With The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Super Mario Bros. Wonder, and even Everybody 1-2 Switch, Nintendo seems to be looking to make 2023 another 2017 for the Switch in terms of the game lineup. The Nintendo Switch first released in 2017, and after struggling to deliver a consistent stream of high-quality games for the Wii U, Nintendo made sure not to repeat the same mistake with its home console/handheld hybrid device.
The Nintendo Switch hit the ground running by launching with a brand-new Zelda game, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, on day one. The console also had a party game launch title in the form of 1-2 Switch, which was meant to show off the new console's motion controls and other unique features. Later that same year, Nintendo released Super Mario Odyssey to near-universal acclaim, book-ending an overall strong start for its latest system.
Six years later, the Nintendo Switch is one of the best-selling consoles of all time and the massive success Nintendo needed after the general sales failure that was the Wii U. Despite how popular the Switch remains to this day, many are expecting Nintendo to release a successor console at some point in 2024. 2023 could be the last truly big year for the Nintendo Switch, and as such Nintendo is looking to send it out how it brought it in with a new Zelda, a new Mario, and even a new 1-2 Switch game.
New Mario and Zelda Games for Switch This Year
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - Available now
- Super Mario Bros. Wonder - October 20
Just like Nintendo released new main series Zelda and Mario games in 2017, it has its heavy hitters on deck and ready to go for 2023 as well. Zelda fans have already been treated to The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, hailed as yet another landmark release in the long-running series and standing tall as one of the highest-rated video games of all time. Breath of the Wild enjoyed similar success in 2017, and so it will be interesting to see if the reception to Super Mario Bros. Wonder is anywhere near that of Super Mario Odyssey.
Whereas Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is a direct sequel to Breath of the Wild, Super Mario Bros. Wonder and Super Mario Odyssey are two different flavors of Super Mario. Super MarioOdyssey is a 3D platformer, Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a 2D side-scroller. It's possible critics won't be quite as high on Super Mario Bros. Wonder as a result, but Nintendo fans will find out when the game drops this October.
Regardless, it's interesting how the Switch's 2023 is mirroring its 2017, with a Zelda in the first half of the year and a new Mario in the fall. Switch owners will likely look back at 2023 as one of the system's greatest years, especially when one considers the many other games that have already released for it this year and the others that are still on the way.
