Time Limit
A Time Limit or Timer is instituted in many Mario series games, especially early platformers.
Time Limit in Platformers
All the Super Mario Bros. series (not including the Doki Doki Panic version of Super Mario Bros. 2), Super Mario World, and even New Super Mario Bros. have time limits in most levels, that is, a certain amount of seconds to find the level exit (or a secret exit in the case of World). 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, but only while Red or Purple Prankster Comets orbit the galaxy. These ones go by true time rather than half-seconds.
Time Limit in Spin-Offs
Time limits appear in many Mario spin-off titles. In Super Mario Strikers and Mario Strikers Charged, 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.
