Spoilers for Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga aheadSwitch owners got a surprising amount of new content during the Nintendo Direct on February 8. For example, Metroid Prime Remastered became available the day it was announced, validating years of rumors about a Prime remake in development (though some were hoping for the entire trilogy). Both Game Boy and Game Boy Advance (GBA) libraries were also added to Nintendo Switch Online the day of the Direct, with GBA titles like The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap and Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga available to anyone who holds an Expansion Pack-tier subscription.

There's only a slim roster of six GBA titles available at launch, but classics like Kirby and the Amazing Mirror, Metroid Fusion, Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade, and Golden Sun are planned for sometime in the near future. However, Superstar Saga is a particularly unique offering in that it preserves the first entry in a fan-favorite series by now-defunct studio AlphaDream. One reason fans might be excited to play the original GBA version over its 3DS remake from 2017 is that it includes a reference to Super Mario RPG. This could point to a good working relationship with Square Enix that means its 1996 SNES title has a chance of hitting Nintendo Switch Online too.

RELATED: Kirby Should Attempt Another Metroidvania-Style Game Like Amazing Mirror

Geno Makes a Cameo in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga

geno super mario rpg reference

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga brings the titular duo to one of the Mushroom Kingdom's neighboring states, the Beanbean Kingdom, after Princess Peach's voice is stolen by an evil witch named Cackletta so that she can awaken the wish-granting Beanstar. High jinks ensue as the brothers attempt to fix the discord left in Cackletta's wake, but about halfway through the adventure her plan almost succeeds. Hearing the Princess' voice causes the Beanstar to go berserk, however, as it is soon revealed that Peach was originally swapped out with Birdo in anticipation of Cackletta's attack.

When the real Princess Peach arrives in the Beanbean Kingdom, Mario and Luigi must escort her through Teehee Valley to reach Little Fungitown's embassy deep in the heart of the desert. Once she's safe, the brothers have an opportunity to peruse this community of immigrant Toads, and story progression comes through winning an "Invincishroom" at the local arcade by getting a high score in Star 'Stache Smash. In the original GBA version, the stage-like production of this arcade game includes popular Super Mario RPG doll-warrior Geno to read instructions, paying homage to the game that helped pioneer the Mario & Luigi series' action-command battle system.

RELATED: Ikenfell Shows How Thousand-Year Door Sequel Could Innovate

Superstar Saga Renews Hope for Super Mario RPG Hitting Nintendo Switch Online

Nintendo Switch Online Gameboy Advance

After years of Nintendo fans advocating for Geno to appear in Super Smash Bros. as more than just a Mii Fighter costume, it is great to see the character acknowledged once again - even as an incidental cameo in a larger collection of classic games. The 3DS release Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions removed Geno entirely from the Star 'Stache Smash arcade game, perhaps pointing to rights disputes that have prevented the character (and other Super Mario RPG reps like Mallow) from appearing much beyond their debut.

If a game with this Square character is able to appear again through Nintendo Switch Online, that offers hope for Super Mario RPG itself to hit the service's SNES library. The game has not been entirely absent since 1996, having appeared on the Wii and Wii U Virtual Consoles, as well as the Super NES Classic in 2017. Nintendo has also proven its ecosystem to be very crossover-friendly in recent years, boasting characters like Kingdom Hearts' Sora in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as now-Microsoft's Banjo-Kazooie and GoldenEye 007 made their way to Switch Online's N64 library. Fans just have to wait and see what the future holds.

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga is available now via Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack.

MORE: Developers Who Could Nail a Post-AlphaDream Mario & Luigi RPG