Once upon a time, the peaceful Mushroom Kingdom was invaded by the Koopa, a tribe of turtles famous for their dark magic. These terrible terrapins transformed the peace loving Mushroom People into stones, bricks, and ironically, mushrooms, then set their own evil king on the throne. In the wake of the ghastly coup d'etat, the beautiful Mushroom Kingdom fell into ruin and despair.

It is said that only the daughter of the Mushroom King, Princess Toadstool, can break the evil spell and return the inhabitants of Mushroom kingdom to their normal selves.

But the King of the Koopas, knowing of this prophecy, kidnapped the lovely Princess and hid her away in one of his castles.

Word of the terrible plight of the Mushroom People quickly spread throughout the land, eventually reaching the ears of a humble plumber. The simple, yet valiant Mario vowed to rescue the Princess and free her subjects from King Koopa's tyrannous reign. But can Mario really overcome the many obstacles facing him and become a true hero?