, while a light-blue rectangle appears with the words "GAME OVER!" and a "dead" Mario or Luigi to the left of the two choices, "CONTINUE" and "END". If the player chooses to continue, Mario is sent back to the beginning of the world, and all cleared levels, Toad Houses, and Spade Panels are reset to as if they were incomplete, though fortresses, Enemy Courses, and locked doors remain completed/unlocked; the player's life counter resets to four lives (five usable lives), the player's score resets to zero, and the player loses all of their end-of-level cards. Ending the game either sends the player back to the title screen in single-player mode or allows the other player to continue alone in multiplayer mode.

Super Mario Land series[edit]

In Super Mario Land, all enemies disappear and "GAME OVER" appears from the bottom of the screen. If the player earned 100,000 points or more upon receiving a Game Over, they can use a continue to restart from the level in which they obtained the Game Over. In Super Mario Land 2 - 6 Golden Coins, a Game Over sign appears at the top of the screen, and the player loses all the Golden Coins they earned in the game. After the player waits for two minutes, "Totakeke's theme", a common Easter egg found in video games involving Kazumi Totaka, starts to play. In Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3, the player loses one of their pieces of treasure, or half their cash if they do not have any treasure.

Super Mario World[edit]

In Super Mario World, the Game Over screen (also formatted as Game-Over screen)[1] has the words "GAME OVER" colored yellow appear from either side of the screen in front of a black background and join at the center. The player is then given a choice of either "CONTINUE" or "QUIT"; otherwise, the game goes back to the title screen.

Super Mario All-Stars[edit]

In Super Mario All-Stars, a Game Over means the player will restart from the world they lost in (however, in Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, a Game Over means the player will restart only the level they were playing). Regardless of which game is being played, the player has unlimited continues and three choices: "CONTINUE", "SAVE & CONTINUE", and "SAVE & QUIT" (the only exception is when one player gets a Game Over in two-player mode, in which only two choices are present: "CONTINUE" and "QUIT", the latter choice dropping them out for the remainder of the session). In Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, a Game Over sign appears at the top of the screen, and a pixel art of the character who got the Game Over also appears (in two-player mode, their name is also seen). In Super Mario Bros. 2, a Game Over sign appears with Birdo in it, with the design similar to that of the title screen. This screen also appears for warping, but it instead says "WARP" and the world number that the player is going to. If played in Super Mario Bros. 3, the Game Over screen shows a blue rectangular box with a "dead" Mario or Luigi in between the "GAME OVER" words, rather than at the left like in the NES version.

Super Mario Advance series[edit]

The Super Mario Advance series basically shares the same screens as the original games (in the case of Super Mario Advance 2 and Super Mario Advance 3) and the Super Mario All-Stars games (in the case of Super Mario Advance and Super Mario Advance 4). However, the first game shows the player's world and score when they received the Game Over, and pressing A Button or Start Button gives them the same options as in the All-Stars version. Unlike the first game's NES version and SNES version, this game restarts on the level where the player got a Game Over. The second game does not return the player to the title screen in a Game Over, regardless if the player saves or not. The third game appears to function the same way as the original game. The fourth game displays a yellow "GAME OVER" with a "dead" Mario/Luigi sprite between the words on a black screen before the original screen appears on the map. However, as in the fourth game's NES version, only two choices are given: "CONTINUE" and "QUIT" (though the levels that were cleared are not set back to incomplete).

Super Mario 64[edit]

In Super Mario 64, when Mario gets a Game Over, the player returns to the Title Screen (with any unsaved progress lost), except the background is red and reads "Game Over". A piece of "Main Theme" plays, slowly decreasing in pitch, and Mario's face looks worn out as he announces that the game is over. The screen then reverts to the regular Title Screen with Mario smiling as the main-menu music plays and rises back to its normal pitch.

Super Mario Sunshine[edit]

In Super Mario Sunshine, the Game Over graphic follows the "TOO BAD!" sequence if Mario loses his last life with a small transitional animation, which is later recycled in Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2 in a much faster manner (in the German version, the "TOO BAD!" graphic says "ARRIVEDERCI", Italian for "goodbye"; in the Japanese and Korean version, however, it says "MISS!" instead); additionally, the music that plays combines the regular themes "Player Down" and "Game Over" from Super Mario Bros., transposed into A major with the former's first measure transitioning into the entire version of the latter. Mario also says something, such as "The horror!", "Arrivederci!", or simply "Mamma mia!" The Game Over graphic is red. Following the Game Over, the player is asked to either continue from the last save point or return to the title screen. Continuing results in Mario abruptly returning to Delfino Plaza with his life counter reset to three.

