Nintendo has issued a challenge to Super Mario Bros. 35 players to defeat Bowser 3.5 million times. This news comes after the recent announcement this morning that Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury will be arriving on the Switch on February 12. Super Mario 3D World initially released on the Wii U back in 2014 as a sequel to Super Mario 3D Land on the Nintendo 3DS. It's a game that blurs the gameplay of 3D and 2D Mario titles, as players can move in eight directions but are restricted to a timer and must grab a flagpole at the end of each level.
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury was first revealed as part of a Mario-themed Nintendo Direct in August. It had been widely speculated that the game would eventually come to the Switch, as Nintendo has already ported a host of Wii U games to the Switch, such as Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, Pikmin 3, and Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, to name a few.
As reported by Nintendo Life, an upcoming challenge in Super Mario Bros. 35 tasks players with defeating Bowser a grand total of 3.5 million times. This is a part of the Super Mario Bros. 35 World Count Challenge, in which players must collaborate with one another to work toward accomplishing monumental goals. Three such challenges will occur between January and March, and defeating Bowser 3.5 million times is the first one. Details regarding the other two challenges have yet to be disclosed. This event starts on January 18 at 11 p.m. PT and ends on January 25 at the same time. Participants who defeat at least one Bowser will be rewarded with 350 My Nintendo Platinum Points. Selected courses will also offer "additional opportunities" to beat Bowser.
Given that Super Mario Bros. 35 released on Nintendo Switch Online back in October, it's good to see that Nintendo is infusing the game with new life. If only the company would keep the game alive past March 31. Regardless, this seems like a fun challenge, and it's an interesting spin on a battle royale game that requires all players to work together rather than compete against one another. After all, all players need to do to reap the rewards is defeat a single Bowser.
However, 3.5 million Bowsers is a staggering amount. It's unclear if there's a larger reward at stake if all 3.5 million Bowsers are defeated, but it's nice to see that Nintendo is incentivizing participation by rewarding players who defeat only one Bowser. The company didn't have to add a digital reward, but it's pleasing to see that it did. Super Mario Bros. 35 will definitely see a gameplay resurgence next week as a result.
Source: Nintendo Life