In a world full of creative and original ideas, the gaming industry has fallen into the same trap as movies and television. Instead of promoting new and original ideas, they are set to recycle the tired and true things they believe will sell. Nintendo isn’t content to rest on its laurels like many developers, but the Mario games have recently relied on sure-fire crowd pleasers and a wide spate of rereleases instead of exploring new opportunities.
For example, Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door remake released recently. It’s my first Mario RPG that I’ve played. But looking into it, I wondered why I hadn’t played one before.
The reason is, there hasn’t been original Mario themed RPGs since 2015, and their heyday ended in 2009. The Paper Mario, Mario & Luigi, and Camelot’s Mario sports series all ended, or changed genre to something unrecognizable (though I have heard The Origami King is good, though a puzzle game), and apart from occasional remakes Mario RPGs have disappeared.
When did Nintendo last approach a Mario adventure in a completely fresh and new way?
When did Mario last embark on a new adventure that didn’t directly resemble Super Mario 64 or Super Mario Bros.?
Despite the Switch being the largest selling Nintendo system in the company’s history, one of its flagship franchises — arguably, the flagship franchise — has only two original games for the console. Apart from the Rabbids crossover games, there haven’t been palate cleansers installments or chances to explore different genres and styles of play, or narrative dives into the Mushroom Kingdom’s world.
After the success of the Super Mario RPG and The Thousand Year Door remakes, I hope this dry spell ends and Nintendo produces more roleplaying games with that unmistakable charm and polish. With the announcement of Mario and Luigi: Brothership, perhaps we are seeing a return to a robust publishing schedule from Nintendo’s IPs.
Pow Block Podcast – A Nintendo Podcast by Boss Rush
Pow Block Podcast is the Nintendo podcast for The Boss Rush Network and Boss Rush Media. Each week, Edward Varnell, Corey Dirrig, and their friends from around the internet discuss the week that was in the world of Nintendo, including news, rumors, new and upcoming games, NSO, answer listener questions, discuss their weekly snacks, and more. New episodes now release on Tuesdays for everyone.
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