Mario’s 2D games have naturally evolved over the course of 40 years, but there are some things the Nintendo mascot has always been able to do. He has always been able to jump, eat mushrooms to get bigger, and consume flowers to give him fire power. However, there’s one core mechanic that has been there since the very beginning that began life as a bug.
That mechanic is Mario’s ability to dash over small gaps. From Super Mario Bros. to Super Mario Bros. Wonder and every 2D game in between, if you hold the B button while Mario moves, he dashes. Dash over a gap that’s only one block wide, and the plumber doesn’t fall, sort of like he’s running so fast that for a brief moment, he can defy gravity.
It’s a novel idea, except technically, it wasn’t an idea at all. In an interview with Casa Brutus spotlighted by Nintendo Everything, Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto revealed the ability for Mario to dash over narrow gaps without falling was a bug that the studio decided to leave in the final game during the development of Super Mario Bros.
“Truth be told, that was actually a bug caused...
