2021 marks the continued celebration of the 35th anniversary of the original Super Mario Bros. game that sparked new innovation in platforming games and created one of Nintendo's most successful franchises. Mario and his cohorts have been a staple in the gaming industry ever since, spawning critically acclaimed games like Super Mario Odyssey, which still can be obtained as a free download with the purchase of a Switch Pro Controller. Mario games have changed in ways over the years, but in every iteration, Mario has only one worthy opponent: Bowser.
To mark the game's 30th anniversary, Nintendo released Super Mario Maker for the Wii U and gave millions of fans a chance to create their own levels and share those levels with friends. Although the original Super Mario Maker is shutting down and the game is due to be removed from the Nintendo eShop tomorrow, Mario fans still have cause to celebrate this month. Super Mario Bros. 35, a free downloadable version of the original Super Mario Bros. game with some twists, is about to start a 7 day event in which players all around the world will be challenged to defeat 3.5 million Bowsers.
The Super Mario 35 World Count Challenge will actually be held on three separate occasions from January to March. The first challenge will commence at 11 p.m. PT on Jan. 18 and last until 10:59 p.m. on Jan. 25. During this period, players must defeat Bowser in Super Mario Bros. 35 in the 35-player Battle Mode or in the Special Battle for that week, which will feature courses that offer additional opportunities to battle Bowser. If a total of at least 3.5 million Bowsers are defeated by the event's end, each individual player that defeated a Bowser will receive 350 My Nintendo Platinum Points.
Of course, a player must have a Nintendo account and Nintendo Switch Online to receive the points and opt to have their play reports in Super Mario Bros. 35 sent to Nintendo. Whether the following challenges in February and March will require defeating 3.5 million Bowsers for more points is unknown right now, but Nintendo will be releasing details on the upcoming challenges soon.
The announcement of the Super Mario Bros 35 World Count Challenge coincides with the release of the latest trailer for the upcoming Switch game, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury. The game will feature newly added content for those who might have played Super Mario 3D World on the Wii U, and apparently, Mario and Bowser look to be ready for a Godzilla vs. King Kong-style smackdown.
All of this should come as good news to Mario fans considering the months ahead. March will be a tough month for the Super Mario franchise because it will signal the end of Nintendo's support for several Super Mario products. On the flip side, now is a great time to look to the future and save some money for Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury when it launches on Feb. 12.
Super Mario Bros. 35 is available now on Nintendo Switch.
Source: Nintendo.com