Mario and the gang are back and for the first time in seven years (since the release of Mario Golf: World Tour), they're headed to the country club. With the recent release of Mario Golf: Super Rush, fans of the Mario Golf series are ready to finally get back on the fairway. With every new entry in the beloved Mario Series come a plethora of easter eggs and references from the seemingly never-ending list of Mario games.
Mario Golf: Super Rush is no different. Fans can find Mario references dispersed throughout the front and back nine of every single course within the game. Only true fans of the series will have found these elusive easter eggs.
8 Many Of The Courses Are Located In Kingdoms From Other Mario Games
Mario Golf: Super Rush has a total of seven courses in the game with more to come. Every course has extremely recognizable elements. It seems many of the courses are derived directly or inspired by different Kingdoms from varying Mario franchise titles.
Staples of the Mario Kingdom are here and true fans will see the similarities almost instantly, such as the dry desert-themed course Balmy Dunes. Another course, Wildweather Woods, is very similar to the Wooded Kingdom in Super Mario Odyssey. And of course, in classic Super Mario fashion, there's Bowser Highlands, which is based directly on the many variations of Bowser's Castle.
7 Obstacles In Courses Are Classic Mario Enemies
Located across the courses in Super Rush are pesky Mario foes who have appeared across many Super Mario titles. Pokeys, the spherical cactus enemies that appear in many games across the series, are found in Balmy Dunes. Hitting the pointy-headed cactus creature with a shot causes them to collapse.
Bowser Highlands is full of enemies a player would see traversing one of Bowser's seemingly endless supply of castles. This group is made up of Thwomps, Whomps, Lava Bubbles, and Brolders just to name a few. Die-hard fans will easily recognize the vast amount of enemies who appear in the game.
6 King Bob-Omb Finally A Playable Character
King Bob-Omb has finally been given his due and earned his rightful place as a playable character in a Mario Series game. King Bob-Omb's inclusion as a playable comes 25 years after his debut in Super Mario 64 as the very first boss Mario has to overcome. While this isn't the first time King Bob-Omb has been a playable character in the franchise (His first being in Mario Kart Tour on mobile just last year), true fans of the series will know that Mario Golf: Super Rush serves as the first console game the lord of all blasting matter has been playable in.
Not only is King Bob-Omb one of the most fun characters to play, but he might also just be the most ridiculous playable character in a Mario game ever. Watching King Bob-Omb run alongside other Mario characters such as Toad, Yoshi, and Mario himself is something of a treat for players due to his menacing size, his luscious white mustache, and hilarious walking and running animations.
5 Other Mario Friends And Foes Are Hiding In The Background
In the background of several courses reside notable Mario Franchise characters. They may not be located on the fairway, but they are scattered throughout the landscape of many courses in the game.
True fans of the series will notice that among the spectators in the Bonny Greens course are Shy Guys, Hammer Bros, and Goombas. Just outside the Balmy Dunes course resides a few familiar-looking statues. The Stone-Eyes debuted in Super Mario Bros. U, and their appearance in Mario Golf: Super Rush makes this the second time they've appeared in the Mario Golf Series. The Toad commentators from Mario Tennis Aces also make a return here, and once again deliver quality play-by-play commentary on the action.
4 True Fans Will Notice Very Subtle Audio References
Like any other Mario game, certain iconic sounds are prevalent in Mario Golf: Super Rush. Similar to King Bob-Omb, Pauline is slowly getting more of the limelight and is achieving playable character status in the Mario franchise since her prominent inclusion in Super Mario Odyssey.
The Mayor of New Donk City's special shot "Jump Up, Super Star!" is a direct reference to the fan-favorite song she sings in Super Mario Odyssey, and players can hear the song while she uses her microphone as a club.
3 Everyone's Favourite Super Mario Sunshine Character Is Back
The long-awaited return of Mario's favorite water gun has finally come, but he looks like he's in rough shape. Created by Professor Elvin Gadd to serve as the counterpart to Luigi's iconic Poltergust 3000, FLUDD served as Mario's main companion throughout Super Mario Sunshine.
While the Poltergust 3000's distant cousin hasn't seen anywhere near as much success, die-hard fans will notice this brief appearance regardless. Sadly, it appears that over the years Mario has ignored his robotic friend.
2 Mario And Friends Are Dressed To Impress
In Mario Tennis Aces, Mario and company come prepared in full tennis attire. The same goes in Super Rus, as he and a handful of other playable characters are sporting proper golfing apparel.
It seems like few playable characters such as Donkey Kong, Boo, and Yoshi missed the memo. But a majority of the characters are looking fresh in their golfing outfits. Astute fans will notice that a few of the outfits are direct references to certain initial designs, with Rosalina keeping her iconic wand and using it to swing her club seamlessly. Another character that acquired a new look is Bowser Jr. He may not travel by his clown car in Super Dash, but it's with him in spirit as the face on his car can be seen on his new visor.
1 Specials Utilize Items And Classic Character Abilities From Previous Games
One of the best things Mario Golf: Super Rush has to offer is the varying special abilities playable characters in the game possess. Special shots are incredibly beneficial at gaining that much-needed distance a player desires, and super dashes allow players to close the distance between them and their balls that much faster.
Each character in the game has a significantly different special shot and super dash, complete with unique character animations. Each is a reference to previous games in the franchise. Yoshi's special shot consists of him consuming his ball, turning it into an egg, and launching it with his tail. Character abilities are important, but so are items. During Bowser Jr.'s super dash, he whips out a Bullet Bill and rides it similarly to how a player near the end of the pack would in Mario Kart. Mario utilizes the Super Star during his special shot, and his brother Luigi uses the Ice Flower, with many more references scattered throughout.