Time Limit

A Time Limit or Timer is instituted in many Mario series games, especially early platformers.

Time Limit in Platformers
Most Mario platformers created before Super Mario World 2 have a time limit for each level, giving the player a certain amount of seconds (or smaller time increments) to complete the level. These limits usually start large (300/400), but are no less than 200 and are used as a means to keep the Player moving throughout the level, and not have a luxury of "waiting" for enemies to clear on their own by falling down a pit, for example. Faster music cuing the player to finish up the level occurs often if there are less than 100 left. Also, when a level is finished successfully, the time left is multiplied by a certain number, varying by game (often 50), and added to the player's score. The timer speed goes approximately in half-seconds.

However, levels are designed in such a way that they can be beaten well before the time limit expires. If it does expire on a tortoise-moving player, a life will automatically be lost, along with a "time up" message before being returned to the level or map screen. Strangely, if the player starts at a midway point in a level after dying, the time resets all the way back up to the original starting time, making it easier to complete.

Some platformers levels use the time limit to provide an additional challenge. An example is the Super Mario World level Funky.

Also, Super Mario Galaxy uses the time limit as a challenge (a legitimate one at that), but only while Red and some Purple Prankster Comets orbit the galaxy. These ones go by true time rather than half-seconds.

Mario Platformers with Time Limits

 * Donkey Kong (Original version)
 * Donkey Kong Jr.
 * Super Mario Bros.
 * Super Mario Bros. 2 (Original version)
 * Super Mario Bros. 3
 * Super Mario Land
 * Super Mario World
 * Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
 * Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3
 * Donkey Kong (Game Boy version)
 * Mario vs. Donkey Kong
 * New Super Mario Bros.
 * Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis
 * Mario vs. Donkey Kong 3: Minis March Again!
 * New Super Mario Bros. Wii

Mario Platformers without Time Limits

 * Mario Bros.
 * Wrecking Crew
 * Super Mario Bros. 2 (Doki Doki Panic version)
 * Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
 * Super Mario 64
 * Yoshi's Story
 * Super Mario Sunshine
 * Yoshi Topsy-Turvy
 * Yoshi Touch & Go
 * Super Princess Peach
 * Yoshi's Island DS (includes an optional Time Trial mode)
 * Super Mario Galaxy (includes optional Speedy Comet challenges)
 * Super Mario Galaxy 2 (includes optional Speedy Comet challenges)

Time Limit in Spin-Offs
Time limits appear in many Mario spin-off titles. In sports games such as Mario Smash Football and Mario Strikers Charged Football, the match has a certain time limit which can be manually set from two to 15 minutes. If the scores are equal after the time has run out, a sudden death follows.

In the Super Smash Bros. series, the Time mode is one of the rules setting options for VS mode. After the set time limit has run out, the KO scores of the players are compared and the player with the most points wins.