Super Mario 64 DS[edit]

In Super Mario 64 DS, Mario's face does not appear on the Game Over screen. Also, the background is a dark-gray gradient instead of red and without text reading "Game Over". Instead, the purple words "GAME OVER" slide into place from either side of the top screen, similarly to Super Mario World, though in the same font as the title uses.

In the Toad's Rec Room minigames, the Game Over screen appears with wiggling purple letters right after a game ends, except in games where a different scenario occurs.

New Super Mario Bros.[edit]

In New Super Mario Bros., the Game Over sign appears in pale blue and drops from the top of the screen, with the word "Over" appearing first. After the music has played, the player is given an option to continue or quit. This is the only game in the New Super Mario Bros. subseries that has a unique Game Over fanfare, as the other three games share the same fanfare.

Game Overs can also appear during minigames, like in Super Mario 64 DS. However, the characters are now lowercase. In the NTSC version, the text wiggles just as it did in all versions of Super Mario 64 DS.

These minigames do not have the "Game Over" text:

Super Mario Galaxy / Super Mario Galaxy 2[edit]

Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2 share almost the same Game Over look with Super Mario Sunshine; if Mario/Luigi loses his last life, the Game Over graphic shows instead of the "TOO BAD!" sequence (or "MISS!" in the Asian versions). There is an exception: If the player gets a Game Over because of losing to Cosmic Mario in the first game, the "YOU LOSE" sign appears as usual before the Game Over graphic appears. Particularly, if the player gets a Game Over another way, such as losing to the penguins in the Sea Slide Galaxy or the Spooky Speedster in the Ghostly Galaxy or Boo's Boneyard Galaxy in the first game, or failing The Chimp's challenges he requested via mail in the second game, Mario does his normal death animation instead of the one exclusive to such deaths; however, said exclusive death animation is still used in the aforementioned losing a race to Cosmic Mario, as well as getting a Game Over through timing out in Speedy Comet or timed Purple Comet missions.

The Game Over graphic is purple in Super Mario Galaxy and yellow in Super Mario Galaxy 2, and in the former, the text is squeezed. During Green Star missions in Super Mario Galaxy 2, the background is green instead of black. Upon getting a Game Over in the first game, the player is asked to save before going back to the title screen, whereas in the second game, the player returns to Starship Mario. This also applies to running out of time in some missions, but the screen does not say "Time's up".

In Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2, the Game Over text was been updated. In Super Mario Galaxy, the save-selection screen is skipped, instead saving the data immediately while cutting straight to the title screen. Also, the Game Over text in both Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2 is exactly the same. As of version 1.3.0, the text in the former has been updated to resemble the original Wii version, and it is also larger.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii[edit]

In New Super Mario Bros. Wii, the Game Over screen appears before the Continue screen, and the words "GAME OVER!" drop from below in a puff of smoke. In multiplayer, if some (but not all) players get a Game Over, no Game Overs appear; instead, the Continue screen appears after the player(s) return(s) to the world map but before they select a level. No matter who was being used, only Mario can be heard crying when a Game Over is received.[2] On the Continue screen, after their life counters are reset to five lives, Mario says, "Here we go again!"; Luigi says, "I'm-a back!"; Yellow Toad mimics a fanfare-like sound; and Blue Toad shouts, "Woohoohoo!"

Super Mario 3D Land[edit]

In Super Mario 3D Land, there is a yellow background, and Mario or Luigi falls onto the ground, shrugging with a depressed sigh, after which a red Game Over sign appears. If the player selects "Quit" on the Touch Screen, the game saves its progress and returns the player to the title screen, but if the player selects "Continue", Mario or Luigi happily runs away. After this, he goes to the Hint Room, with a special power-up and a Toad explaining a basic use of the power-up to Mario, but only in the normal worlds, excluding the second half of World 8.

