Super Mario 3D All-Stars for Nintendo Switch: The ultimate guide

To celebrate Super Mario Bros. 35th Anniversary, Nintendo released Super Mario 3D All-Stars, a collection of three classic Mario games, on Nintendo Switch. This includes Super Mario 64 from the 64 era, Super Mario Sunshine from the Game Cube era, and Super Mario Galaxy from the Wii era.

Thing is, Instead of being available for the rest of the Switch's lifespan, Nintendo says Super Mario 3D All-Stars will only be available for a limited time before it's no longer purchasable. Want to learn more about these ported classics? Here's everything you need to know about Super Mario 3D All-Stars for Nintendo Switch.

Super Mario 3D All-Stars All the included games

This collection includes Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, and Super Mario Galaxy. These were all very popular games during different points in Nintendo's history.

• Original release: 1996
• Console: Nintendo 64

Super Mario 64 a platformer that centers around Bowser having kidnapped Princess Peach. To defeat Bowser and save the princess, Mario must travel into paintings scattered throughout Peach's castle to gather Stars. These can then unlock doors further into the castle and lead Mario to the final Bowser boss fight.

• Original release: 2002
• Console: Game Cube

Mario, Princess Peach, and five Toads travel to the tropical isle of Delfino on vacation. However, they soon discover that a being known as Shadow Mario is wreaking havoc on the island and eventually kidnaps the princess. Mistaken as the culprit, Mario is ordered to clean up Isle Delfino while on his quest to save Peach.

• Original release: 2007
• Console: Wii

Princess Peach invites Mario to the Star Festival, but Bowser shows up with a fleet of airships and kidnaps her. Mario is hurtled into space, but luckily gets found by Rosalina, a watcher of the cosmos and the adoptive mother of star-shaped Lumas. To save the princess, Mario must travel to various planets throughout the universe and collect stars until he reaches Bowser's stronghold, where Peach is being kept captive.

Super Mario 3D All-Stars Are these ports or remasters?

These three classics are ports that have been touched up with some modern upgrades. However, the overall visuals and gameplay are mostly the same as they were on the original consoles.

Super Mario 3D All-Stars Changes from the original games

A few changes have been made to these games to make them playable on the Nintendo Switch, including on-screen instructions that match the Switch's Joy-Con controls. There are also a few minor tweaks throughout the three games, perhaps most notable is the fact that the phrase Mario says when defeating Bowser at the end of Super Mario 64 has changed.

Due to the compressed audio file, it sounded as though Mario said, "So long gay Bowser," but what he actually said was probably, "So long-a Bowser," or, "So long King Bowser." As it is, the Super Mario 3D All-Stars version of Super Mario 64 has changed Mario's comment to simply being "Bye-Bye."

Players have also discovered that certain well-established cheats for getting to the end of the games in a hurry no longer work. However, overall gameplay remains the same for all three titles. Additionally, Super Mario 3D All-Stars includes a music-player mode, which allows players to listen to various tunes from the three Mario titles.

Can you play as Luigi, Yoshi, or Wario in Super Mario 64?

No, this is a port of the original game and not the remake created for Nintendo DS. As such, you cannot play as Luigi, Yoshi, or Wario in the Super Mario 3D All-Star version of Super Mario 64.

Super Mario 3D All-Stars Only available for a limited time

Yes, you read that right. Super Mario 3D All-Stars will only be available for six months before heading back to the Nintendo vault. Nintendo's website specifically states:

This means you'll only be able to purchase the digital copy from Sept. 18, 2020, through March 2021. This might mean that there are a limited number of physical copies, so be sure to pick the game up while you can.

How do Super Mario Galaxy's motion controls work on Nintendo Switch?

To perform basic moves in Super Mario Galaxy on the Wii console, players had to shake their controllers or point them at objects on the screen and pull the trigger. However, in the Super Mario 3D All-Stars version of Galaxy, players can tap the screen with a finger to shoot Star Bits while playing in handheld mode or push buttons to make Mario spin.

Nintendo has made it possible to play Super Mario Galaxy both handheld mode and on TV.

Does it work on Nintendo Switch Lite?

These classic games function just fine on the Nintendo Switch Lite. Since Super Mario Galaxy is supported in handheld mode, there shouldn't be any problems playing on the Nintendo Switch Lite. If you want to experience motion controls, you can always purchase a pair of Joy-Cons (opens in new tab) or the Pro Controller (opens in new tab).

Super Mario 3D All-Stars Release date

This game was released on Sept. 18, 2020, and is currently available for purchase.

Super Mario 3D All-Stars

There you have it. The rumors that Nintendo was bringing some of it's classic Mario games to the Nintendo Switch have proven to be true. We've loved re-experiencing these classics on the Nintendo Switch.