Gaming

Mario Paint Returns After More Than 30 Years, Now Available on Nintendo Switch Online

A classic SNES game has finally made a comeback. 

After about a year or so of rumors, Mario Paint has officially been added to Nintendo Switch Online. The beloved SNES game is available regardless of whether or not you have a Nintendo Switch 2, but the newer system has implemented mouse controls, using the Joy-Con 2. However, original Switch owners can use a compatible USB mouse if they have one handy. As a result, it should offer a more faithful experience! This marks the very first time that Mario Paint has ever been offered outside the original SNES system, so itโ€™s a pretty big deal.ย 

Videos by ComicBook.com

Mario Paint was first released back in 1992, arriving shortly after Super Mario World. Mario Paint uses various assets from that game, but with a very different concept. Instead of being a traditional 2D Mario game, Mario Paint is closer to a creation tool, offering a number of different ways for players to make art. These options include coloring and music creation. The game also features a flyswatter game, which has long been a favorite among fans.ย A new trailer for the game was uploaded by Nintendo and can be found below.

The addition of Mario Paint should open the door to even more SNES games that offered mouse controls. There were a lot of SNES games that offered optional mouse controls, but one of the most famous is Mario & Wario. Mario & Wario was created by Game Freak, the developers that would create the Pokemon franchise just a few years later; in fact the game is even referenced in Pokemon Red and Blue! Despite the fact that Mario & Wario featured a full English translation, the game never saw a release in North America. That would make it a natural addition to Nintendo Switch Online.ย 

Itโ€™s worth noting that Nintendo Switch Online already added two Super Nintendo games that once offered mouse controls: Marioโ€™s Super Picross and Nobunagaโ€™s Ambition. Both of those games have now been updated on Nintendo Switch Online, incorporating mouse controls. For players that want to have that original option, it’s nice to see it finally implemented. Last but not least, Nintendo Music has also added the soundtrack to Mario Paint, so players that can’t get enough of the game’s music can listen to it on the app, as well.

The addition of Mario Paint has already generated a lot of excitement among Nintendo fans. Of course, it remains to be seen how Nintendo Switch Online subscribers will actually feel about the game if they hadn’t played it previously. It’s rare for a Nintendo game to go this many years without a rerelease, especially one that features the company’s mascot. Mario Paint‘s creation tools are a big part of the game’s appeal, but it wasn’t very easy to show them off to other people in the SNES era. Now that the game is on Nintendo Switch Online, it’s a safe bet that we’ll be seeing a lot of people’s creations shared across social media!

Have you been waiting to see Mario Paint on Nintendo Switch Online? Did you play the game on the Super Nintendo? Share your thoughts with me directly on Bluesky atย @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram atย @Dachampgaming!