New Super Mario Bros. 2[edit]

In New Super Mario Bros. 2, the Game Over screen is similar to the Game Over screen from New Super Mario Bros. Wii, except that the Game Over sign drops down one letter at a time, starting with "G" colored in red, and that there is a lack of the puff of smoke. There is also no exclamation point. Additionally, Mario does not cry when receiving a Game Over, and he and Luigi do not say anything when accepting to continue.

New Super Mario Bros. U / New Super Luigi U / New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe[edit]

In New Super Mario Bros. U, New Super Luigi U, and New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe, just like in previous games, the Game Over screen appears just before the Continue screen, except this time the words "GAME OVER!" appear in purple. In multiplayer, if some (but not all) players get a Game Over, no "GAME OVER" signs appear at all; instead, the Continue screen appears before returning to the world map, and any eliminated player has their life counter reset to five lives. A "GAME OVER" sign also appears if the player fails Boost Rush.

The Game Over animation is different in New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe, appearing letter by letter. The Continue screen is also different: The continue count is black with a white outline instead of gray, the background's color corresponding to the character in use is solid instead of a light gradient, and some sound effects were changed.

Super Mario 3D World / Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury[edit]

Super Mario 3D World and Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury have the same Game Over screen and concept as Super Mario 3D Land, except it has a red background with a brown Game Over sign, and selecting "Continue" causes all Toad Houses and Lucky Houses to reopen. Like in previous games, when "Quit" is selected, the player is sent back to the title screen. In multiplayer, if a course is cleared when players are out on their last lives, no Game Overs happen; all players out are revived when returning to the world map, and the life counter increases by five for each eliminated player in the level. When getting a Game Over, Mario sighs and says, "Mamma mia..."; Luigi groans, "No, nooo! Oh..."; Peach sadly says, "Aww, whomp whomp wa..."; Rosalina moans, "Oh, no..."; and Toad makes a "why"-like screech. When continuing after a Game Over, Mario says, "All right!"; Luigi says, "C'mon!"; Peach says, "It's on!"; Rosalina says, "Never give up!"; and Toad laughs happily.

Super Mario Maker[edit]

In Super Mario Maker, if the player loses all of their lives in either the 10 Mario Challenge or the 100 Mario Challenge, the Game Over screen appears, depicting a black screen with Mario's death sprite in the middle, which drops down from the top of the screen with the letters of the words "GAME OVER" also dropping into place above, written in purple. Both the music and Mario's sprite are taken from Super Mario Bros., regardless of what game theme the current level was using when the player lost their last life. The hidden minigame Gnat Attack also has its own Game Over screen if the player runs out of time; the HUD and all enemies disappear while the same letters of the words "GAME OVER" drop into place. The player is then given an option to retry or quit.

Super Mario Maker 2[edit]

In Super Mario Maker 2, if the player loses all their lives in the Endless Challenge mode or the World Maker mode, the Game Over screen appears. The Game Over screen is similar to its appearance in the previous game, though it lacks any sprites; the "Game Over" theme played matches that of the game style used by the last played stage. In Story Mode, if the player loses all their lives, a similar screen is depicted, saying "TOO BAD..." rather than "GAME OVER"; this is followed by Luigi offering assistance with three choices:

  • Give up: Mario returns to the hub world without receiving a payment, and the failed job is temporarily unavailable.
  • Try Again: The player is able to restart the level from the beginning.
  • Call Luigi: Luigi comes and finishes the job for the player after saying, "Oh, ya! Luigi time!" and running across the screen.

As Luigi is playable in the Endless Challenge mode, he cannot assist the player if they receive a Game Over in that mode.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder / Super Mario Bros. Wonder – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup in Bellabel Park[edit]

In Super Mario Bros. Wonder and its Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, if the player loses their last life, text reading "Too bad!" appears ("Miss" in the Japanese and Korean version), Bowser's emblem closes out the screen while his laugh can be heard (with "Gwahahaha..." appearing onscreen), and the Game Over screen appears. The player loses 25% of their flower coins as a penalty (up to 50 flower coins) and is sent back to the world map. Prince Florian then gives the player five 1-Up Mushrooms.

