I was ultimately surprised when the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe popped out of a green pipe wearing a Super Mario costume during the Rio Closing Ceremony at the last Olympics. A part of me got excited about the idea of more games! We already have a lot of Mario games but here are a few that I hope to try.
Diving
There has been a lot of underwater action going on in most Mario games, underwater levels being a staple since the beginning. However, there hasn’t been one that’s all about the complexity of diving. Diving is the majestic sport of leaping and falling into water from a platform or springboard, usually while performing acrobatics.
I can totally see this as a mini-game in Mario Party 4. This would also be fun in the next Mario Olympics on the Switch. It would be great if it could use the Joy Con’s innovative sensors as there’s room for a lot of innivation. An example would be angling the diver in the right way using the Joy Con so that landins barely end up in large splashes, resulting in a higher score. It would be fun seeing Mario in his signature trunks, nipples and all.
Karate
I found it amusing that there isn’t a karate Mario game yet as there’s already a boxing one. I guess it would be difficult for some characters to kick high enough, like Bowser or Toad.
There is a work around this. Just like the other Olympics games, they can limit which characters you can pick. Maybe, limit it to only those with antropomorphic features. Karate is more about points and less about beating up the other opponent, so it’s a child friendly game. Also, wouldn’t it be cool to see Mario in a karate costume similar to Ken’s or Ryu’s?
Sailing
There has been sailing on the Mario Party 4 on the GameCube. However, it was Parasailing. Looking back, there are several Mario mini games that have a ton sailing, but it was more on doing it in hot lava rather than the open ocean.
I’d like something similar to a version of Mario Kart where you use boats instead of…well, karts. It would also be nice to have another player to control the boath alongside you. I can imagine it going around in circles because you and the other player can’t work together long enough to keep the momentum going forward.
Another cool thing that Nintendo can do would be catamaran racing, where the player would need to lean back and adjust the sail to catch the wind and move forward.
Surfing
In the recent installment of the Pokemon Series – Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon – they have added a surfing mini game. Mario can totally pick up that mechanic and run with it.
In the Pokemon game, when you surf with your water type pokemon, you try to catch a wave and lean forward to speed up or lean back to slow down. The faster you go, the higher you can somersault to earn points. If you fall into the water before making a safe landing, you don’t anything.
It would be a fun thing to play this through split-screen, and being pressured to either get to the finish line first or do more tricks to get points can make it more exciting.
Climbing
Climbing has been one of the most fun things to do, with the best example being in the Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild. I’d really want to see that same mechanic being focused on a Mario game. It would be even cooler if you can go against another player or an NPC in a match to see which can climb the rock wall faster.
Aside from speed climbing, bouldering would be a nice addition to the Mario list of games. It would be great to have some elements of knowing where to hold, conserving stamina, and even leaping when you need to.
I can’t wait for more of the next Mario Olympics and play with my friends. Nintendo never ceases to amaze with its fun way of implementing a sport into a game. I hope that with the cool things that the Switch can do, these games will be more fun than ever before.
