Super Mario Bros. first released on the NES in 1985 and revolutionised gaming with smooth platforming mechanics, iconic power-ups, world design, and a pixellated moustache-bearing Italian plumber with a penchant for magic shrooms! 35 years on, the Mario brothers have featured in some 256 games, including puzzle titles, sports games, racers, RPGs, fighting games, and shooters: an impressive résumé to say the least! And all while fighting a giant fire breathing turtle dragon. Though it does make you wonder how it is the Princess has been consistently kidnapped all these years…?
While there were some slightly perplexing updates regarding limited title releases and leaks prior to the event, it’s clear Nintendo are going all-out in celebrating the iconic plumbers 35th anniversary. It also makes you curious about what they might have planned for The Legend of Zelda’s anniversary next year, but whether you’re more of a fan of his 3D outings, a casual fan, or that one die-hard WiiU devotee, there’s something to look forward to for everyone.
1 – Super Mario Bros. Game & Watch
Technically Nintendo’s first handheld system, predating the Gameboy, the Game & Watch series was released by Nintendo from 1980 to 1991, typically featuring a single game based on a Nintendo franchise with an LCD screen with a watch function: hence “Game” and “Watch”. These 4-bit handhelds included titles from Mickey Mouse to Balloon Fight, and even Donkey Kong to The Legend of Zelda, each with their own themed shell designs and inspired Gunpei Yokoi to create the revolutionary D-Pad!
Initially it seemed like yet another rerelease of the same Super Mario Bros. game we’ve played countless times – at this point there are probably refrigerators that can play it. However alongside Super Mario Bros., the new Game & Watch system will include Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, clock functionality, and 35 other features, of which we don’t know much about. Though it should be noted that this snazzy gold hardware will be a limited edition release for November 13th, a theme that sadly seems to pop up a lot during this Direct, meaning it will probably become a hard-to-find collectors item before long…!
2 – Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Revenge
For this announcement you could practically hear fans shout “Finally!” at their screens! One of the few WiiU titles that hadn’t been ported over, Super Mario 3D World initially released in 2013 for the sadly underwhelming WiiU and introduced a chaotic multiplayer system to the Mario Kingdom. Not to mention Cat Suits with the ability to scale walls, look adorable, and excite furry Mario fans…
Super Mario 3D World was a perfect WiiU title and it’s easy to see the appeal this will have on Switch, given it’s superior portable design. But like the Mario and Luigi rereleases recently for 3DS, this time round it also includes a mysterious bonus story we know little to nothing about called Bowser’s Revenge. If it follows in line with Mario and Luigi’s extra story modes, it’ll probably put players in control of Bowser and his minions – even better if they get their own cat forms! Though admittedly a cat-suit Bowser or Goomba conjures slightly monstrous images…
3 – Super Mario Bros. 35
“Yet another version of Super Mario Bros.??” I hear you say? Well… yes. But, like Tetris 99, it’s an updated version of the ye ol’ plumber platformer classic with a multiplayer feature of up to 35 players where you race to the end of each level and send defeated enemies to your competitors screens in a bid to knock them out of the game and be the last player standing! It sounds chaotic, completely insane, but heaps of fun!
However there are a few downsides. First, we certainly don’t need to be reminded that the Nintendo Online service has a tendency to not work particularly well. For many players, Smash Bros. Ultimate can be a frustrating mess with extreme lag hindering the competitive experience and even Tetris 99 – as vastly simpler as it may be – can be affected as well. So long as these issues are ironed out, Super Mario Bros. 35 should be a hilarious experience! But then this introduce the second problem: it’s a limited release. It seems to be a weird decision on Nintendo’s part that, even despite being a digital title, Super Mario Bros. 35 will only be available to Switch Online members from October 1st until March 31st.
4 – Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit
What’s better than Mario Kart? Mario Kart with RC cars, of course! With an October 16th release, Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit brings the popular kart racer to your living room floor with RC cars of your favourite plumber brothers, controlled via your Nintendo Switch. These RC cars feature a camera that functions as a semi-augmented reality when viewed on your Switch with flag posts that seem to help it create tracks to race on. Seeing how Nintendo started life way back in 1889 and went on to become a toy company before diving into the video game market, Mario Kart Live bridges the companies history in toy production and video games together in a way that reminds us that Nintendo’s upmost design value is placed on fun, if a little zany. Though the toy’s to life game design has seen mixed success recently, no doubt Mario Kart will be something of a hit – though that all depends on how affordable the Karts will be.
5 – Super Mario All-Stars rerelease
With upgraded visuals and sound, Super Mario All-Stars was originally an SNES rerelease of classic NES and Famicom Mario titles, including Super Mario Bros. (1985), Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (1986), Super Mario Bros. 2 (1988), and Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988). This time round the collection will be available via the SNES Nintendo Switch Online Collection, and available straight after the event as well! It’s a fun compilation of classic Mario titles that are still remembered fondly today, and Super Mario Bros. 3 is still a near-perfect platforming experience 32 years later!
6 – 3D Super Mario All-Stars
The last announcement of the Direct may have been frustratingly leaked, however there’s no doubt this still excited Mario fans watching! With the legendary Super Mario 64 (1996), hideously underrated and under-appreciated Super Mario Sunshine (2002), and revered Super Mario Galaxy (2007) being packaged into one collection with polished, HD visuals and wide-screen optimisation, as well as a music player mode, this 3D Super Mario collection has been something Switch players have been clamouring for since we first caught a glimpse at Mario Odyssey! Though I’d still love them to make a full remake of Mario 64 with Mario Odyssey assets.
That being said, yet again there are some curious decisions made about this release. For one thing, it’s great to see Mario Galaxy here, but it seems strange not to include Mario Galaxy 2. More pressingly, it’s another limited release – available from September 18th to March 2021! It’s one thing to make limited physical releases, but why make the digital version limited as well? Even so, it will no doubt be a popular, highly sought after collection to add to our Switch libraries!