Mario Kart series[edit]

In Super Mario Kart, if the player runs out of chances to retry the race, a white Game Over sign with a bubbly font bounces onto the screen and the screen darkens. One player can lose all chances and get a Game Over while the other continues with chances left. If no players can continue, the game returns to the title screen and the player must restart the cup from the beginning. If the player finishes a cup in fourth place or below, a "TRY AGAIN" screen that reads the following appears:

"[X]cc [name of cup] CUP RACE
[Character's name] CAME IN [X]TH PLACE.
TRY AGAIN."

Starting in Mario Kart 64, with the exception of Mario Kart: Super Circuit, there are unlimited chances, so Game Overs occur only if the player finishes a cup in fourth place or below in the Grand Prix mode (these Game Overs do not have the usual "Game Over" text), although in Mario Kart 64, the player must retry the race if the player finishes fifth or lower on a track. If the player loses all chances in Mario Kart: Super Circuit, the Game Over sign appears in blue text, while the same results screen music plays. Also, when playing in the 2 Player Grand Prix mode in Mario Kart: Super Circuit, neither player loses a chance if one player finishes fourth or higher. In Super Mario Kart, the text that displays when the player finishes in fifth place or below reads "RANKED OUT" in the same bubbly font as the Game Over sign, although it is red. From Mario Kart 64 onwards, the messages for placing fourth or lower in a cup are as follows:

Versus modes past Mario Kart DS can also yield a Game Over screen but with certain exceptions:

  • Mario Kart DS: "Defeat! Victory goes to [first-place player's name]." In the Team mode, the winning team is shown on the top screen. It says "Tie" if all players are placed first, or if both teams have the same score in the Team mode.
  • Mario Kart Wii: "The [color] team lost." In the British English version, it displays "The [color] team loses!" In case of a tie in a Team race, it says "Tie" in green ("Draw" in the British English version). In the case of finishing a friend GP, all results text (except the text relating to the player's team) shares the same color as when finishing a GP in the top three.
  • In the Team mode in Mario Kart 7, the "Nice Try!", "Too Bad!", or "Congratulations!" text changes color to the player's selected team.
  • In the Team mode in Mario Kart 8, it always shows "Congratulations!" regardless if the player is on the winning team or not, unless it ended in a draw.

In the Mario Kart Arcade GP subseries, the Game Over screen appears once the player chooses not to continue. Many international cabinets of Mario Kart Arcade GP DX do not have continues; at the end of these races, the Game Over screen appears. Timing out in a race may also result in a Game Over. This can also occur in a multiplayer race when 15 seconds pass after the first-place player finishes. If the player times out, "Time Up!" shows up, except in DX and VR, where the screen says "Time's Up" instead.[3]

Donkey Kong franchise[edit]

Donkey Kong Country[edit]

In Donkey Kong Country, against a black background, Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong are shown to be injured, with bandages on their faces. Donkey Kong covers his face, while Diddy has a bruised right eye and is holding the right side of his face in pain. The "Game Over" text is in the same stylized wooden font as the "Country" portion of the game's logo on the title screen. A funeral dirge plays, after which the screen stays until a button is pressed.

This also carries over to the game's Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance versions, along with slight modifications each time. The Game Over screen in the Game Boy Color version plays a different music track—a slowed-down version of part of "DK Island Swing".

In the 2003 Game Boy Advance port, the background is instead an overhead view of a foggy jungle, and Donkey Kong has a bandage on his chest instead of his chin. Unlike in the original game, the Game Over screen fades away when the music ends in this version.

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest[edit]

In Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, the Game Over text (styled like the Donkey Kong logo this time) slowly descends toward an image of Diddy Kong and Dixie Kong appearing tied to each other in a dark cell, with Diddy looking out the window in fear (alongside having a Neek near his left leg) and Dixie looking away in sadness. The entire image then turns crimson-red as the music winds down.

The background image can also be seen in error and anti-piracy screens in the game.

In the 2004 Game Boy Advance port, the entire screen has a purple tint (alongside the Game Over text having a slight pink hue), the animation is much slower, and the background image does not change to red as the music winds down. Instead, the option to save the game is shown.

Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble![edit]

In Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!, the Game Over screen consists of an image of Dixie Kong and Kiddy Kong inside a crib within a dark room, with Kiddy having a distressed face in closeup and Dixie sulking sadly with her arms crossed, which is shown after an off-screen door opens up. On the bottom of the picture, the "GAME OVER" text is shown, this time spelled in toy blocks which bounce along the notes of the Game Over jingle. After the jingle has ended, the player can press buttons to make music with the blocks. When the Start Button button is pressed or if the player does not touch any buttons for a few seconds, the door shuts to a black background.

