Summary
Although its release window is unknown, the elusive Nintendo Switch successor is creeping closer to its reveal. With the current Nintendo Switch looking like it will complete a stunning eight-year reign as Nintendo’s primary gaming system, Nintendo has rung almost all that it could from the console/handheld hybrid. The time for something new feels like it’s coming fast, and entries in iconic Nintendo franchises likeSuper Mario Bros.,The Legend of Zelda,Pokemon, and so on will likely follow.Marioand co. should ensure that the Switch 2 has a strong launch year, and lead into another healthy Nintendo generation.
On that note, preparations for the next generation of Nintendo titles have become evident through the absence of massive first-party releases in 2024. As projects likeMetroid Prime 4andPokemon Legends: Z-Asettle into 2025 launch windows, while more reserved titles likeMario & Luigi: BrothershipandThe Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomtake precedent, the feeling that something big is coming only deepens.Super Mario Bros.in particular has seen a string of remakes, remasters, spin-offs, and side games across the last year, which might be foreshadowing a push early on the Switch 2 for both of its main game fronts.
2024 may not have played host to any “core”Mario Bros.titles, but 2023 did. After having gone years since the launch ofNew Super Mario Bros. U, and even its Switch re-release, with no major 2DMariogames,Super Mario Bros. Wonderblindsided fans with a fantastic new entry in the series. Featuring a new art style, a variety of new gameplay gimmicks packed into the Wonder Flowers and Badges, and evennew voice actors for the Mario brothers,Mario Wonderwas a breath of fresh air after the increasingly homogeneous-feelingNew Super Mario Bros.era.
A Super Mario Bros. Wonder Sequel Should Grace The Switch 2
It would be a shame to stop there, as the main concepts introduced bySuper Mario Wonder’s gameplay invite further iterations with more gimmicks to keep itself from going stale. With its assets made,another 2DMariotitle inWonder’s veinprobably won’t take as long to make. All of these reasons and more are why another 2DMariogame should be inbound for the first few years of the Nintendo Switch 2. If nothing else, it would confirm that 2DMariostill has a place in Nintendo’s modern lineup, even as its 3D counterpart continues getting its own releases.
The Switch Successor Should Have Big 2D And 3D Mario Games
There’s no way Nintendo can neglect 3DMarioat this point, even with the franchise’s 2D and RPG sides back and better than ever.Super Mario Odysseywas an incredibly strong cap to the Nintendo Switch’s already stellar first year, and withThe Legend of Zelda’s latest round of major titles seemingly spent on the Switch’s last two years, it will probably fall toMarioto give the Switch 2 a big 3D hit. Fans have beenexpecting aSuper Mario Odyssey 2, or some equivalent, for years now, so the Switch 2 should be where it happens.
3D Mario’s Next Title Could Make The Switch 2’s Launch
Adding on to that, there’s been no follow-up to the experimentalopen world seen inSuper Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Furyyet. Since it was released halfway through the Nintendo Switch’s lifespan, whatever it was leading up to should be ready sometime within the launch window for the Nintendo Switch 2. Supposedly, the Switch 2 was delayed internally for the specific purpose of releasing alongside more software, so at least one ofSuperMario’s major fronts should be ready early in its life, while the other keeps the momentum going strong later on.
