Mario’s 35th birthday is coming with some classic games for the Nintendo Switch, including Super Mario 3D World, Super Mario 64, Super Mario Galaxy and a new battle royale mode for the original NES game.
In the latest special Nintendo Direct for the iconic character’s anniversary, the company had also confirmed some rumored games including 3D World which would be ported for Switch. A first trailer showed the Wii U game running with enhanced visuals and 60 frames per second. Like the earlier release, players can jump into the levels alone or with three others in co-op. The Switch joy cons can also be divided to share with friends and family for docked or tabletop mode. 3D World was a sequel to 2011’s Super Mario 3D Land and doubled-down on a straight-to-the-point variety of platforming levels. New power-ups including the cat suit granted characters extra speed and agility across levels while its climbing mechanic let players reach hidden areas for unlockables.
But Nintendo also hid an extra surprise by announcing a brand new DLC titled Bowser’s Fury, which added new levels for the Switch and was set on a stormy island with temple ruins. The DLC, along with the Switch version of 3D World will be coming on February 12, 2021.
35 players can soon play the original Super Mario Brothers on the Switch with a new multiplayer mode. But instead of appearing in the same game, players will instead be going through the single player mode concurrently with 34 others as they send enemies and other obstacles at others. Through progression, every power-up and defeated enemies will jump over to other games. This also means random hordes of Koopas, Bullet Bills and Goombas will be ambushing players across all eight worlds in an effort to stop them. An item roulette gives players storable power-ups which can increase the odds of survival in the Mushroom Kingdom. Four strategies include a buff for lowest time, coins and attackers while the last Mario alive wins the battle royale. Like Tetris 99, players won’t be directly competing while every playthrough is parallel. The mode is exclusively available on October 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021 for Nintendo Switch Online members, who can access the NES games including Super Mario Brothers.
Nintendo also announced the first three Super Mario Bros. games and The Lost Levels are coming in an All-Stars pack, upgrading its graphics and audio for the Switch system. It was also surprise-released on the Super NES collection for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers.
Super Mario 64 will be coming to the Nintendo Switch in all of its polygon glory, keeping all of its platforming and intricate boss battles intact. This is also the latest official release of the game since it was made for the DS in 2004. Super Mario Sunshine will also be coming from the Gamecube for the first time since 2002, adding a water gun and jetpack as perks in this 3D platformer. The trailer showed a few graphical improvements for textures and lighting while the buttons are mapped accordingly to show the joy cons. The critically-acclaimed Wii classic Super Mario Galaxy is also coming to the hybrid console, sporting refined controls and the crispy 60 fps performance from the original. Players will be exploring various planets in search of stars while jumping across some of the best 3D platforming levels the series has made to date. But many have also noticed its sequel Super Mario Galaxy 2 won’t be making the Switch cut as it featured a surprising number of improvements and a deeper experience than the first.
Bundled together as Super Mario 3D All Stars, the classic trio of games will be coming as a collection for the Nintendo Switch with HD resolutions, a 16:9 aspect ratio to fit the screen and the same Wii motion controls for Galaxy through the joy cons. The soundtracks from each game will also be accessible in a music player. Surprisingly, players only have to wait until September 18, 2020 to start playing them. A physical and digital release of the game will come in a limited run until the end of March 2021.
