Nintendo Franchises That Were Killed Off Too Quickly

Summary

Nintendohas many franchises in its lexicon that still get new entries, fromThe Legend Of Zeldato the Mario universe. However, for every successful franchise that the company keeps vitalized with sequels, prequels, reboots, and spin-offs, others are not so lucky for various reasons.

Over the decades that Nintendo has developed and published games, sometimes a franchise starts and manages to make a name for itself, but much to the dismay of the fans, it gets sidelined. Sometimes these franchises last a few games before they end, while others were meant to be the start of the new franchise but never got a single follow-up.

After appearing as the main villain inSuper Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins,Wario took over the handheld gamesand became the star ofWario Land. The series thrived on the Game Boy and other handheld consoles with multiple sequels until the final game,Wario Land: Shake It!for the Nintendo Wii.

Nearly everyWario Landgame received a warm reception with high ratings and praise from gamers, but afterWario Land: Shake It!, the series seemed to vanish under Nintendo’s nose. Wario has since been reduced to simply being an addition to Mario games likeMario PartyorMario Kart, much like his partner Waluigi.

Over many years,Earthboundhas becomean iconic part of the SNES libraryas it gave fans a contemporary/sci-fi RPG, unlike most games at its time. It was unfortunately reduced to being a cult gem because the original marketing was too focused on advertising that the game was gross and would disgust players, when in fact it was nothing like that.

Earthboundwas instead a complex RPG about children trying to save their world from an alien invasion. It was technically the second game in theMotherseries, butMother 1andMother 3were Japanese exclusives. DespiteEarthboundbeing a beloved classic these days, the series never continued pastMother 3,other than characters appearing inSuper Smash Bros.games.

Another regular ofSuper Smash Bros.games, the Ice Climbers, got their start in the action-based platformer simply titledIce Climber. The object of the game was simple: climb to the top of a mountain in each stage while fighting enemies. This concept could been expanded upon with more gameplay mechanics and level designs.

Considering the rise of challenging platformers such asGetting Over ItandOnly Up,as well as theadvancement of climbing mechanics in games,Ice Climberin the modern age of gaming could be Nintendo’s take on the niche subgenre. However, the Ice Climbers are another example of a solo outing that managed to be featured in other Nintendo franchises, but never really took off on their own.

In the late 90s, when3D platformers were taking the world by storm,Banjo-Kazooiewas created by Rare, and it became an instant hit on the Nintendo 64 with an equally enjoyable sequel. Unfortunately,Banjo-Kazooiefell apart when Rare was purchased by Microsoft. The third game,Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts, went in a radically different direction and was unsuccessful.

Ever since the third game,Banjo-Kazooiehas been a dead franchise. So much so, that some of the original developers went on to make a spiritual successor,Yooka-Laylee. The characters of Banjo and Kazooie did make a grand return inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate, but many fans hope to see the bear and bird return to their platforming adventure again.

In theworld of space combat games,Star Foxhas always been a strong balance of fun and challenge.Star Foxhas a strong title for the SNES, Nintendo 64, and a few games on handheld. Sadly, the franchise has struggled to recover from the third game in the series:Star Fox Adventuresfor the Nintendo GameCube.

Rather than a space flight game,Star Fox Adventureswas closer to an action adventure in the same vein asThe Legend Of Zelda. Fans weren’t happy, and ever since,Star Foxhas rarely had a new entry. The latest game,Star Fox Zerofor the Wii U, flew under the radar. Since then,Star Foxhas been neglected, apart from Nintendo’s exclusive content forStarlink: Battle For Atlas.

The Mario universe is filled with various party game spin-offs, such as theMario Partygames,Mario Kart, and many sports-related titles that all have sequels. However,Fortune Streetremains a solo entry. This title took a board game idea similar toMario Party,but closer toMonopoly,with property management starring Mario characterscrossing over withDragon Questcharacters.

In Square Enix’sFortune Street, players can not only buy properties like inMonopoly,but there is also the stock market to add more variety and strategy when playing with multiple people. It was far more difficult than other Mario spin-off games, but that was part of its charm. Unfortunately, the lack of marketing led toFortune Streetfailing financially, and it never got to be a proper franchise.

During the NES era,Punch-Out!was a major hit for the system and provided many memories for gamers as a nice homage and parody ofRockymovies. It featured famous boxer Mike Tyson as the final boss, which also boosted its sales, with over two million copies sold back in 1988. A more obscure sequel was also made for the SNES.

In 2009,Punch-Out!made quite a return on the Nintendo Wiiwith a reboot that added 3D visuals that added to the well-animated characters. It also featured motion controls that were still fun and loyal to the original. The reboot was a big hit on the Wii with 1.3 million copies sold. With the Joy-Cons on the Switch, it would seem ideal to bringPunch-Out!back, but that has not happened.

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiemwas Nintendo’s answer to famous horror titles such asResident EvilandSilent Hill, with many praising it for itsunique meta ways of toying with the player. Throughout the game, reality would change and even play tricks by making it seem like the television was turned off or settings were being changed, combined with the physical threats in the game.

There were plans for a sequel for the Wii U, Xbox 360, and PS3, but the developers at Silicon Knights were hit with budget cuts and staff cuts until they were forced to close down. Especially after their previous game,X-Men Destiny, was a critical and financial failure due to said cuts. Eternal Darkness 2has since been just a dream fans wish would come true.

During a time when open-world games were an almost alien concept,StarTropicswas far ahead of its time. The player can explore freely, talk to NPCs, gain knowledge,and tackle dungeons in any order. In many ways, StarTropics was likeThe Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wildwith its structure, showing it would work in the modern age.

There was aStarTropicssequel known asZoda’s Revenge: StarTropics 2for the SNES, but that one is even less known than the first game. Ever since, Nintendo seems to have forgotten the existence ofStarTropics, while loyal fans still hope for the day that the game is remade for the Switch or a new surprise sequel is announced.

1The Legendary Starfy

Starfy Could Have Been The Cutest Nintendo Mascot

Internationally, gamers were introduced toThe Legendary Starfyon the Nintendo DS in 2008. This was actually the fifth game in a franchise that had existed in Japan since 2002, but never released outside of it. The aquatic fantasy adventures of a talking starfish mix simplistic leveltraversal akin toKirby gameswith spinning attacks likeCrash Bandicoot.

The Legendary Starfywas considered a gem for the DS, even if it wasn’t the most original game ever made, with some hoping to see the franchise continue all over the world. Instead, Starfy was reduced to a power-up inSuper Smash Bros.The Legendary Starfysuffered from low sales and the series has yet to make a comeback, even in Japan.