Super Mariohas a pretty huge presence on the Nintendo Switch, to the surprise of nobody. Nintendo startedSuper Mariooff strong on the Switch thanks toSuper Mario Odyssey,which took Mario’s jaunts into 3D platforming to new heights thanks to Cappy’s assistance and Mario’s greatly expanded platforming skills. Aside fromOdyssey,Nintendo has fostered platforming creativity on Switch throughSuper Mario Maker 2,which vastly improves on its Wii U predecessor, and it’s dipped into plenty of belovedMariospinoff franchises throughSuper Mario PartyandMario Golf: Super Rush.Nintendo’s mascot is everywhere at once on the Switch, as he deserves to be.
However, in spite ofall these greatMariogames, Nintendo somehow hasn’t gotten around to making a traditional side-scrolling platformer forSuper Mariothat’s exclusive to the Nintendo Switch. The closest thing the Switch has isNew Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe,but that’s just an expanded port of the Wii USuper Mario Bros.installation. Nintendo really ought to whip up aSuper Mario Bros. Switchsometime soon that brings Mario and his friends back to their roots. The Switch is a great console for co-op 2D platforming, so it makes sense to give the Switch its ownSuper Mario Bros.game.
RELATED:Paper Mario Should Finally Give The Thousand-Year Door’s Luigi His Due
Super Mario’s Surprising Omission
The Switch definitely has greatSuper Mariogames already. For instance,Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Furycame to Switch in 2020, porting anotherMarioWii U title while adding a great 2-player expansion starring Mario and Bowser Jr. However, there’s a fundamental issue at the heart of3D World: not everyone is keen on 3D platforming. The depth perception and spatial differences in a 3D platforming game can be pretty frustrating to some people, even if they’re some ofSuper Mario’s biggest fans. This group of fans would certainly appreciate a new mainline sidescrollingMariogame on the Switch, but for some reason that just hasn’t happened yet.
That absence is especially strange when considering the fact that Nintendo clearly hasn’t abandoned the 2D sidescrollingSuper Marioformat.Super Mario Maker 2is entirely 2D, even when using itsSuper Mario 3D Worldaesthetic, and other titles likeSuper Mario Bros. 35have hearkened back to the traditionalMariomodel. Even so, Nintendo seems content to settle for a port of a Wii USuper Mario Bros.game, rather than create a new game for Switch. The result is thatSuper Mario’s core series of games is far more quiet than ever.
RELATED:Where to Buy Paper Mario: The Origami King Cheap for Black Friday
Getting Back to Mario Basics
Making a new 2DMariogame for the Switch just makes sense.New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxeis old enough that a hypotheticalSuper Mario Bros. Switchwouldn’t butt heads with it, and it’d offer a great alternative to the 3DSuper Mariogames that dominate the console.The Switch’s power to hand off a Joy-Conto a friend for instant multiplayer is perfect forSuper Mariotoo, as previous games have proved; a 2DSuper Mariogame with simple controls makes perfect use of the Switch’s design.U Deluxesold many millions of copies in its time, too, providing all the necessary evidence that Switch users are interested in sidescrollingMariogames.
In March 2022, the Nintendo Switch will celebrate its fifth birthday. It’s hard to believe that the Switch is that old already, but perhaps more importantly, it’s shocking that the Switch has gone years without getting a brand newSuper Mario Bros.game.The originalSuper Mario Bros.serieswas what launched the brand to stardom, and theNew Super Mario Bros.games were huge hits on the Wii and Wii U. It only seems right that Nintendo keeps that part of theSuper Mariofranchise alive by giving it a new title on the Switch, which is one of Nintendo’s best-selling consoles to date. Mario has gone on some incredible adventures on the Switch, but it’s about time that he touches base with his origins.