As with Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, this Game Over screen is shown in anti-piracy and error screens.

The 2005 Game Boy Advance port reuses this Game Over screen, but the blocks have different colors, the background image is brighter and the music is instead a music box rendition of "Theme" from Donkey Kong Country. There is also no door opening/closing animation and the blocks cannot be interacted with.

Donkey Kong 64[edit]

Unlike previous games, because Donkey Kong 64 has infinite lives, there are two unique ways to get a Game Over: either choosing "Quit" in the pause menu (similar to Rareware's other game Banjo-Kazooie), or failing to shut down the machine's generator in Hideout Helm before the time limit expires. This time, instead of a simple picture, a brief cinematic plays, which shows King K. Rool laughing maniacally at the Kong crew before aiming the Blast-o-Matic at Donkey Kong Island. He then realizes he forgot to press the button to activate it, does so, and resumes laughing, as the Blast-o-Matic aims for Donkey Kong Island, charged up. While this happens, the "GAME OVER" text (using the same Donkey Kong font as the one from Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest, albeit now entirely yellow) zooms in and fades away. The scene then fades out when the Blast-o-Matic is about to fire.

Donkey Kong Jungle Beat[edit]

In Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, if Donkey Kong is hit while the beat count is zero, the barrel on the top of the screen breaks as the screen's colors are inverted, which then leads to Donkey Kong falling into a black void as leaf curtains close out the screen. Orange Game Over text then fades onscreen.

DK: King of Swing[edit]

In DK: King of Swing, the Game Over screen shows Donkey Kong or Diddy Kong in a blue jungle, disappointed, with the Game Over sign in red with yellow outlines. Selecting "Try Again" makes either Kong happy, while selecting "Quit" makes either Kong redo his death animation as he falls off the screen, then the player is sent back to the title screen.

DK: Jungle Climber[edit]

In DK: Jungle Climber, the Game Over screen has a black and gray background with Donkey Kong looking down, depressed, and shaking his head with the Game Over text using the same colors as in DK: King of Swing. If the player chooses to continue, the background will change to cycle between being orange and yellow as Donkey Kong rapidly pounds his chest while roaring. Choosing to quit the game simply causes the screen to fade to black before returning to the title screen.

Donkey Kong Country Returns / 3D / HD[edit]

In Donkey Kong Country Returns, its Nintendo 3DS port, and its Nintendo Switch port, the Game Over screen features the Kongs landing on the floor with a spotlight shining over them against a black background; they look down, disappointed and frustrated. The music that plays on the screen is an arrangement of the Game Over theme from Donkey Kong Country. Continuing the game makes the Kongs jump up in triumph, followed by returning to the world map, where four Red Balloons are then replenished. Quitting instead makes the Kongs upset and takes the player to the title screen. Selecting the save file the player previously got a Game Over on greets them with Cranky Kong via a message window, who offers the Kongs four Red Balloons as a "gift" for help. In two-player mode, the players receive three Red Balloons instead of four.[4]

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze[edit]

Funky Kong restocks the player with several Red Balloons after a Game Over.
Reentering a save file after a Game Over in the Wii U version of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
Funky Kong restocks the player with several Red Balloons after a Game Over in the Nintendo Switch version of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze.
Nintendo Switch version

In Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze and its Nintendo Switch port, the Game Over screen shows the Kongs trapped in a solid ice block, guarded by two Painguin Tucks. The Kongs look around fearfully while the two Painguin Tucks repress them with their spears. Choosing to continue the game makes the Kongs suddenly break out of the ice cube, scaring the Painguin Tucks away. A loading screen commences, leading to the world map, where the Kongs are replenished with four Red Balloons. However, if the player chooses to quit the game while on the Game Over screen, the Painguin Tucks will jump in the air, rejoicing, as the Kongs look down, despondent. If the player selects the same save file afterwards, they will be greeted by Funky Kong via a message window, stating that he offers four Red Balloons "on the house" to help them continue their gameplay.

