While Mario Kart and Mario Party have seen numerous successful entries, one of Nintendo's early Super Nintendo spinoffs, Mario Paint, has largely been overlooked for a modern revival. Released in 1992, Mario Paint was bundled with the SNES Mouse and served as an approachable digital art studio, complete with music composition and animation tools. It sold nearly 2.5 million copies worldwide, placing it among the platform's top-selling titles.
Despite its popularity, Mario Paint never received a direct sequel outside of Japan. The closest equivalent was Mario no Photopi for the N64 in 1998, a Japan-exclusive title that allowed players to edit digital photos with frames and stamps, and offered optional clip art packs featuring popular Nintendo characters and franchises. Later Nintendo titles like WarioWare DIY for the DS and Super Mario Maker for the Wii U explored game design and creation, but neither fully captured the casual, low-stakes creative freedom offered by Mario Paint.
Super Mario Maker, released in 2015, empowered players to design their own Mario levels, leading to a surge in challenging Kaizo stages and viral moments. It was even nominated for Game of the Year at the 2015 Game Awards. However, Mario Paint's appeal lay in its simplicity, providing a pleasant way to pass the time without demanding the commitment of a complex RPG or a punishing platformer. The experience of coloring familiar characters or composing simple tunes with sound effects offered a unique creative outlet.
While some aspects of character and environment customization can be found in titles like Tomodachi Life, these experiences often prove intricate. A potential Switch 2-era Mario Paint would ideally retain the original's unpretentious approach, focusing on intuitive tools for art, music, and animation. The idea of a modern, simplified creative suite featuring beloved Mario imagery and sound effects, even at a premium price, holds significant appeal for many.
For those interested in experiencing the original, Mario Paint is available in the SNES games library for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers, and it supports the Switch 2's mouse controls.