Mario Golf: Super Rush Confirmed for Nintendo Switch

Mario is picking up a club and hitting the grassy green golf courses of the Mushroom Kingdom once more in his upcoming game Mario Golf Super Rush. The game was one of the new Switch titles revealed at today’s Nintendo Direct presentation.

Mario Golf Super Rush is the latest Mario sports game to arrive on Switch, coming after 2019’s Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. It is also the first Mario Golf game in five years, following the release of Mario Golf: World Tour for the Nintendo 3DS in 2014. The game was announced at today’s Nintendo Direct event, which outlined the company’s plans for the first half of 2021. Mario Super Golf Rush was one of three major Switch titles revealed during the presentation, as Nintendo also revealed Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD and Splatoon 3.

The announcement was accompanied by a brief trailer showing off the game’s new features, which includes a multiplayer game mode called Speed Golf where players must race through the golf course to reach their ball after teeing off. Players will be given the option to play by swinging the Switch’s Joy-Con like a golf club or by simply using the controller’s buttons. Fans can also expect to see the return of Mario’s various friends and rivals, including Luigi, Yoshi, Wario, and Peach. The game was given the fast-approaching release date of June 25.

The trailer also provided a glimpse at Mario Golf Super Rush’s Story Mode, in which players play as their Mii character and must develop their golfing skills by interacting with characters in the Mushroom Kingdom. The mode appears to have light role-playing elements, as players will level up their character and assign experience points to attributes such as speed, stamina, and control. While Story Mode and Speed Golf were the only two game modes showed in the trailer, the narrator hinted at several new modes featuring “new elements.”

While Mario Golf Super Rush was the only new Mario game announced, it is not the only new Mario content that fans will receive in the coming months. A Super Mario-Animal Crossing: New Horizons crossover event was also revealed in celebration of Nintendo’s Super Mario Bros.’ 35th anniversary. The event will bring several Super Mario-themed items to Animal Crossing: New Horizons, including interactable items such as blocks, flags, and warp pipes that can teleport villagers.

Mario sports titles usually make for great party games, and with new modes such as Speed Golf, it looks like Mario Golf Super Rush will be a fun experience to share with friends.

Seeking to take advantage of another genre besides platformers, Nintendo began releasing Mario-themed sports games. This novel use of their most recognizable characters immediately grabbed the interest of fans and has not let go since. Many games take a fresh approach to established sports like tennis and golf, although some titles fail to meet the mark and end up feeling like stale air.

Mario, and quite a few of his friends, are remarkably athletic. Though, long jumps, backflips, and cartwheels are meant more for adventuring around the Mushroom Kingdom and don't have much practical use on the dance floor.