Now that the Switch has been out in the wild for over three years, it’s time for some fantastic Mario franchises to make their way over to the hybrid console, spin-off series that have been out of the spotlight for a couple of years.
Here are four Mario sub-franchises that we would love to see on the Nintendo Switch soon.
Paper Mario
The Paper Mario franchise started out on the Nintendo 64 and ever since then, each new home Nintendo console has received an entry in the RPG-like franchise. But, with the lackluster releases of Paper Mario: Sticker Star on the 3DS and then Color Splash on the Wii U, the series has become stagnant.
Sticker Star was ripped of the deep RPG mechanics that were loved and adored in The Thousand-Year Door and Color Splash’s combat was also criticized for being slow and simple.
But something that every Paper Mario game is praised for is its witty writing, soundtrack, and astounding presentation and the Switch is the perfect place to bring the series back into the spotlight.
Developer Intelligent Systems has proved that it can deliver a complex and entertaining RPG with Fire Emblem: Three Houses and it’s time for the team to make another Paper Mario that can compete with The Thousand-Year Door, or at least come close.
Let’s bring back the classic turn-based style from the first games in this sub-series and introduce new characters and an exciting new plot. There’s been an unfortunate lack of Mario RPG’s on the Switch and this would be a great first step but there’s also another iconic RPG series starring Mario that could also make a comeback on Nintendo’s excellent hybrid console…
Mario and Luigi RPG
The Mario and Luigi RPG series branched off after Super Mario RPG released on the SNES and were lengthy handheld adventures starring the dynamic duo that had fantastic writing and a combat system that required timed button presses for attacks and evading, giving players lots to do during battles.
Unfortunately, the development studio behind the Mario and Luigi games, AlphaDream, filed for bankruptcy late last year and the news was a huge bummer for fans of the sub-series.
This led folks to the big question as to what team would take over the series going forward and would we even see a new entry? A Mario and Luigi title has never been released on a home console so it would be neat to see how a new entry would look like if it took advantage of the power of the Switch.
I would vote for Square Enix to take over the series and co-develop it with Nintendo but if it’s too busy with remaking Final Fantasy’s, then maybe the Bravely Default team or even Intelligent Systems could take a crack at it.
Mario Strikers
I cannot think of a more popular sport than soccer right now and for some reason, there is a lack of Mario sports titles on the Nintendo Switch besides Mario Tennis Aces and that needs changing ASAP.
Mario Strikers Charged was the last Mario soccer title to be released and since developer Next Level Games finished up Luigi’s Mansion 3 last year, maybe there’s a chance that the team could bring back the frenetic and action-packed sports franchise for a modern audience.
The game could have online multiplayer, ranked matches, a mix of other sports that could work as mini-games, and even more characters and power-ups to add variety.
Mario Picross
I’m going to admit this right now because I have no shame, but today was the day that I learned that there was a Mario Picross series of games out there. As a newer fan of Picross thanks to Murder by Numbers on Switch, the idea of new Picross game starring items from the Mario universe would be very exciting.
The Mario Picross games were sort of a cult hit when they released on the SNES and Game Boy and Nintendo needs to bring it back. Let us solve Picross puzzles to uncover iconic Mario objects, enemies, and items like a Piranha Plant or a Goomba. I could easily see this being a cheap, downloadable title on the eShop that comes loaded with new features and maybe even a competitive online multiplayer mode?
Racing against friends to see who can solve a Picross puzzle the fastest sounds like a grand ol’ time.
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