While Nintendo still does “limited-time game releases” on occasion, they also like to slowly load up the Virtual Console with popular and obscure games. While folks may have heard of it, Mario & Wario is as obscure as they come, especially back in the ’90s, when owning the Super Nintendo (SNES) mouse accessory wasn’t a given for every household.
The next batch of Nintendo Switch Online games (revealed by Nintendo via X) includes Bubsy in: Claws Encounter of the Furred Kind, Fatal Fury Special, and Mario & Wario. That last one is significant, as it was never released outside of Japan, and is considered a “lost Mario game” for many regions.
Mario & Wario Is Coming To Nintendo Switch Online
It’s Live Now On NSO
You can now play Mario & Wario on Switch thanks to the Nintendo Classics app, specifically the SNES module. You’ll indirectly control Mario via a fairy named Wanda, who guides a wandering Mario through levels, with no direct control over Mario himself. It’s a formula emulated in a select few games at the time, like Rocko’s Modern Life: Spunky’s Dangerous Day, and was somewhat similar to the popular Lemmings series.
Because it wasn’t a traditional platformer and was never released in the West, it fell into obscurity. Now you can boot up your Nintendo Classics SNES app and play this piece of gaming history for yourself. Given that it sports 100 levels, it could take you an entire weekend to finish this one.
Made By GameFreak, Mario & Wario Never Left Japan
It Was Originally Released In 1993
Originally released back in 1993 and developed by Pokémon steward GameFreak, Mario & Wario was somewhat legendary to some, as it never left Japan. There are multiple reasons why it never came westward, but the fact that it required an SNES mouse was pretty high on the list. The adoption rate wasn’t super high, and the mouse requirement was a non-starter for some fans.
That said, it was ripe for importers, as the game featured an English-language translation out of the box. Plus, with the Switch 2’s Joy-Con 2 mouse functionality, you’ll be able to play it just like the developers originally intended, similar to the Nintendo Classic release of Mario Paint. Note that you can also use a USB mouse in addition to the Joy-Con 2.
We’re entering a brave new era of localization, primarily due to how insatiable a lot of game enthusiasts are now. We’re living in an age of information, where games can be plucked from obscurity and plopped right onto center stage (or in this case, Nintendo Switch Online). Thankfully, Mario & Wario won’t be lost to time.
- Date Founded
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September 23, 1889
- CEO
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Satoru Iwata
- Subsidiaries
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Nintendo EPD, Nintendo SPD, Nintendo EAD
- Consoles
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Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo GameCube, Nintendo 64, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Nintendo Entertainment System, Nintendo Wii U, Nintendo Game Boy, Nintendo Game Boy Color, Nintendo Game Boy Advance, Nintendo Switch Lite
- Services
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Nintendo Switch Online