You can never predict when Nintendo is going to drop a bombshell of a development on us. I did not expect a random Wednesday morning would deliver us the news that Mario and Peach, famous for being positioned as lovers in past Super Mario games, are actually just “good friends.” Via the Nintendo Today app a few days ago, Nintendo delivered us a message reading:
“Princess Peach and Mario are good friends and help each other out whenever they can.”
Talk about romantic erasure! While obviously not the worst thing in the world, it doesn’t even add up when pitted against 40 years of Mario history. Although no one ever explicitly said Mario and Peach were in a relationship, it’s hard to argue that their romantic feelings weren’t implied when Peach routinely kisses Mario after he rescues her. You also have a few games where it seems the two are dating from the way they interact. Super Mario Sunshine is a prime example as it begins with Mario and Peach taking a vacation together. Super Mario Odyssey also ends with Mario proposing to Peach… although Bowser also proposes.
My assumption of why Nintendo stated this is that Super Mario is a child-friendly brand. Nintendo doesn’t want things becoming too adult or grownup for children, who likely aren’t even considering romance when playing the games. I know as a kid, I never really put two and two together. At the same time, the older games were also more about gameplay over story and often didn’t feature dialogue.
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Written by Peter Glagowski
Peter has been a freelance gaming and film critic for over seven years. His passion for Nintendo is only matched by the size of his collection.
