New 3D Mario game tipped for ‘massive’ release on Switch 2
It just wouldn't be a Nintendo console without a Mario title to launch it with, and hoping to follow in the footsteps of Super Mario 64 putting the N64 on the map and Super Mario Odyssey having us all 'switching' on our Switches, we're asking what the rumoured Switch 2 will be bringing to the table.
While it was once 2D Mario games that were wowing with their technological prowess, we've since moved on to his 3D adventures. There's a reason the 3D Mario games are held as some of the most influential of all time - inspiring everything from Banjo-Kazooie to Little Big Planet, Sonic to Crash Bandicoot.
Switch 2 could be getting a 'massive' 3D Mario game
Click to enlargeIt's been seven years since Super Mario Odyssey had us stomping around as a T-Rex, embracing our dark side as Goombas, and gobbling enemies as a Chain Chomp. We've previously heard about a sequel, but as we get ready for what's pitched as a new iteration of the Switch, the rumour mill is going into overdrive.
Nintendo leaker Zippo claims the next 3D Mario game will launch on the Switch 2 (or whatever it's called) and will be four times larger than all of the combined areas in Super Mario Odyssey. Considering Odyssey was a massive game with multiple lands, the mind boggles with how big the next Mario will be.
Then again, we've been starved of 3D Mario games, and as each previous entry has scaled up in size, it makes sense that Nintendo is going with the go big or go home mentality. Better yet, we could be getting a franchise first of the next Mario game being open-world.
It's time to power-up the franchise
Click to enlargeThe modern Mario isn't known for his sequels, with Super Mario Galaxy 2 being a strange outlier after we left Mario 64 and Mario Sunshine behind. We're not sure whether we'll be getting a full-blown Odyssey 2 or something new, but we know the series will have to reinvent.
Like Galaxy's planet-hopping capabilities or Odyssey introducing Cappy to possess anything and everything, the new 3D Mario game will need a hook. We previously heard fanciful leaks that we'd be getting a playable Luigi this time around, and to be honest, we think it's long overdue.
Thankfully, it's rumoured that Luigi, Princess Peach, Captain Toad, Pauline, and Donkey Kong could all be in the mix in some capacity. Zippo claims Nintendo has already finished the next Mario and is sitting on it ahead of a potential 2024 release, but as ever, it's a case of watching this space.
