Summary
- The Nintendo Switch successor is nearing reveal, signaling a potential new era for iconic franchises like Mario, Zelda, and Pokemon.
- Recent absence of major releases in 2024 suggests preparation for big titles like Metroid Prime 4 and Pokemon Legends in 2025.
- The Switch 2 should feature strong 2D and 3D Mario games, possibly with a sequel to Super Mario Odyssey for a successful launch.
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 like Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Pokemon, and so on will likely follow. Mario and 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 like Metroid Prime 4 and Pokemon Legends: Z-A settle into 2025 launch windows, while more reserved titles like Mario & Luigi: Brothership and The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom take 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.
The First Switch Just Had A 2D Mario Revival
2024 may not have played host to any “core” Mario Bros. Titles, but 2023 did. After having gone years since the launch of New Super Mario Bros. U, and even its Switch re-release, with no major 2D Mario games, Super Mario Bros. Wonder blindsided 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 even new voice actors for the Mario brothers, Mario Wonder was a breath of fresh air after the increasingly homogeneous-feeling New 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 by Super Mario Wonder’s gameplay invite further iterations with more gimmicks to keep itself from going stale. With its assets made, another 2D Mario title in Wonder's vein probably won't take as long to make. All of these reasons and more are why another 2D Mario game should be inbound for the first few years of the Nintendo Switch 2. If nothing else, it would confirm that 2D Mario still 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 3D Mario at this point, even with the franchise’s 2D and RPG sides back and better than ever. Super Mario Odyssey was an incredibly strong cap to the Nintendo Switch’s already stellar first year, and with The Legend of Zelda’s latest round of major titles seemingly spent on the Switch’s last two years, it will probably fall to Mario to give the Switch 2 a big 3D hit. Fans have been expecting a Super 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 experimental open world seen in Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury yet. 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 of Super Mario's major fronts should be ready early in its life, while the other keeps the momentum going strong later on.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 91 /100 Critics Rec: 98%
- Released
- October 20, 2023
- ESRB
- E For Everyone // Mild Fantasy Violence
- Developer(s)
- Nintendo EPD
- Publisher(s)
- Nintendo
- Engine
- ModuleSystem engine
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer, Local Multiplayer
- Franchise
- Super Mario
WHERE TO PLAY
- Platform(s)
- Switch
- Genre(s)
- Platformer
