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The Nintendo Switch 2 Joy-Cons have us hoping Mario Paint 2 is on the way

The Nintendo Switch 2 Joy-Cons appear to double as a mouse, leading me to believe that the creation game Mario Paint might make a comeback.

Mario holding a paint brush in front of a Nintendo Switch 2 in front of a red background

The prospect of new hardware is always exciting, especially from a company as innovative as Nintendo. The Japanese company has broken the mold numerous times over the years, including with the Nintendo Switch. Well, it seems keen to keep the creative juices flowing if the official unveiling of the Nintendo Switch 2 is anything to go by. While there are a couple of things that intrigue me from that trailer, it’s the seemingly mouse-like capabilities of the Joy-Cons that I want to talk about; are they an indicator that a long-forgotten Mario series is coming back?

Okay. Forgotten may be a stretch, as it’s pretty hard to forget Mario games, but it’s been a hot minute since the release of Mario Paint. To be precise, it’s been nearly 33 years since it came out on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1992 and 25 years since the suite of Mario Artist games began to roll out in Japan. Originally designed to be a sequel titled Mario Paint 64, Mario Artists features Paint Studio, Talent Studio, and Polygon Studio, each on a different disk for the 64DD peripheral.

So, while it’s been a while, Nintendo clearly had grand plans for the Mario Paint series once upon a time, so is it intending to bring it back with the Switch 2? The 1992 SNES game’s design encourages you to play with the SNES mouse accessory – Nintendo even sold the two together in one neat little package. With the new Joy-Cons seemingly playing like a mouse, it seems plausible that Nintendo wants to bring Mario’s creative suite to the future.

More and more people have an interest in game development, even if it’s just creating little things, which is where software such as Mario Paint would do well – it’s a great introduction, especially as the title may be a bit misleading. It’s not that you just paint things; the game features a graphics editor, an animation program, and a music composer – the basics of what you need to create a level.

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This probably sounds familiar, even if you didn’t know Mario Paint was a thing, and that’s because of the Super Mario Maker games, which are also a good reason for the Joy-Cons to double as a mouse. Even if we don’t get another Mario Paint, Super Mario Maker 3 seems highly likely. Plus, the original Super Mario Maker on the Wii U was originally going to be a Mario Paint game, so it all ties together nicely.

Back when Nintendo first released Mario Paint, many people gave it props for its innovation, though some felt that the game didn’t offer enough in the way of creativity – imagine what Nintendo could offer now. Super Mario Maker 2 is very impressive, but even that game is nearly six years old and a little outdated.

If we put Mario to the side for one minute, there are a couple of other reasons Nintendo could have designed the new Joy-Cons to double as a mouse; the first is how much easier it’ll make playing point-and-click games and strategy games. It’s right there in the name of the genre for one of them. Moving a cursor around feels much more fluid with a mouse, and games like Return to Monkey Island would benefit from it.

However, we have to consider one small caveat: the space you need to use a mouse. Part of the appeal of the Nintendo Switch is its portability, but you’re not exactly going to have the space to detach your Joy-Cons and use them as a mouse while you’re on the bus, are you? Even on a train, it could prove tricky. While you’re at home, it might be a very handy feature, but out and about, not so much.

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Unless Nintendo intends to release some sort of accessory that makes it easier to use the mouse function, maybe a little tray or something, though I’d argue that might make things a bit more cumbersome. I’m all for being able to create some epic Mario levels or take part in point-and-click adventures, but not if I look like I’m waiting for my Meals on Wheels.

Regardless of Nintendo’s intention with the mouse feature, I’m intrigued to see what it can do. Maybe I’ll try a Dark Souls challenge run with it. I doubt I’ll even beat the Asylum Demon, but I’ll find out when the Nintendo Switch 2 releases later this year. If you need something to play in the meantime, our list of the best Switch games can help you out.