Nintendo has shown a desire to port as many Wii U games to the Switch as it possibly can, which makes sense. After all, the Switch is a massive sales success, whereas the Wii U comparably had a far lower adoption rate. Now yet another Wii U game has been confirmed for the Switch, with Nintendo finally confirming that the long-rumored Super Mario 3D World Switch port is on its way, but with some brand new content.
As part of its surprise Super Mario Bros. 35th Anniversary Direct, Nintendo announced Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury for the Switch. The game will include all of the levels and content from the original Super Mario 3D World, with the addition of the Bowser's Fury expansion. What exactly the Bowser's Fury expansion will entail remains to be seen, but it definitely seems to be going for a darker tone when compared to the rest of the game.
As seen in the trailer, the Bowser's Fury expansion has Mario and friends visiting a dark, dreary world with a thunderstorm raging in the background. We then see Cat Mario standing near what appears to be an evil version of the bell power-up. What this means exactly is unclear, but more information should come to light as we get closer to the game's February 12, 2021 release date.
It seems rumors that Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury was delayed due to COVID-19 have turned out to be true. Prior to this surprise Super Mario Bros. anniversary Direct taking place, rumors hit the Internet that Nintendo planned on releasing the game this year, but ultimately had to push it back to 2021. This is unfortunate, but on the bright side, fans can still look forward to a Super Mario release for Switch in 2020.
It was also announced during the surprise Nintendo Direct presentation that Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, and Super Mario Galaxy are being collected into a single package called Super Mario 3D All-Stars. This limited-time Switch release will be available until March 2021, and will give fans the opportunity to play some of Mario's classic 3D adventures on the Switch. Why it's only going to be available for a limited-time is unclear, however.
Plenty more Super Mario announcements were made during the Direct as well, including the release of an official Super Mario Bros. battle royale game called Super Mario Bros. 35, plus the release of the original Super Mario All-Stars for Switch Online. Needless to say, Nintendo is celebrating Mario's 35th anniversary in very big ways.
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury launches February 12, 2021, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.