The Switch has been a huge platform for smaller series in Nintendo's wheelhouse, as evidenced by the success of titles like Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Luigi's Mansion 3. Pokemon has also brought a host of new and old spin-off games, including the returning Mystery Dungeon and Pokemon Snap. Nintendo's portly plumber mascot has had his fair share of wins on the Switch like Super Mario Odyssey, and the impending release of Paper Mario: The Origami King could herald even more.

In its three years, the Nintendo Switch has hosted entries in popular spin-off series like Mario Kart, Super Smash Bros., and Mario Party. However, for as beloved as earlier titles are by fans, the Paper Mario franchise has faltered in recent years thanks to the lukewarm performance of Sticker Star and Color Splash. If The Origami King is successful in drawing more attention, that could spell good news for other subfranchises coming off the Mario series' 35th anniversary.

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Other Mario Role-Playing Games

Whenever conversations about Paper Mario start up, many people's first inclination is to look at the original Super Mario RPG, is an adored N64 title that deserves attention on current hardware. If The Origami King shows promise, despite its departure from the series' RPG roots, there is a better opportunity Super Mario RPG could show up through Nintendo Switch Online like Donkey Kong Country.

Likewise, the Mario & Luigi series is a handheld franchise that deserves a wider audience on the Switch. This seems unlikely, however, considering AlphaDream went bankrupt in 2019 after it remade Superstar Saga and Bowser's Inside Story on the 3DS.

Mario Sports Games

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While the Olympic Games crossover series with Sonic has remained popular, Mario also has a long history of playing individual sports with his colorful cast of characters. Mario Tennis Aces continues to host official tournaments on the Switch, but sports like golf and baseball have yet to appear on current-gen hardware. In fact, 2008's Mario Super Sluggers was its last baseball game, and the Mario Strikers series has not appeared since 2007.

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Mario vs. Donkey Kong

mario vs donkey kong

The puzzle-based Mario vs. Donkey Kong series has had more recent releases than some of the sports titles, with 2015's Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars on the Wii U and 3DS. However, it has never been a high-profile spin-off in the Mushroom Kingdom's arsenal. Its original entry on the Game Boy Advance was a puzzle-platformer, a sort of spiritual successor to the Donkey Kong arcade game. This style has a lot of potential to be brought back, though recent entries in the series are more about pure puzzling.

Other Mario Puzzle Games

Nintendo saw a decent first success on the mobile market with Super Mario Run, which was followed up by Dr. Mario World and Mario Kart Tour in 2019. Though none have seen the success that Fire Emblem Heroes or Pokemon GO achieved, the lackluster Dr. Mario World continues to add new characters. Given the attention afforded to titles like Pokemon Cafe Mix on Switch, there could be potential in having Dr. Mario reappear.

Then again, Mario has also appeared in other puzzle games. The 1995 Game Boy title Mario's Picross started a small franchise, and Nintendo further expanded on this idea with The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess Picross. Developer Juniper revealed a Sega Mega Drive crossover for Picross S last month, so clearly there's an audience.

Whether or not Paper Mario: The Origami King is successful enough to warrant a flood of returning Mario subfranchises will have to be seen once it is available. The gaming mascot has dipped his toes into many markets, even going head-to-head with basketball stars like Magic Johnson in NBA Street V3, so there's no doubt he has a lot more potential.

Paper Mario: The Origami King releases for Nintendo Switch on July 17th.

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