We all love Mario and Zelda, but Nintendo has such a rich and vast history of franchises that deserve to shine. A few dormant series were revived towards the end of the original Switch’s lifespan – but a cynic might say unexpected remaster Another Code: Recollection and new Famicom Detective Club entry Emio: The Smiling Man were scraping the barrel while we waited for Switch 2 arrive.
On the other hand, it showed just how diverse Nintendo’s first-party library really is. The first Switch’s huge install base helped many of these niches reach a wider audience than ever, and there are plenty more from the firm’s history I think are worth reviving.
Instead of just another Mario-themed spinoff to plug the gaps, here are the franchises I desperately want Nintendo to bring back on its new platform.
Wario Land
Given the WarioWare series saw two releases on the Switch 1, it’s a surprise that Mario’s evil doppelganger hasn’t been given the chance to have his own standalone platforming outing again. Wario Land started out with the former villain becoming the antihero protagonist for Super Mario Land 3, before going on to have multiple entries (including one on the ill-fated Virtual Boy), each different from the last. An emphasis on abilities and non-linear progression made it more Metroid-influenced than a typical side-scrolling platformer.
Wario Land 4‘s gameplay and expressive graphics were influential on indie hit Pizza Tower, so this series is ripe for Nintendo to re-explore. Alternatively the Switch 2 could be the chance for Wario to make the leap back to 3D, which he’s only done previously in GameCube title Wario World, which was developed by arcade legends Treasure.
F-Zero
Okay, technically we got F-Zero 99, which was one of many classic games given the online battle royale-style treatment, but fans of this hardcore high speed racer deserve more than this – or racing through Mute City and Big Blue at 200cc in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
Thanks to GameCube: Nintendo Classics, you can already play the last mainline entry F-Zero GX, and the no-frills Fast Fusion might also scratch that high-velocity itch. But come on, imagine what could be achieved putting Captain Falcon and the gang at breakneck 120 FPS on Switch 2 hardware. It’ll probably still be impossibly hard for most of us mere mortals, but you’d expect nothing less. Get Sega to develop it again if you must, just make it happen!
Kid Icarus
This fantasy series based on Greco-Roman mythology admittedly hasn’t had many entries, starting out on the NES followed by a Game Boy sequel and then nothing for two decades. But it was vibrantly reimagined as third-person shooter with Kid Icarus: Uprising on the 3DS, directed by none other than Smash Bros creator Masahiro Sakurai.
The 3DS title was famously awkward to control, making a circle pad pro add-on practically essential. A modern remaster should be no problem on a console with dual sticks but you can imagine the rail-shooting sections benefitting from the Switch 2’s mouse controls. Of course, without hardware constraints, it would be even better to have a new title that gives you a whole world to fly around and fight in. Sakurai might already be busy with reviving another of his IP with Kirby Air Riders, but a new Kid Icarus would be a terrific follow-up.
Wave Race
One of the new features in Mario Kart World is that you race on the surface of water instead of beneath it. That alone is enough to give Wave Race vibes, to the extent that this groundbreaking series is also overdue for a new instalment.
Wave Race 64‘s water physics still hold up incredibly, but otherwise the series has been dormant after GameCube release Blue Storm, which admittedly didn’t go down that well as many saw it as little more than a retread of the superior N64 title. But it would be a waste not to build on MK World‘s incredible water effects in a game dedicated to water racing. It could even be a proper showcase for the Switch 2’s supposed ray-tracing support.
Golden Sun
Nintendo has given Xenoblade Chronicles a lot of love, considering the original Wii game took a fan campaign to bring it to the West in the first place, but it’s not the only RPG in its stable that deserves attention. Golden Sun started life on the Game Boy Advance where you play as a group of magic-attuned teenagers known as Adepts on a journey to protect the world from a destructive power referred to as Alchemy, only for you to play the perspective of the apparent bad guys in its sequel.
In some cases, it was only ever envisioned as a duology (though a 3D follow-up did come to the DS), but it’s so beloved by fans that there’s surely an appetite for a new story in that world. If nothing else, it would also allow developer Camelot to flex its RPG muscles once more, because its talents feel wasted simply pumping out Mario sports spin-offs.
Earthbound
The request for Mother 3 (the original Japanese title) to come to the Switch lasted as long as the console itself, which finally came to fruition last year – but only in Japan. Yet while an official localisation might seem like a distant dream, another possibility could be to revive the series with a new entry altogether.
This weird RPG where you play as kids in an alternate surreal version of contemporary America where you’re using psychic (and psychedelic) abilities to fight not just monsters but inanimate objects or cops has been so influential to a new generation of indie RPGs, in particular Undertale and its spiritual successor Deltarune, that the OG deserves another go round too. It might be tempting to give it a 3D makeover but there would probably be more charm in retaining its pixel art origins, or perhaps something akin to Square Enix’s HD-2D style.
Elite Beat Agents
As a team of groovy agents riffing on Blues Brothers and Men in Black, you’re sent on missions to use your rhythmic cool to inspire people to overcome their hardships across numerous comic book-inspired vignettes soundtracked to a roster of contemporary pop songs. It’s totally bizarre but utterly hilarious and unforgettable, at least for those who actually discovered this cult DS classic.
EBA always deserved some kind of comeback on Switch, and while its controls had been designed specifically for touchscreens, the Switch 2’s mouse function could make it viable to play on the TV too. Better yet, given how Japanese culture has gotten more in vogue in recent years, it would also be timely to port the game’s original predecessor Ouendan, which has you playing as hot-blooded Japanese male cheerleaders.
ARMS
Is it strange to include ARMS on this list given that it only debuted on Switch? Well, it launched in the first year of the console’s life and despite critical acclaim, it never got the love it deserved, and so after a few updates seems all but doomed to fade into obscurity.
That would be a shame because its stretchy-limbed fighters are just so full of charm (something that several other new Switch 2 games seem to be lacking), while its mechanics make perfect use of the Joy-Con’s dual motion controls. It’s something rare for a fighting game to feel this approachable while still offering depth and customisation. ARMS has however received a free Switch 2 update that improves its resolution and performance, so let’s hope that’s a sign that Nintendo hasn’t thrown in the towel on this just yet.