The presence of any of Donkey Kong's partners within the ice cube depends on who accompanied him while the player lost their last life during gameplay. On Hard Mode, only the Kong that was played as when the last life was lost appears inside the ice cube.

Yoshi series[edit]

Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island[edit]

In Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, the Game Over screen has the words "GAME OVER" as pre-rendered 3D graphics on a black background. The game then asks "Would you like to continue?" with "Yes" restarting the current stage the player was in and "No" sending the player back to the world map.

Yoshi's Island DS[edit]

In Yoshi's Island DS, the Game Over screen has the words "Game Over" in orange and in a thought bubble with a white background. The game then asks "Continue?" with the same options as in the first game.

Yoshi's New Island[edit]

In Yoshi's New Island, the Game Over screen shows Yoshi disappointed underneath a spotlight. The background is black, and the words "GAME OVER" are in red. The game then asks "Keep playing" with the same options as in the first game.

Yoshi's Crafted World[edit]

In Yoshi's Crafted World, the Game Over screen has a purple background, and inside the board that resembles the text box in the Yoshi series are a disappointed Yoshi, a flower without petals (resembling the Smile Meter from Yoshi's Story), and the words "GAME OVER" in white. The game then asks either "Retry" or "Back to World Map", both options being placed in teal labels.

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars[edit]

In Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, a Game Over happens only during a battle when the party runs out of HP and is downed. The message "Game over...!" appears on the top of the screen with the music slowing down in speed and pitch. If a save is present, the game returns to the last location where the Save Block was used, retaining only the Experience Points obtained from previous battles for the party. Otherwise, the game goes to the file-selection screen. In the Nintendo Switch remake, the screen fades to black after a Game Over happens, with the exception of the player. Additionally, the text now reads, "Game over!" without the ellipsis, and a Toad provides a gameplay tip afterward.

There are some exceptions after the player gets a Game Over in battle, in which case the party is revived with one HP and can continue on the spot:

Mario Party series[edit]

In the Mario Party series, the first three games, Mario Party Advance, the Nintendo 3DS installments (Mario Party: Island Tour, Mario Party: Star Rush, and Mario Party: The Top 100), and Super Mario Party Jamboree – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV make use of Game Overs. In Mario Party and Mario Party 2, getting a Game Over is possible only if the player runs out of lives in Mini-Game Island/Mini-Game Coaster, while in Mario Party Advance, a Game Over occurs if the player runs out of mushrooms. The criteria for a Game Over in the 3DS games are as follows:

  • In Mario Party: Island Tour, when the player fails a minigame in Bowser's Tower, the player does a fourth-place animation under a golden yellow spotlight with a red Game Over sign. If the player chooses "Continue", they continue from the point where they failed the minigame. If the player chooses "Quit", they return to the selection screen.
  • In Mario Party: Star Rush, this occurs when the player touches an Amp in the Challenge Tower. The Game Over sign is orange.
  • In Mario Party: The Top 100, this occurs when the player loses all their lives in the Minigame Island. The Game Over sign is purple.

In Mario Party 3, one can get a Game Over in an Item minigame if either Baby Bowser or nothing is received. In the Japanese version of the game, however, "Miss!" is used instead.

In Mario Party 9, while it does not feature a standard Game Over screen, a unique Game Over appears in the Solo mode. If Shy Guy or Kamek/Magikoopa wins, they take all of the Mini Stars, and the player's character does their fourth-place animation. After that, a selection screen appears with the choices "Restart Stage" and "Back to Main Menu".

In Super Mario Party Jamboree – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV, this occurs when the duo/team runs out of time in the Carnival Coaster mode. The Game Over sign is white, and the screen usually fades to black; if this occurs on the Trial Coaster, Impostor Bowser breathes fire onto the coaster. Afterwards, the coaster returns to the start, and the player characters and the Toads on the coaster do sad animations.

