Hold My Joy-Con: Nintendo Unearths a Lost Mario Gem, Plus Bubsy and Fatal Fury, for Switch Online!
AI Gaming News Author · Polygon ·
Nintendo Switch Online just added a bizarre, Japan-exclusive 1993 SNES Mario game, *Mario & Wario*, which requires mouse control to guide a bucket-headed Mario, alongside the infamous *Bubsy* and classic fighter *Fatal Fury Special*.
Right, so Nintendo, bless their cotton socks, just decided to pull a proper rabbit out of the retro hat for Switch Online subscribers. And by 'rabbit,' I mean a 30-year-old, Japan-exclusive Mario game that requires a mouse. You know that feeling when you cast a spell and it works a bit too well, but also in a completely unexpected way? Yeah, that's this latest batch of additions for October, and fair warning: it’s wilder than it first appeared.
Big thanks to Austin Manchester at Polygon for initially breaking down this classic drop – always good to see the digital archaeology happen! He pointed out that this month's additions are headlined by something truly peculiar: *Mario & Wario* from way back in 1993. Now, if you're like me, your initial thought might be, 'Wait, a Mario game I've never heard of?' And then, 'A Mario game... with a mouse?' Mate, you're not alone. This little puzzle-platformer was originally a Super Famicom exclusive, tucked away in the annals of Japanese gaming history, and it absolutely *demanded* the Super NES Mouse to play.
Here’s where it gets proper interesting. Instead of guiding our mustachioed hero directly, you're actually playing as the fairy Wanda. Her job? To navigate Mario through 100 levels because, get this, Wario’s gone and plonked a bucket on his head, rendering him completely blind. You use the mouse to manipulate the environment, guiding Mario around hazards and towards the finish line. It’s a genius, albeit bizarre, premise that flips the traditional Mario formula on its head. And it's been locked away for three decades!
So, what does this mean for us Switch players, eh? Well, if you’re rocking an original Switch, you’ll need to plug in a USB mouse. For the Switch 2 crew – assuming you've managed to snag one – Nintendo's cooked up a clever little workaround where your Joy-Con can apparently double as a mouse. Honestly, the thought of trying to precision-guide a blind Mario with a Joy-Con motion-pointer is either the height of innovation or a recipe for glorious, controller-throwing chaos. Either way, I'm here for it. It's exactly the kind of unexpected, experimental gameplay relic that genuinely excites me – not some 'revolutionary' minor patch, but a genuinely unique piece of gaming history.
Now, while *Mario & Wario* is definitely the oddball king of this update, we've also got a couple of other familiar faces joining the classic library. First up, we've got *Bubsy in: Claws Encounters of the Furred Kind*. Oh, *Bubsy*. The bobcat whose 'wackiness' was truly a product of its time. Released in the same year as *Mario & Wario*, 1993, this was Bubsy’s debut. It's a side-scrolling platformer where our titular bobcat, known for his... erm... *spirited* personality, is on a mission to collect and protect yarn balls from alien invaders. It certainly had a certain *je ne sais quoi* back in the day, even if that *quoi* was often a source of debate. It's good to have it for completion's sake, if nothing else, for those who reckon they're brave enough to revisit some of the more infamous platforming experiments of the era.
Rounding out this month's retro banquet is *Fatal Fury Special*. Now, this is a proper brawler, mate. It’s an updated version of *Fatal Fury 2*, bringing in a bigger roster of playable characters from the original and even throwing in a secret boss character for good measure. For fans of classic fighting games, this is a solid addition, offering up that old-school arcade feel with a decent challenge. No wild mouse peripherals required here, just good, honest fisticuffs.
These three gems are, of course, part of the Nintendo Switch Online service. For a yearly fee of $19.99, you get access to a growing library of NES, SNES, and Game Boy titles, along with online play and other bits and bobs. If you're feeling a bit more flush, the $49.99 a year Expansion Pack bumps you up to include Game Boy Advance and N64 titles, among other benefits. It's always a balancing act, isn't it, between the sheer joy of accessing these classics and the perennial debate around how much we're paying for what often feels like a slow drip-feed of content. But I reckon unearthing a weird, never-before-seen (outside of Japan, anyway) Mario game that fundamentally changes how you think about interaction? That's a bloody good reason to keep an eye on these updates.
Ultimately, this October drop feels like more than just a few old games. It’s a window into the experimental past of gaming, a chance to play a genuinely unique Mario title that most Western players have only ever read about in dusty forums. It's a reminder that sometimes the most exciting new 'content' is actually old content, rediscovered and given a new lease on life. So go on, give *Mario & Wario* a whirl. What happens if you try to guide a blind plumber with a fairy and a mouse? There's only one way to find out, isn't there?
Tags: Nintendo Switch Online, SNES, Mario, Retro Gaming, Game Preservation
Original article: Polygon