Mario Golf: Super Rush - What We Know So Far

Over the years, Mario and his pals have picked up some rather interesting hobbies. The beloved plumber knitted some sweaters on the Famicom Disk System and had a short-lived stint as a hotelier in an embarrassing Phillips CD-I game. And of course, Mario has played just about every sport there is, from basketball to tennis. And while Mario Kart seems to get more popular with every passing year, it has been a little while since Mario and friends have played a round of golf.

During the Feb. 17 Nintendo Direct presentation, it was revealed that the Mario Golf series is finally making a comeback on the Nintendo Switch. The newest entry in the series will be called Mario Golf: Super Rush. Nintendo has already dropped some tantalizing details regarding Mario's return to the world of golf. Of course, this being the Mushroom Kingdom, things are a bit wackier on the green than they are in the real world. Here's what has been revealed about Mario Golf: Super Rush.

The announcement of Mario Golf: Super Rush likely comes as a pleasant surprise for gamers who enjoy teeing off with Mario and friends. This is the first installment of the main Mario Golf series since 2014, when Mario Golf: World Tour arrived on the Nintendo 3DS. In other words, this latest sequel is a long time coming. Luckily, now that Mario Golf: Super Rush has actually been announced, fans of the series won't have to wait too long for the next game in the series. 

Mario Golf: Super Rush will launch for the Nintendo Switch on June 25, 2020. Not only is the game coming out in just a few months, but Nintendo had another surprise for gamers: the game went up for preorder immediately following the Nintendo Direct presentation. It's currently available in the Nintendo eShop, so go ahead and polish your clubs.

The Nintendo Direct presentation included a short look at Mario Golf: Super Rush, which shows off the game's expansive courses, as well as some of the strategies that are available to gamers with this new title. In the trailer, the narrator points out some of the ways that players can nail perfect shots. This includes a Shot Gauge, which will show "how your shot will curve due to slopes," as well as a Scan that will let you zoom way out and "examine a course's terrain."

The trailer also shows a player trying out Mario Golf: Super Rush's motion controls. The player can be seen holding a Joy-Con like it's a club, then swinging, with Mario dutifully mirroring the player's moves. Fans also get a sneak peek of a few of Super Rush's wild gameplay modes, as well as some of the characters who will be appear in the game, including fan favorites such as Wario and Daisy.

In typical Super Mario sports game fashion, there are plenty of alternate gameplay modes to spice things up. Mario Golf: Super Rush lives up to its name with one mode in particular: Speed Golf. In this mode, players will all tee off simultaneously, kicking off a race to see who can land their ball in the hole fastest. Aiding in this mad dash is the fact that each of the characters will have their own unique abilities to employ within the game. According the game's official listing, "Luigi, for example, can freeze the green and King Bob-omb can pelt the course with bombs."

Mario Golf: Super Rush also includes a story mode that will allow players to take to the course with their own customized Mii character. In this "RPG-like" mode, you'll be able to level up your character's skills as you rise up the ranks in the Mushroom Kingdom. These various modes should add plenty of replay value to Mario Golf: Super Rush when it drops this June.