For months, rumors have been swirling that Nintendo has been planning a 3D Super Mario Collection for the Nintendo Switch, and now those rumors have been confirmed. During a surprise Super Mario Bros.-themed Nintendo Direct, Nintendo finally confirmed Super Mario 3D All-Stars for the Switch, with the collection bringing together Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, and Super Mario Galaxy in one package.
Super Mario 3D All-Stars will feature enhanced visuals for all three games, offering higher resolution and 16:9 screen ratio. All three games in the collection will be compatible with 2 Joy-Con controllers, even though Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Galaxy both only used a single analog stick for movement and camera control in their original releases. The collection also includes a music player that players can use to listen to specific songs from each game.
Those that want to add Super Mario 3D All-Stars to their Switch collection will have a limited time to do so. The Super Mario 3D All-Stars release date is September 18, and it will only be available for purchase until March 2021. It's unclear why Nintendo is releasing the game as a limited-time release, but it could be that it has plans to later release the games individually. However, that's just speculation at this time.
It's nice that fans only have to wait until September 18 to get their hands on Super Mario 3D All-Stars, but some will notice that the collection is missing one of its rumored games. Prior to the announcement, it was expected that Super Mario 3D All-Stars would also feature a Switch port of Super Mario Galaxy 2, largely considered to be one of the best games of the 7th generation. It's unclear why Nintendo decided to leave Super Mario Galaxy 2 out of the collection, but again, maybe it has plans to give the game an individual Switch release at some point down the line.
Super Mario 3D All-Stars was by far the biggest announcement that came from this surprise Super Mario Bros.-themed Nintendo Direct, but it certainly wasn't the only one. Nintendo also confirmed a new Game and Watch system for release in November (which will also only be available for a limited time), as well as an official Super Mario Bros. battle royale called Super Mario Bros. 35. It also confirmed the long-rumored Super Mario 3D World Switch port for 2021, with that game having new levels in an expansion called Bowser's Fury.
More information on the Super Mario 3D World Switch port will come at a later date. For now, Nintendo fans have a much clearer idea of what to expect from the company this holiday season.
Super Mario 3D All-Stars launches on September 18, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.