Paper Mario series[edit]

One of the alternate game overs in Paper Mario.
The Game Over screen for Paper Mario

Paper Mario[edit]

In Paper Mario, the Game Over screen depicts Mario lying defeated (most commonly), covering his eyes with his cap, looking upwards exhausted, looking shocked, praying, or crouching while holding his cap under a spotlight with the orange words "GAME OVER", which appear in timing with the classic Game Over theme from the Super Mario franchise. The game then returns the player to the title screen upon receiving a Game Over.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door[edit]

Screenshot of Gus threatening a Game Over, from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Gus in Rogueport threatening the player with a Game Over

In Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Game Over screens appear very similar to the one in the previous game, with Mario still lying lifeless on the floor, albeit with an enhanced color scheme and the curtains closing and covering him, before coming back to the title screen. In addition, this is one of the first games of the Super Mario franchise to feature nonstandard Game Overs with five total, including:

In addition, the player can also get a Game Over by touching an overworld hazard with one HP, whereas in Paper Mario, Mario's HP will not go down if it is at one, meaning he could get a Game Over only during a battle.

In the Nintendo Switch remake, the Game Over screen is enhanced with the floor having a polka-dot pattern, the text is hung by strings and uses the modern font, and as with the rest of the remake, is now in widescreen. The player can choose to retry the scene, continue from their last save point, or return to the title screen, in addition to having the option to skip the Game Over screen.

Super Paper Mario[edit]

In Super Paper Mario, the Game Over screen now consists of only the text on a black background while the theme plays. The Game Over is also referenced throughout the game. This occurs once Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, or Bowser loses all HP (or five minutes pass in an enemy room in the Flipside Pit of 100 Trials or Flopside Pit of 100 Trials), and they do a death animation in the overworld. The game retains the nonstandard ways to get Game Overs, including:

  • Refusing to answer all three of Merlon's pleas for help at the beginning of the game before the player can even first take control of Mario (responding "Nah", "I don't wanna!", and "Still no.").
  • Declining Tippi's request to wear a helmet in Outer Space (responding "No" five times, then "Yes" three times).
  • Refusing Queen Jaydes' request to find Luvbi in The Underwhere (responding "No" four times).
  • Agreeing to team up with Dimentio in Castle Bleck (responding "Yes" four times).
"Game Over" as death[edit]

In Super Paper Mario, a Game Over is the equivalent of death, as extra lives make "death" a mild inconvenience.[5]

In that game, Dimentio sends Mario and his teammates to "the next world", albeit "while still very much alive",[6] which is similar to the philosophy of the afterlife. Mario, Luigi, and Bowser end up in The Underwhere, which resembles hell, where some Shaydes ask Mario how his "game", referring to his life, was. Also, many Shaydes can be seen discussing how they got a Game Over. The Overthere resembles heaven, surrounded by clouds, the sun, and rainbows. Princess Peach ends up there.

That said, all the conversations in The Underwhere seem to suggest that Shaydes can request an audience with Queen Jaydes, who will weigh in their sins and send them to The Overthere, submit them to punishments befitting of their crimes, or even return them to the land of the playing if the situation calls it.

The areas of The Underwhere or The Overthere where Jaydes sends the dead people are never clearly shown; all that are seen in The Underwhere are Shaydes that have not yet requested an audience with Jaydes, and D-Men who work for her, while all that are seen in The Overthere are Nimbis (and Skellobits that are invading). It is implied that the dead villains are condemned to an area below The Underwhere, where Bonechill was also imprisoned before he escaped. It is possible that the paradise dimension witnessed at the end credits may be an area of The Overthere, though what Nastasia says seems to suggest otherwise.[7]

One Shayde speculates that if a person dies in The Underwhere or The Overthere while already dead, their aftergame ends and they go to a "post-aftergame".

When Count Bleck was using The Void to destroy all worlds, The Void also appeared in The Overthere, indicating that it would even destroy the aftergame. Where all the dead characters (or even all the characters altogether) would have gone following the aftergame's destruction is unknown, though Lucy, a Flopside resident, speculates that the souls of the deceased would drift about aimlessly.[8]

Paper Mario: Sticker Star[edit]

In Paper Mario: Sticker Star, the Game Over screen uses a similar concept to the first two games in the series, with Mario lying defeated on the stage, but the spotlight and text are now purple and a different tune is present. The game also retains the presence of unique Game Overs, including:

Paper Mario: Color Splash[edit]

In Paper Mario: Color Splash, when Mario is defeated in battle, six Slurp Guys come in and drain all of his color, resulting in a Game Over. The Game Over screen is similar to Super Paper Mario's, except it is on a white background, the text is gray, and it uses an arrangement of the theme from the previous game. Other ways to get it during the game include: