Retro enthusiasts have had one big request ever since Nintendo unveiled the Switch 2: bring back Mario Paint. The Super NES classic came with a unique mouse built for the console, and as Nintendo has brought back mouse controls for its latest platform, the pairing seemed like a natural fit. Mario Paint is, indeed, the latest addition to the Nintendo Switch Online library, but you don't actually have to have a Switch 2 to play it.
With a thoroughly charming announcement video, Nintendo revealed Mario Paint as the latest addition to the Super NES library for Nintendo Switch Online. If you fire up the app, you'll get a "mouse required" notice on the menu, which for most players will likely mean popping out a Joy-Con 2 for some well-emulated traditional mouse controls.
But if you're playing on Switch 1, or simply prefer a computer-style mouse, you can plug in any ol' USB mouse. Nintendo specifies that you'll need a "compatible USB mouse," but the compatibility requirements don't seem strict, as I was able to plug in the Logitech mouse I use at my PC every day and play without issue.
Mario Paint is essentially an art and music tool brimming with classic Nintendo charm. It doesn't look far off from old-school Microsoft Paint at a glance, but it's filled with so many Easter eggs and minigames that you can't mistake it for anything but a Nintendo product.
Mario Paint never got a follow-up – though it did get a Japan-only spiritual successor on N64 – but it nonetheless cast a long shadow on the Nintendo catalog. Much of its user interface was lifted wholesale to help power Super Mario Maker.
While the Super NES mouse is closely associated with Mario Paint, the accessory would end up being supported by dozens of games on the platform. Two of those titles – Nobunaga's Ambition and Mario's Super Picross – were previously made available through Nintendo Switch Online, and the app has now been updated with mouse support for those titles, as well.
And yes, both games also support not just Joy-Con 2 mouse controls on Switch 2, but USB mouse controls on Switches both new and old. I never would've expected Nintendo to offer such robust support for such an esoteric feature in its modern emulator, but I'm very happy to have been wrong.
Yes, you'll need to play most of them with a standard controller, but the best SNES games are always worth revisiting.
