Gaming - News
Things Only Adults Notice About Mario
By NATHAN P. GIBSON
Mario In Jail
In "Paper Mario: Color Splash," which is rated "E for Everyone,” Mario is captured by Snifits and placed in jail. Then, a Snifit threatens Mario and remarks, "Well, I've already locked you in jail. There isn't actually much worse I can do without raising this game's age rating," suggesting that the Snifit wants to be a lot more violent to Mario than he is allowed to be.
Mysterious Tape
In another example from the "Paper Mario" sub-series, Koot enlists Mario to visit Goompa and ask about an item only referred to as "The Tape," but the exact contents of the tape and why it is so secretive are never revealed to Mario. Koot is desperate for its return and the implications are that it contains nefarious or otherwise adult-only content that Koot is ashamed of.
Drug References
One of the more obvious adult references in any game featuring Mario is the rather overt reference to illicit drugs. Almost every single "Super Mario" game involves collecting mushrooms that can imbue a variety of effects on the user, which has led to comparisons between the fictional mushrooms and real-life magic mushrooms.
Private Item
The item known as "Toadstool's ???" appears briefly in "Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars," and is a mysterious object in Princess Toadstool's room that if you try to examine will cause either the Princess or her Grandma to yell, "Mario! Stop peeking into other people's rooms!" Considering that "Toadstool's ???" is hidden in her bedroom, it may be raunchy.
Peach’s … Friend
In "Paper Mario: Color Splash," Princess Peach introduces Mario to the player and the magic paint can by saying: "And this is my … friend Mario. He jumps on things and hits them with a hammer when necessary." The way that Peach pauses before deciding to call Mario simply her "friend" may indicate that they actually share romantic feelings for each other.
