If you’re anything like me, you absolutely love Nintendo, but sometimes feel low-key outraged that so many key characters aren’t getting their own solo adventures. Bowser? Dry Bones? Rosalina? Waluigi? Talk about lack of representation. It’s about time these guys and gals had their chance in the spotlight. We’ve come up with some suggestions, but as always, let us know if you have any ideas Nintendo should take on board.
1. Boo
Suggested game – Boo: Ghost Tales
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be featured on socks, sweaters and beanies but never be the main character in a game? And on top of that, be regularly confused with an adorable Pomeranian in the Google search results? These are struggles Boo the Ghost has to face every day. To alleviate his suffering, we suggest a tough as nails 2D platformer that makes full use of Boo’s flight and transparency abilities. Remember DuckTales? Capcom’s action platformer came out on Game Boy and NES, and was remastered a few years ago. Boo: Ghost Tales could be something like that, but instead of treasure hunting, it’s all about rescuing fellow ghosts that were corrupted by a wicked magician.
2. Bowser
Suggested game – Super Bowser Voyage
Too many people have typecast Bowser as the villain without realising how brilliant he actually is. Without Bowser, nobody would be there to steal Peach, which of course means there would be no Mario games, period. For this seriously misunderstood Koopa, we recommend a 3D beat ’em up/platformer against various Nintendo good guys in a quest to steal Peach back. Naturally, Mario would be the final boss and it would be the greatest role reversal of all time.
3. Lakitu
Suggested game – Flappy Lakitu
Riding a cloud all day sure sounds like fun, but we have the feeling Lakitu’s secretly longing for a new kind of adventure. We’re envisaging a Flappy Bird style game, but with Lakitu instead. There would be major adjustments, too, with the most notable one being to remove the one hit death policy. Like Mario, Lakitu would have mushroom power-ups and receive damage when colliding with spikes and so on. That includes porcupines. The objective would be collecting coins and reaching the end of each level, where players need to select which tunnel to enter.
4. Ganondorf
Suggested game – Mark of the Gerudo
In an era of origin story games, it only makes sense that Ganondorf gets his own solo adventure. This could work particularly well as a narrative centric RPG with open world structure, a deep stealth system, and Bloodborne style combat. Ganondorf would be able to progress through extensive skill trees over the course of the game, unlocking new attacks, devious ways to ensnare opponents on the sly, and a magical range of shadowy spells and runes. There’s just so much potential to tap into here, especially given the Gerudo population’s history.
5. Waluigi
Suggested game – Fog of Waa
A real time strategy game for Nintendo Switch. Waluigi is secretly plotting to take over Mushroom Kingdom and needs to recruit citizens to gather food, tools and materials, with the eventual hope that he’ll raise an army big enough to conquer the castle. Legends like Civilisation and Age of Empires were trailblazers for the strategy genre, and Fog of Waa could add that extra comic mischief Nintendo’s so well known for. Another very feasible (and extremely memeworthy) entry is God of Waa, in which Waluigi becomes an immortal warrior slaying all those in the royal realm who oppose him. I can just imagine his relationship with boy Waluigi…
6. Birdo
Suggested game – Birds of a Feather
A cute third person shooter in which Birdo uses Splatoon-like guns (minus the ink) to obliterate foes. We’re picturing a robust campaign that’s set in prehistoric times. A new villain is threatening to wipe out the Birdo species, but has brainwashed large groups into thinking he’s going to help them instead. Along the way, Birdo needs to find trustworthy friends, make important tactical decisions, and ultimately, unfoil the treacherous plot before it’s too late.
7. Petey Piranha
Suggested game – Petey’s Prickly Paradise
The way I see it, we had Yoshi’s Woolly World and Kirby Triple Deluxe so this is absolutely fair game. A 2D sidescrolling adventure with the intricacy of the Donkey Kong games would do absolute wonders for this unappreciated plant. Petey could traverse a plethora of levels chomping up weed removalists and shoot vines to climb into higher areas. Soil and water might be appropriate health regeneration options.
8. Dry Bones
Suggested game – Inside the Gloom
A survival horror set in the dark wilderness of the Kalimari Desert. Jump-scares, ghost trains, and an unbreakable curse that keeps preventing the local desert dwellers from finding genuine respite sound like good ingredients for a scary time.
9. Goombas
Suggested game – Goomba Wars
This needs to be a MOBA that’s all about mushrooms, magic, and team-based battles. A single player campaign to widen the player base, but a multiplayer focus. Goombas would have the ability to access Mario’s typical range of powerups (mushrooms, superball flowers), conquer new kingdoms, collect random loot, and equip special modifiers like tanooki and boomerang suits, invincibility stars, and even a rare Cappy that lets you possess enemies and trick them into turning on their tribe. And there’s ample space to push out a battle royale mode depending on the base popularity.
10. Rosalina
Suggested game – Comet Crusade
A single player puzzle adventure hybrid for Switch that’s all about Rosalina exploring the Sun, Moon, and various planets to locate 100 missing magical sapphires. Beyond the general platforming and puzzle solving, the action could draw inspiration from Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle but the baddies would be replaced by goombas, koopas, bullet bills and other Nintendo nasties.
