Since the debut of the character and his vibrant world back in 1981, the Mario franchise has gone on to spawn a number of greatly loved and widely acclaimed franchises outside of the iconic plumber's adventures. From Donkey Kong and WarioWare to Luigi's Mansion and Yoshi's Island, it seems very few major characters in the franchise have little potential to begin their own major series of games, whether they recycle the same formula of the Mario series or try something entirely new.

It seems one iconic Mario villain was incredibly close to joining that long list of major spin-off franchises, with new images posted to Vital's Twitter page showcasing a brand new DS game with the ghostly Boos at the center. According to the leaker, the game would've been called Haunt, and would see a series of Boos taking center stage as the game's protagonists.

RELATED: Mario Vs. Sonic The Hedgehog: Who Wins In A Fight?

The images, which showcase the art direction for the game as well as its sense of humor, are numerous, with Vital managing to uncover several tweets worth of conceptual ideas. The game itself appeared to use a hand-drawn aesthetic not too far removed from the Paper Mario series, with a number of different boos with a variety of personalities and forms all featuring heavily in the photos. One sees a pentagon-shaped boo with a candlestick, while another features a boo strapped to a crucifix wearing a crown of thorns. Hilariously, the crucifix appears to be sporting some overgrown plant life, with a small Piranha Plant growing out of the top.

Another image appears to show off a number of smaller photographs with various boos in different scenarios, potentially teasing different areas of the game. One sees several boos all donning graduation caps, as they're lectured by a larger boo sporting a crown and a monocle. The latter appears numerous times throughout the variety of photos, stirring bubbling cauldrons and leading his party of ghostly student through a number of ethereal environments. Other pictures showcase witches on broomsticks, red-tinted boos, and a Piranha Plant with arms and legs riding a chequered ball.

It seems whatever this game was going to turn out to be, it had a lot of adorable, hilarious, and interesting ideas surrounding its art style and overall direction. Although it seems the project has long been buried, fans would no doubt love to see it emerge someday as a new title for the Nintendo Switch, especially as the Boos are one of the series' longest-running villains.

Haunt has been canceled.

MORE: Nintendo: 5 Things Super Mario Does Better Than Zelda (& 5 That LOZ Does Better)