So there have been discussions on a few different threads about the next Mario game but I thought it was a big enough topic to have its own thread and I couldn't find a suitable existing one.
I'm assuming at any time a Mario game is being worked on at Nintendo, this could be a big team coding away or a couple of people brainstorming ideas or building small proof of concepts for new mechanics etc.
Right now, there has to be a new 3D Mario game in development and I think it will be a launch title for the Switch 2.
There have also been rumours about new a 2D game and also that the "Mario team" are working on a Donkey Kong game.
I went to the cinema tonight and I saw a new trailer for the Mario movie with new scenes I hadn't seen before. In one of those scenes Donkey Kong is platforming with Mario and picks up a Fire Flower, which I thought was interesting as I've been saying for a while that I thought the idea of Mario and Donkey Kong in a game together as playable characters could be a great direction to go in.
I think we'll get a new 2D Mario game on the Switch 2 also (not Mario Maker 3) and I think the only hope of a new Mario game release on the Switch 1 would be another port.
What does everyone think? What would you like to see?
I’d like more of an open level word feel like bowsers fury. Great platforming tests within areas or within secret pipes or mirrors that take Mario into a 2.5d world similar to odyssey when gone in to 2d pixel Mario or galaxy’s set camera sections. Areas of travel being far that you can go places mario kart style via standard 8 kart.
We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.
@1UP_MARIO I think for the bigger budget tentpole 3D games you're probably right. But with the 2D games an amount of reinvention is required, plus there have been rumours for a while than the Mario team have been working on a 2D Donkey Kong game.
I suspect we'll be getting both a new 2D Mario AND a new 3D Mario early next gen. Both sides of the IP haven't had a game in quite some time and feel like they're being held back for next gen. I also think they'll both be new and original entries different from anything we've seen before. I don't think these entries are NSMB5, SMM3, Sunshine 2, Galaxy 3, or Odyssey 2. They're going to be something different altogether.
For the 2D games, NSMB has drawn complaints for all of the entries looking and feeling too similar, so I think they've spent the entire decade since NSMBU figuring out what direction they want to take 2D Mario (while releasing ports and retro inspired projects in the Mario Maker games and NSMBU Deluxe to tide fans over). What could that new direction be? No clue. But whatever it is, such a game is best saved for a new console, where its bold new direction could help promote new hardware in need of proving that it's capable of new and improved experiences better than what the Switch could offer.
As for 3D, they always do something completely new when they make the jump to next gen, they seem to like designing the 3D games around the capabilities of the console (64, Sunshine, Galaxy, and Odyssey are all completely different games. 3D Land and 3D World may be similar to each other, but they're also on companion consoles, so that's not really "next gen"). The next gen 3D Mario is probably going to be a completely original entry different from all others with different game mechanics, settings, and characters. As for what kind of game that could be, I think we have a better idea of what this game would be like thanks to Bowser's Fury. I think Bowser's Fury is a small scale experiment into open world Mario gameplay that this game will fully realize. I think it'll be structured similarly, with a series of levels that you could complete in any order, walk to at your leisure, and should you desire, explore its depths to find all of its collectibles. This formula seems to be a good mix of the linear and sandbox styles so it's worth building on. I think Bowser's Fury is about the size of one world in this game, so a full game would be about 6-8 times as large as this.
Now the interesting question is when will these games launch? Well first of all I don't think they'll debut them in the same year, they'd cannibalize each other. But I do think they'll release on back to back years (and there's precedence for this, as they did the same on the 3DS with 3D Land in 2011 and NSMB2 in 2012, and the Wii U with NSMBU in 2012 and 3D Land in 2013). Which one is first is an interesting debate. Personally I think they'll do 2D Mario first and 3D Mario Year 2. 2D Mario typically sells more and if the games are as I expect, the 2D game will be more different since it'll be something totally never before seen instead of just an expansion of a side mode we've seen previously, so that would make the 2D game a better choice for a launch year title (possibly even a Day 1 launch title). However, you could easily make an argument for 3D Mario coming first instead and I wouldn't be opposed to that.
@Bolt_Strike Really good post, I agree with almost everything you said.
I disagree on the release order, I think 3D Mario will be a launch title, but I'm just speculating. Reading your post got me thinking, I agree with the next 3D game being a new concept, possibly similar in the open world style as Bowsers Fury, but I wonder if we could see two new 3D games in the next generation? There could be the new concept title at launch/year 2 and they could do a follow up to a previous title (Odyssey 2, Galaxy 3, Sunshine 2) in say, year 5. We've had two Zelda titles this generation, but the timing means that is almost impossible for the next, but two 3D Mario titles could happen!
With regard to 2D, I agree with there has to be a reinvention, based on the movie trailer, i'm just hoping it involves Donkey Kong, it could be epic!!
@MarioBrickLayer Well again, I'm not going to argue with anyone that thinks 3D Mario will be first. There's definitely merit to starting off next gen with a big open world 3D game too.
I don't think they're interested in making a sequel to an older Mario game. As I said they seem to design the games around the console they debut on. I don't think they're interested in revisiting an older idea, when they move on to next gen they're done with the idea. I think a second 3D Mario game might be more along the lines of a sequel to the first, similar to how they made Galaxy 2 as their second game on the Wii.
I think they'll probably re-release 3D All Stars in 2025 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of SMB, possibly even add in Galaxy 2/3D Land. New Mario releases I feel depends on when new hardware is inbound and what type of hardware it is (i.e. if you consider the Switch as the GB, is the new hardware more like a GBC or GBA).
If it's a GBC type device, I could see the next 3D Mario being like 2027/2028 and there being a 2D Mario before 2025. But if it's a GBA type device then I could see 3D Mario being a launch year title (maybe even a launch title) for the new hardware and then a 2D Mario a year or so later.
@Bolt_Strike You could make a strong argument for 2D being first, depending on what the other launch titles are. I think Metroid Prime 4 might be a launch title, what if Mario Kart is? Maybe a 2D Mario sits better along side those and you save 3D Mario for year 2 - who knows for sure!
I know what you're saying, you might be right, I was just thinking a 3D Mario sequel is a quicker game to develop as you're not having to develop the new concept. A sequel to the next game could be what they go for, either way I think we have a good chance of two 3D games on the next console.
@FawfulsFury I'm leaning towards 2024 having a 2nd Booster Course Pass. Like Wii Dry Dry Ruins is coming to Tour on Wednesday but I don't see it appearing in the current pass because Koopa Cape and Rainbow Road are much more popular Wii tracks that are in Tour and Nintendo's only picked massively popular Wii tracks for the current pass so far.
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