With talk about the Nintendo Switch 2 on the tips of everyones tongues, we thought that there couldn’t be a better time to start up a conversation on everything we know about the next 3D Mario game.
In all honesty, we’ve been thinking about the next Nintendo Switch for a couple of years now and dreaming about what the next instalment in the 3D Mario series might be like since the success of Super Mario Odyssey.
But can you blame us? An open-world-esque Mario game that brought so many new features to the table (and not just Mario running around in a safari suit or with a sombrero in order to get into specific level segments… and just for fun).
The arrival of the Mario movie made things even more exciting too – Kranky Kong making an appearance as King of the Kong’s, Kamek sorcelling up everything he could get his grubby little mitts on; it was almost too hard for Nintendo fans to keep it together!
To cut a long story short, Mario fever is rife, and the only cure is to get our game on.
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Capitalising On The Mushroom Kingdom Hype
We all loved the fact that the Switch shipped with Breath of the Wild back in 2017. Zelda sells consoles, and Breath of the Wild was probably the biggest shift up in a game series that we’ve ever experienced to date.
Still, the fact remains that everyone expected a Mario title to launch with the Switch too. A new console headed up by Nintendo’s world-famous poster boy would have made total sense – he’s the don of gaming, and my last name allows me to comfortably say that.
Ok, so a Mario title did come out 7 months after the Switch dropped, which technically isn’t a long time to wait. But Mario is an unstoppable force right now and probably the safest, surest bet that people would flock in their thousands to buy the Switch 2 on release day.
Well, that and the rumour about the new console having a whopping 8-inch screen too! That will make ‘kick-back-couch-gaming’ even better!
A Word From Professional Mario Fans
In our professional opinion (and that’s code for people who have played more Nintendo games than have had hot dinners), we’re definitely thinking that Mario will lead the charge for the Nintendo Switch 2.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie has been a phenomenal success, breaking box office records like our CEO Brandon breaks through Pokemon booster packs. Super Mario Wonder and Super Mario RPG have both captured the hearts and minds of gamers everywhere, and Nintendo knows that we’re all chain-chomping at the bit for a new 3D adventure.
Sources claim that Nintendo has actually finished the sequel to Mario Odyssey and has it under lock and key, which is a pretty Nintendo thing to do.
Don’t forget that they dropped Metroid Prime Remastered without any warning whatsoever, so I wouldn’t put it past them to just send out Switch 2 bundles with the next Mario 3D game inside to gaming stores with the words ‘surprise’ written on the delivery note.
Super Mario Odyssey Two Has Big Boots To Fill
According to the rumours doing the rounds, Mario’s next 3D adventure is set to be the biggest Mario game of all time. We still can’t get over seeing Mario moving around New Donk City and interacting with ‘real world’ items like Taxis, and if the sequel to Odyssey is going to be even bigger, then we’re thinking it’ll have to go fully open world.
Can you imagine a game with Mario running around the sprawling hills of the Mushroom Kingdom, visiting the nesting places of the Yoshi’s and climbing up to the High Cliffs that he and Peach were gazing at so fondly in the movie?
Comicbook, via information from everyone’s favourite Nintendo rumour-mill Zippo, stated that the next 3D Mario game is going to be around four-times the size of every level in Mario put together. Imagine the scale of what we’ve experienced in Odyssey multiplied by four… that would definitely take some beating!
But would it make everyone happy?
Could Old Opinions Ground-Pound On Mario’s Progress?
I once had a chat with a bartender who had a Zelda Skyward Sword tattoo on his hand about where the Zelda series was heading, and he told me that ‘Skyward Sword was the last real Zelda game’. It’s an opinion that many other fans share too, and I can sense the same opinions cropping up around Mario’s newer adventures.
Many die-hard Mario fans are old-school, and rightly so, especially the ones that have been there from the very beginning and feel connected to the progress of the series. Nintendo pushed Super Mario Bros. Wonder about as far as they could with Elephant Mario and the new power-ups, but the general bones of the classic 2D formula are still the same.
So, are people going to enjoy what could potentially be an open world Mario game, or will they see it as something ‘too far removed’ from the norm?
I’m hopeful that, with the new movie, the new games, and a whole host of new Mario fans to add into the Nintendo family, that people will accept whatever progress Nintendo make with this next title.
As I said above, I honestly think that Mario is an unstoppable force right now, and I think even those wary of a newer, larger world wouldn’t take much persuading to jump on the cappy-bandwagon and give it a try.
Nintendo do know how to make everyone happy and create titles that tick multiple boxes. And if this next box is checked off, then I reckon they’ll all but guarantee to put a smile on every Mario fan’s face.
Nintendo Favourites Could Be Playing A Bigger Part In Mario’s Next Adventure
I’m just going to come out and say it – Donkey Kong is rumoured to be in the next Mario game.
I know that I kind of gave it away with the picture above and the huge shadowy picture of Donkey Kong in the featured image above, but I couldn’t hold it in any longer.
Let’s look at the facts – we know that Nintendo is opening a Donkey Kong themed area in Super Nintendo World this year, and we’ve had new Donkey Kong Lego sets dropping too. Seth Rogan has spoken about his plans for a Donkey Kong spin-off, and Nintendo are bringing out a new Mario vs Donkey Kong game for the first time in 9 years.
Coincidentally, the first Mario vs Donkey Kong game dropped 20 years ago, and as we’ve seen from the film, Mario and DK have patched up their differences from the jumpman days and are ready to take on the world together.
Nintendo never do anything without meaning to – have they been getting us ready for the idea that Mario and Donkey Kong will be working together in the next 3D Mario game since the trailers for the Super Mario Bros. Movie began?
We’ve also read numerous sources stating that Pauline will return in the new game, and that Toad will play a bigger part, assumedly as the fan-favourite Captain Toad if we’re going to be getting a direct sequel to Odyssey.
Let’s not forget this tweet from @Matthasnocuts stating that Luigi is going to be in the game too – it’s starting to sound more like Mario Party than a 3D Mario adventure game… but I’m not complaining about that at all!
Final Thoughts
If you haven’t guessed by now, we’re huge Nintendo fans, and collating down everything we know about the next 3D Mario game is just as exciting for us to write as it is for you to read and speculate over.
We spend our days thinking about ‘what might happen here’ and ‘what that level might look like’, and we’re very fortunate that we get to share all of these findings and chit-chat with you guys out there, whether you’re currently reading this on the train, in bed, at the office, or scrolling while walking the dog.
As always, rumours that we’ve found while trawling the internet should always be taken with a pinch of salt, but let’s not forget that leakers like Zippo have been right about things in the past!
Seeing Mario and Donkey Kong working side-by-side in a new Mario game would be incredible. And I mean, why not – it worked for Sonic and Mario for many years, and it’s not like DK and Mazza haven’t worked together before, right?
As always, keep coming back for more info on the next 3D Mario game as and when we get it!
