The Super Mario characters are the backbone of the iconic Nintendo mega-franchise, which is still standing as one of the most popular game series around after its humble beginnings over 40 years ago. Since then, the roster of Mario characters continues growing across countless mainline games, and endless brilliant spin-offs, including the likes of Mario Kart.
However, sadly, not all Mario characters are created equal, and some have received a lot more love, attention, and care than others in the four decades since the platformer’s inception. Yes, if you’ve been playing the best Mario games on Switch (as well as older titles) you’ll have noticed that the focus tends to be on a handful of recurring faces: Mario, Luigi, Bowser, Peach, Yoshi, and Toad. These are the icons of the game, after all.
Now though, Mario players are finally lamenting the wasted potential in other characters and have taken to Reddit to share their frustrations, and hopes for the future. Spoilers: the big recurring name is Waluigi.
“Wario and Waluigi should definitely appear in more mainline Mario games,” says one commenter, concluding, “either as playable characters or as minor antagonists.” Another agreed, adding “Wario [and] Waluigi should be regulars in the Mario main series,” alongside a further commenter who said, “Definitely Waluigi.”
It wasn’t just fans of the purple-hatted, spiky-moustached villain who were making their voices heard, though. Others were quick to point out that Peach’s best friend Daisy hasn’t gotten enough attention (“Daisy! She has a whole kingdom that can be utilized,”) and that actually, very little is known about the princess.
There were, of course, plenty of other answers because the cast of Mario characters is so large, and what this all really goes to show is that there’s still so, so much life left in the franchise and further room for exploration and growth. Hopefully, in the near future, fans will get the Waluigi/Daisy game they’re evidently looking for.
For more Mario magic, check out our Mario Wonder review. Or, see our picks for the best Nintendo Switch games and best mobile games for some non-Mario variety.