Over 32 years later, Nintendo has finally released the obscure Mario game from the creators of Pokemon outside of Japan

mario and wario art showing mario being guided by a fairy — (Image credit: Nintendo)

Nintendo has dropped a new batch of SNES games to Nintendo Switch Online, with a second Fatal Fury release and Bubsy's debut on the service, joined by one of the most obscure Mario games.

When the Nintendo Switch 2 was announced to have mouse features within the Joy-Con controllers, it felt like an inevitability that Mario Paint would be added to SNES online, and it didn't take Nintendo very long to do so, with the game being added within two months of the Switch 2 launch. However, there was another Mario game that required the mouse (Mario's Super Picross has been on SNES online for years, too, but that doesn't need the mouse), that was only released in Japan, and the real question was whether Nintendo would pull the trigger.

Super NES – October 2025 Games Update - YouTube

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Today, Nintendo confirmed that yes, Mario & Wario is coming to Nintendo Switch online, worldwide. The game was made by Pokemon developer GameFreak, with Pokemon creator Satoshi Tajiri, artist Ken Sugimori, and programmer/composer Junichi Masuda leading development on it.

In the game, you play as a fairy named Wanda, who has to guide Mario through levels after Wario drops an item on his head (a bucket, barrel, eggshell, etc) and obscures his vision. In what is effectively a take on Lemmings, you need to get Mario to Luigi, who is the only one with the power to take the rogue item off his head. This release marks the first time the game has been released outside of Japan since its debut in August 1993.

Alongside Mario and Wario is Fatal Fury Special, which is an updated version of Fatal Fury 2 (which was released on the SNES NSO app back in January). And despite Bubsy in: The Purrfect Collection releasing exactly a month ago on the Nintendo Switch, Atari has brought over the first entry in the infamous series, Bubsy in Claws Encounters of the Furred Kind, to Nintendo Switch Online, marking the bobcat's debut on the service.

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Scott has been freelancing for over three years across a number of different gaming publications, first appearing on GamesRadar+ in 2024. He has also written for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, VG247, Play, TechRadar, and others. He's typically rambling about Metal Gear Solid, God Hand, or any other PS2-era titles that rarely (if ever) get sequels.

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