The plumber who captured our hearts 35 years ago is taking a bit of a victory lap. Nintendo made a series of sudden announcements at the Super Mario Bros. 35th Anniversary Direct that will no doubt please the avid fanbase. After years and years of collective pleading, we will finally be able to play Super Mario Sunshine on the Nintendo Switch due to the imminent release of Super Mario 3D All Stars, available from September 18th to the end of March 2021. Also included in this bundle is Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Galaxy, though the begging for Super Mario Galaxy 2 on Switch must persist. All three aforementioned titles will have higher resolutions than their original versions and subsequent optimization for an improved Switch experience.
From Super Mario Galaxy being compatible with two Joy-Con controllers (replicating the original Wiimote experience) to Super Mario Sunshine now being handheld ready, Nintendo has made a series of accommodations bringing these classic titles into a new generation. The collection even has a built-in music player allowing you to listen to all three soundtracks whenever you want! It is no doubt a lavish experience for those who love Super Mario’s earliest 3D titles, but Nintendo made sure to remind us that the Mario experience is much bigger than one collection.
Image courtesy of Nintendo
On February 21st, 2021, an enhanced version of Super Mario 3D World is finally touching down on Nintendo Switch, shortening the list of high-profile Wii U titles that are unavailable for any other console. Details about the Bowser’s Fury expansion are scarce so far, but it’ll no doubt serve as further motivation to revisit an unsung classic. One last big-time release comes in the form of Super Mario Bros. 35, which adds online multiplayer to the 35-year-old game that built an entire empire. The game launches digitally on October 1st, 2020, and is available until the end of March 2021. It is accessible through a Nintendo Switch Online subscription, which costs you $20 for a whole year and gives you access to over 80 NES & SNES titles. If all this isn’t enough for you, you can look out for a color screen Game & Watch system on November 13th and augmented reality Mario Kart on September 16th! With the sheer amount of content announced in just over fifteen minutes, it is obvious that Mario just gets better with age.
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