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, including those in the extended Mario franchise, features incitatives to replay the game beyond "just" reaching the end of the main storyline. These may be through optional objectives, hidden collectables, ranking systems and the like.
Many of these games may indicate the player's completion percentage, usually on the save file selection screen. This page details how full completion is achieved in Mario games that feature it and what changes take place when it is achieved.
Completion in other games
Some games may feature side quest and objectives even if they do not track or acknowledge the player's completion total. For example, a player might consider Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door to only be fully complete if the player fill the entire Cookbook, complete every Trouble Center sidequests, find every Star Pieces… etc. For the purpose of organisation, this page only details games which explicitely track or acknowledge the player's total completion.
Completion requirements and effects
Super Mario series
Super Mario World
In Super Mario World, 100% completion requires finding all 96 of the game's exits. On the original SNES version, doing this put a star before the completion counter on the file seletion screen. In its GameBoy Advance port, Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2, doing this will trigger Fall, which changes the map colour scheme and the sprite of most enemies (Bullet Bills become Pidgit Bills, etc.); in the original version, these changes took place after completing the Special World.
Super Mario 64 and Super Mario 64 DS
100% completion is achieved by collecting all of the game's 120 Power Stars (150 in Super Mario 64 DS).
After collecting every stars, the following changes take place:
- The Penguin in Slip Slidin' Away becomes bigger.
- 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!" to "Nooooo! You've really beaten me this time, Mario! I can't stand 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! 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'! Bwaa ha ha! "
- The grate for the cannon outside of Princess Peach's Castle is taken out, allowing Mario to use it. In the original Super Mario 64, this 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 Rabbit on the roof.
Super Mario Sunshine
100% completion in Super Mario Sunshine is achieved by collecting all of the game's 120 Shine Sprites. Collecting them all change will replace the after-credit picture of Il Piantissimo finding the Magic Paintbrush to a group photo of the game's friendly characters with the caption "Have a relaxing vacation!" The screen in Delfino Plaza also becomes progressively bright as the player collects Shine Sprites.
New Super Mario Bros
New Super Mario Bros has up to 3 stars show up next to the player's save file by completing hidden objectives. They are:
- Beating Bowser's Castle
- Spending all 240 Star Coins.
- Finding all alternate and secret exits.
Super Mario Galaxy
In Super Mario Galaxy, collecting the game's 121 Power Stars and beating the final Bowser battle again will unlock the "Super Luigi Galaxy" mode, where the players plays the main storyline again as Luigi. Collecting all 121 stars again as Luigi unlocks the Grand Finale Galaxy.
Donkey Kong series
Donkey Kong Country
Donkey Kong Country features a completion tracker on the save file, which goes up to 101%. In addition to completing levels and defeating bosses, the counter goes up when the player finds every Bonus Area in a level. After every bonus area in a given level is found, a ! appears next to the level's name on the world map. It is only necessary to find the Bonus Area and it is not necessary to win it, the sole exception being the bonus hiding another bonus in Oil Drum Alley.
The only effect obtaining 101% completion has is changing Cranky Kong's line "If I had been playing, I'd have found everything! I'm sure there must be some bonus rooms you haven't found!" in the ending to "What a player you are, Donkey my lad! You've beaten the Kremlings, and found absolutely everything! You're nearly as good as I used to be!"
Donkey Kong Country 2
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy Kong's Quest counter goes up to 102%. Full completion is achieved by collecting all Kremkoins and DK Coins in the game. Unlike the first Donkey Kong Country, successfully completing a bonus area is necessary to collect the Kremcoin and have it count toward the completion percentage. Collecting all Kremcoins allows the players to access the levels in the Lost World: completing them all will unlock a second battle against Kaptain K. Rool and the game's true ending.
Collecting the DK Coins changes Cranky's dialogue in the Cranky's Video Game Heroes portion of the ending, changing between each increment of 19 DK coins. If the player collects them all, Cranky says "I'm not afraid to admit it, Diddy m'boy. Even I'm wrong occasionnaly. You,re as big of an hero as they come. You must take after me and Donkey. Well done! Like the first Donkey Kong Country, a ! will appear next to the level's name when all Bonus Areas have been completed, and a DK Coin icon will appear next to the level's name when it is found. Using the cheat in Pirate Panic to collect all 75 Kremkoins at once will not count toward the completion percentage.
Donkey Kong Country 3
103% completion in Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! is achieved by collecting all Bonus Coins, all DK Coins and all Banana Birds. Unlike Donkey Kong Country 2, finding all DK Coins is also necessary to be able to view the game's true ending, because collecting all DK Coins unlock the Gyrocopter, which is necessary to find the last few Banana Bird Caves.
Donkey Kong Country 3 also features 105% completion if the player enters the TUFST code. Completing the game in this manner will give the player a trophy of Cranky Kong wearing a black belt Karateka outfit and the rank "Immortal Monkey!".
Donkey Kong 64
Obtaining 101% completion in Donkey Kong 64 is achieved by collecting all 3500 Bananas, all Golden Bananas, all Battle Crowns and photographing all of the Banana Fairies. Doing this unlocks an humourous alternate ending showing the Kongs swimming away with K. Lumsy followed by Cranky Kong doing "auditions" of the game's cast.
Wario series
Wario Land II
100% completion in Wario Land II is achived by collecting all 50 treasures, completing the Picture Panel and viewing all of the game's 5 endings. Achieving this unlocks the minigame Flagman D.D and the bonus level Steal the Syrup's treasure!!.
