I’ve just finished the story mode of Mario Golf: Super Rush, and while I came away disappointed that the narrative didn’t match up to the quality of the course design, what little glimmers there were showed how much potential the wider cast has. Unfortunately, they never get the chance to show it unless they’re partying, golfing, or go-karting. But maybe it’s time for that to change.
I recently wrote about the personality vacuum that is Mario, and while I don’t want to keep going on about it, he’s bloody boring, isn’t he? Just nothing going on. Level design and world building? Absolutely top notch. Super Mario World, 64, Galaxy, and Odyssey are some of my favourite games of all time, but I don’t like any of them because of the sparkling conversation Mario brings. “Woohoo!” Aye mate, I heard you the first time. Thanks though.
What Mario Golf made abundantly clear - if it wasn’t already - is that the wider cast are being let down by Mario. I suspect Mario’s dullness is deliberate; in Paper Mario (a different character), his paper persona peppers the player with pjokes. Alliteration for the win. Meanwhile, the rest of the cast shine in their own ways. Peach is held back by being constantly forced into the damsel in distress role, but manages to shake a lot of this off in Odyssey, while Bowser is a set chewing scene stealer and Luigi always delivers when he steps out from his brother’s shadow in Luigi’s Mansion.
Much of the supporting cast are propped up by the female characters, and with Mario unlikely to become more interesting anytime soon, perhaps it’s time they step into the spotlight. Peach actually does have her own game, but it feels less like a full title and more like “what if female Ghostbusters was a game, but worse?” - it’s a Girl Power cash-in with limited creativity, rather than a bona fide spin-off that explores a classic character from a new perspective. Peach’s proximity to Mario also means she’s dragged into his banal storytelling too often - Daisy is much better anyway.
Super Mario has a brilliant cast of heroines to call upon if it wanted to do a female spin-off, which are all the rage right now. Ghostbusters wasn’t great, but Ocean’s 8 was serviceable and the upcoming Fast & Furious and Pirates of the Caribbean spin-offs sound intriguing. Besides, this would actually be a spin-off; most of the female spin-off movies are actually reboots, retelling the old story but with ladies this time. What I’m proposing would be a completely new game that explores the underappreciated characters in the series.
As well as Peach, who would definitely benefit from having one tale away from Mario to showcase her personality, there’s the aforementioned Daisy, while Birdo is basically the only character who comes off well in the Mario Golf story mode. Rosalina has established herself as a Party et al mainstay despite the Galaxy series shuddering to a halt, bringing a fantastical touch to proceedings, while Pauline was Odyssey’s breakout star - her presence in Mario Golf suggests she’s here for the long haul too.
There are so many brilliant characters in Mario that never really get the chance to shine, but a female-led spin-off feels like the best way to bottle up this potential and use it to create a different kind of Mario game while leaving the admittedly great level design of the main series intact. Mario has some brilliant games, but zero personality. Maybe it’s time for him to share the stage for once.
