Debuting all the way back in 1985, technically even earlier if the plumber’s first appearance inDonkey Kongcounts, theSuper Mario Bros. franchise has been around for almost four decades now, and in that time, the titular Italians have appeared in just about every type of video game genre imaginable. Platformers, sports games, kart racers, turn-based RPGs, party games -the Mario brothershave done the lot, and while most spin-offs are fondly remembered by most fans, there are still a handful of underrated gems in the pile.Mario Pinball Landis certainly one of them.
The Game Boy Advance generation marks a special era in Nintendo’s life. Coming hot off the heels of the Nintendo 64, Nintendo continued to innovate and experiment with its next mainline console, the GameCube, where many underrated Nintendo titles got their start. TheGame Boy Advancefollowed a similar pattern, with Nintendo releasing countless really special, experimental titles for the handheld.Mario Pinball Landfalls into that category, and it’s the perfect contender for Nintendo Switch Online.
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Nintendo Switch Online Should Start Adding More Bizarre Spinoffs Like Mario Pinball Land
Over the last six years almost, Nintendo Switch Online has evolved quite a bit. Initially free, Nintendo Switch Online has slowly become a service worth paying for, with a good selection ofNES, SNES, Genesis, and N64 gamesbeing available to download and play right on the Switch itself. It’s no Virtual Console, but it does carry forward the same general essence and theme of making classic Nintendo games more accessible to modern audiences.
Just recently, Nintendo has started adding Game Boy and Game Boy Advance games to Nintendo Switch Online, and it’s increased the value of the service exponentially. Much like the rest of the consoles it’s emulating, Switch Online has started with some of the most popular Game Boy and Game Boy Advance games, including iconic and influential titles likeMetroid Fusion,Super Mario Land 2, andThe Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening. But while it’s good to see these classics come to the Switch, it would also be exciting if a handful of wonderful and weird titles also come to the service.
Right at the top of that list should be the 2004 Game Boy Advance gameMario Pinball Land.Mario Pinball Landfeatures perhaps the most simple premise of anyMariogame, with the intro cutscene showing Mario and Peach wanting to try out a new fairground ride that turns them into a ball, and two Goombas aiming the cannon at Bowser’s castle when it’s Peach’s turn. From there, the player needs to wack ball-Mario across a variety of different pinball courses, collecting stars along the way and opening up doorways to new worlds. It’s all pretty simple, but it’s incredibly fun, accessible, and its vibrant graphics hold up surprisingly well today.
While it’s certainly great thatNintendo Switch Onlinehas turned the Switch into a hub of all things Nintendo, from many different eras, it would also be nice if that hub opened its doors to some of the more wacky Nintendo titles.Mario Pinball Landshould be just the first in a long line of strangeMariospinoffs that should come to the Nintendo Switch, with another excellent contender being the spiritual successor,Metroid Prime Pinball, made by the same developers. Putting these titles on the Switch makes them immediately accessible, and it helps to bring in new audiences for games that would have otherwise been completely forgotten about.
Mario Pinball Landis available on Game Boy Advance.
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