Mario Golf: Super Rush: 5 Things You Should Know

We’ve already published a list of big games that are launching this June, and while there’s plenty of big names to pull from, perhaps none are as culturally important as Mario Golf: Super Rush. Okay, perhaps there’s a little bit of sarcasm in that sentence, but we’d be lying if we said Mario Golf wasn’t one of the most exciting releases, not just for this month, but for the year as a whole.

It’s a bold claim, but Nintendo have typically had great success when it comes to their Mario sports games. Mario Tennis Aces is still one of the most beloved sports games on the Switch, while many have fond memories of the Mario Strikers series. Mario Kart also counts, right? The legacy of that series alone is astounding.

With the launch of Mario Golf: Super Rush at the end of the month, we’ve compiled all the information you’ll need to know ahead of the game’s release. Here’s what you’ll need to prepare for before you head out onto the Mushroom Kingdom Links. It’s like a regular golf course, only with more power stars and fire flowers.

 

1. It’s The Seventh Mario Golf Game

You might not have realised this, but Mario has been paying Clubhouse fees to the golf course for a long time now. Super Rush is actually the seventh Nintendo developed and Mario-branded golf game, starting with the Japanese release Mario Open Golf way back in 1987 for the Famicom. NES Open Tournament Golf, a stripped back, easier version of Mario Open Golf, would then launch in the West in 1991.

More notable entries in the series include Mario Golf in 1999 for the N64 and Game Boy Colour, which featured connectivity across both platforms. This feature would then be utilised once again for 2003’s Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour for the Gamecube, which would be compatible with the 2004 Game Boy Advance release, the aptly named Mario Golf: Advance Tour. Since Mario Golf: World Tour for the 3DS back in 2014, this is the first time Mario and friends have stepped out onto the golf course once again.

 

2. It’s Golf, With Mario

That sounds like the most obvious point in the world, but it’s something that’s worth remembering: this isn’t just regular golf. The Mario license features in Mario Golf in a big way, though perhaps it’s fair to say that the Mario influence is somewhat lesser than it has been in other entries. Toadstool Tour featured Warp Pipes and Chain Chomp hazards across every course, but Super Rush’s courses seem to be an escalating series of nonsense.

Standard courses that you’d expect to find in other golf games are featured here, but there’s also more unusual courses that feel decidedly more Mario, including a desert course filled with Pokeys to dodge, and a Bowser’s Castle themed course complete with lava pits. It’s less The Greatest Game Ever Played and more like Caddyshack, which is fine by me.

 

3. Motion Controls For A Better Swing

Nintendo are no strangers to golf-based motion controls, considering that golf was one of the most popular mini games in Wii Sports, so it’s no surprise to see that Mario Golf: Super Rush, the first Mario Golf game on a home console since Toadstool Tour, features motion controls. You have to believe that motion controls would have been in a Wii game, if there was one.

Players can utilise their Joy-Con for a more accurate swing, giving yourself a bit of a mild workout while you play. Fortunately, you won’t have to walk the thousands of yards around the course between hitting the balls. Save that for Ring-Fit. Also, if you can’t play with motion controls, or simply don’t have the room to go for full swings, there’s more traditional button press inputs to control your swing.

 

4. There’s A Full Blown Story Mode

Golf and story modes might not seem like a normal combination, but considering that beloved indie game Golf Story is a thing, you’d be surprised. There was even a Tiger Woods game that saw you chase Tiger through time, experiencing the different periods of golf history. That’s about as silly as it gets, and is probably the basis of an article somewhere down the line, but I digress.

The story mode in Super Rush, called Golf Adventure, is somewhat similar to the campaign that featured in Mario Tennis Aces, with the player learning the basics of the game through a series of matches and minigames.

Of course, this being a Mario game, there’s some supernatural elements to the whole thing, and golf is the means by which to banish your foes or something. It looks silly, but you can level up your Mii character like an RPG so it could be really deep and engaging.

 

5. Speed Golf Is The New Hotness

The premier mode for Mario Golf: Super Rush, Speed Golf is like Mario Kart mixed with an 18 hole round. Four players compete against each other to complete a round of golf as quickly as possible, with the key difference being everyone plays at once. On top of that, everyone must run to the ball after taking a shot, rubbing shoulders with your opponents as you do so.

It looks like the next chaotic Nintendo multiplayer game, with Mario Golf: Super Rush’s 16 characters each having their own special dashes and power shots that can truly disrupt your opponents so you can gain the upper hand. It’s also here where the hazards that litter certain courses will become more prominent, as you can try and give your rivals a nudge into those dangerous pits or enemies to stall their progress.

Along with Speed Golf, Super Rush also introduces Battle Golf, which takes the same concept and applies it to a 9 hole stadium, where players can complete any combination of 3 holes they like. The fastest to complete that assignment wins, so you’re encouraged to get in everyone else’s way as much as possible in order to succeed.

Mario Golf: Super Rush launches on the Nintendo Switch on June 25th, with pre-orders available now.

READ MORE: 10 Best Golf Games To Take A Swing At