The whole Mushroom Kingdom in one grid
Nintendo has created some of the most iconic characters ever, and this word search gathers them. You'll be hunting for the heroes — MARIO, LUIGI, LINK and the heroine SAMUS — friends and foes from YOSHI and TOAD to BOWSER and WARIO, and beloved worlds from ZELDA to SPLATOON.
Each puzzle pulls a fresh selection from the list, so the line-up changes every time you play — gentle on Easy, and a Hard-mode boss level once the diagonals and backwards words appear.
Heroes, villains and worlds in the grid
The grid is packed with Nintendo's roster. There are the plumbers MARIO and LUIGI, the dinosaur YOSHI, the helpful TOAD and the mushroom-hating GOOMBA; the hero LINK from the world of ZELDA; the bounty hunter SAMUS from METROID; the pink puffball KIRBY; and the ape DONKEY KONG. You'll also spot whole series — STARFOX, PIKMIN and SPLATOON — the spiky villain BOWSER and greedy WARIO, the power-up MUSHROOM, and the SWITCH console it's all played on today.
The company that kept reinventing play
Here's the surprise: Nintendo is over 130 years old and didn't start with video games at all. It was founded in Japan in 1889 making playing cards, and only moved into electronic games decades later. Its breakthrough came in 1985 when 'Super Mario Bros.' helped rescue a crashing games industry — and MARIO, designed by Shigeru Miyamoto, went on to become the most famous character in gaming, a cheerful plumber recognised by more children than almost any cartoon star.
What sets Nintendo apart is a knack for clever ideas over raw power. While rivals chased better graphics, Nintendo invented the modern D-pad, brought motion controls to the living room with the Wii, and made the SWITCH a console you can lift off the TV and carry anywhere. Its games are built to be easy to pick up but hard to master, which is exactly why they cross generations — grandparents and grandkids both know MARIO and ZELDA. That broad, friendly appeal makes Nintendo a guaranteed hit of a puzzle theme and a fun spelling challenge for younger fans.
Great for gamers of all ages
Nintendo spans generations, so it's a crowd-pleaser for a games club, a rainy day or a young fan — Easy mode uses a small grid with no diagonals or reverse words. Play online, print a PDF pack, or use Make Your Own to build a grid from your own favourite characters.