Mario Bros Level Up Retrospective

Mario Bros Level Up retrospective format

Coins Collected

What wins and achievements did we collect this round?

Coins represent the wins, successes, and small victories your team earned during the sprint or project. Encourage everyone to celebrate both big milestones and the smaller everyday achievements that add up. This is a great opening topic to set a positive tone and recognize contributions across the whole team.

Goombas in the Way

What blockers, obstacles or enemies slowed us down?

Goombas are the obstacles, blockers, and frustrations that got in the team's way. Framing problems as enemies to defeat helps depersonalize issues and keeps the conversation constructive. Encourage the team to be specific so these can later be turned into actionable improvements.

Power-Ups

What gave us a boost or helped us perform better?

Power-ups are the tools, practices, people, or habits that gave the team a noticeable boost. Think of the mushroom, fire flower, or star that made things easier or faster. Identifying these helps the team double down on what's working and amplify it next round.

Next Level Goals

What do we want to achieve in the level ahead?

This topic looks forward to the next sprint or cycle — the next level the team wants to reach. Encourage concrete, achievable goals and commitments that build on the wins and learnings from this round. End the retrospective on a motivating, forward-looking note.

When to use this retrospective

• When a team's retrospectives feel repetitive and you want a fun, themed format to re-energize participation.
• After completing a sprint or project milestone where there are clear wins to celebrate and obstacles to learn from.
• When you want to build psychological safety and encourage quieter team members to share more openly.
• For team-building sessions or end-of-quarter reviews where a lighthearted, gamified tone fits the mood.

Suggested icebreaker questions

• If you could have one Mario power-up at work this week, would it be the super mushroom, fire flower, or invincibility star — and why?
• Which video game character best represents how your sprint went, and what would they say about it?

Ideas and tips for your retrospective meeting

• Set the scene with the theme up front — a quick reference to the Mario universe helps everyone get into the playful mindset and lowers the barrier to sharing.
• Keep the metaphor consistent: coins are wins, Goombas are blockers, power-ups are boosts. This makes contributions easy to categorize and keeps the energy fun.
• Timebox each topic so the game keeps moving and you don't get stuck on one 'level' — aim for a balanced session across all four areas.
• Make sure Goombas (blockers) translate into concrete action items so the fun doesn't replace real follow-through.
• Encourage every player to add at least one coin to celebrate wins — this builds inclusivity and ensures positive recognition isn't dominated by a few voices.
• Watch for the loudest voices taking over; use grouping and anonymous adding in TeamRetro to balance participation and reduce bias.

Frequently asked questions