Everybody loves Mario. Since the early days of video games, Nintendo’s Italian plumber has been a staple of the gaming industry, providing us with hours of endless fun and adventures. Just look at the fanfare around Mario at any given time of the year and it is easy to classify the franchise as simply being timeless. The success of the new Mario movie starring Chris Pratt has also reiterated this notion.
Since Mario, with his charismatic moustache and iconic voice, continues to be Nintendo’s favourite legacy franchise, there were bound to be some new Mario games announced for the Nintendo Switch at Nintendo Direct 2023. And that’s exactly what happened!
Mario is coming to the Switch again, and this time, there will be a double dose of entertainment with two new titles. Super Mario Bros. Wonder will grace the Nintendo Switch as a brand new 2D side-scrolling title. At the same time, a remake of the SNES superhit Super Mario RPG is also on the cards.
Both titles are said to be exclusive to the Nintendo Switch console and both will be released before the end of 2023.
So, without further ado, here’s a quick look at both Mario titles announced at Nintendo Direct 2023.
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New Mario games announced for Nintendo Switch at Nintendo Direct 2023
‘Super Mario Bros. Wonder’
Most folks’ love for Mario grew with the 2D side-scrolling titles on Nintendo consoles of the past. Hence, after 18 years of sticking to the formula, Nintendo is back with another Mario title in the same 2D side-scrolling format. Super Mario Bros. Wonder revolves around something known as Wonder Flowers. As their name suggests, these Wonder Flowers are truly wonderous in nature as, when Mario touches them, the world around him also changes. A Wonder Seed undoes everything.
With the Wonder Flower activated, Mario goes into a sort of hallucination. The classic Mario world begins to throw funny challenges at our favourite plumber, including herds of cattle, moving surfaces, bending pipes and a lot more. The Wonder Flower also seems to alter Mario’s appearance. The trailer shows Mario in a stretchable monochromatic state, and we even got a glimpse of Elephant Mario* (adorable, might we add).
*The Elephant Mario form is courtesy of a power-up, not the Wonder Flower.
Other than that, Mario’s abilities have been upgraded too. In the trailer, we see Mario swimming up waterfalls and grinding on rails. Super Mario Bros. Wonder also allows players to step into the shoes of Daisy, Peach, Luigi and Toad.
The game will allow for local multiplayer sessions and Nintendo is planning on releasing it in October 2023.
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The ‘Super Mario RPG’ remake
The era of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System saw a Mario title that went on to become the ‘must-play’ game for every 90s kid. Super Mario RPG changed the role-playing game genre with its interesting plot and advanced 2D graphics. Fans who missed playing it on the SNES had to rely on emulators so far to get a taste of Super Mario RPG but Nintendo has finally decided to do something about it.
Announced at Nintendo Direct 2023, the Super Mario RPG is coming to the Nintendo Switch on November 17, 2023. A remake of the original 1996 title, Super Mario RPG will keep the story and characters intact but give it a necessary graphical boost to keep up with the times.
Players will be able to play as Mario, Bowser, Princess Peach, Mallow and Geno in the new Nintendo Switch Mario game, taking on the Smithy Gang to recover the seven stars needed to repair the Star Road. The game keeps the isometric camera angle and diorama-inspired look from the original but boosts the texture quality. The gameplay also seems to be running at 60 fps, which should make for a more eye-pleasing experience.
How Twitter is reacting to the new Nintendo Switch Mario games
Here’s how Twitter reacted to the two new Mario titles announced
luigi: where’s mario?
peach: i think we should address the elephant in the room
mario: pic.twitter.com/Umv3FNbNO6
— Scooter 🦊 (returning for now!) (@FamiliarScoot) June 22, 2023
Name a better glow-up than the blue void from Mario RPG. pic.twitter.com/knfMXNmUjX
— Stephen J. Plant (@StephenJPlant) June 22, 2023
showed my mom the trailer for Super Mario Wonder and she’s already challenging me to a race in that game. I can’t wait to get it
— Jose Gutierrez (@16Koalatea) June 22, 2023
The direct was so amazing!! I love Mario games so much and hyped we get another princess peach game too
— Poke Girl Elsa (@FashionGirlPika) June 22, 2023
I love how the entirety of smrpg Twitter is going feral ITS WHAT WE DESERVE 🤌✨ #NintendoDirect #geno #mario
— spag (@SketchiBun) June 22, 2023
(Hero and Featured Image Credits: Courtesy Nintendo)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Super Mario Bros. Wonder and the Super Mario RPG remake were announced at Nintendo Direct 2023.
The Super Mario RPG remake will be released on November 17, 2023.
Excluding the two titles announced at Nintendo Direct 2023, there are 17 titles featuring Mario on the Nintendo Switch.
