Important takeaways
- The Legend of Santa is very reminiscent of Super Mario Bros. 3, a benchmark platformer.
- Nintendo let the game's similarities slide despite potential copyright issues.
- The Legend of Santa offers unique features such as changing Santa's sprite and multiplayer mode, potentially appealing to fans.
An upcoming Switch game called The legend of Santa shares a striking resemblance to Super Mario Bros. 3. The game has been out on Steam since November 2023 and is coming to Nintendo Switch on October 28, 2024. Interestingly, Nintendo didn't seem to mind that the game seems to have followed in the footsteps of Super Mario Bros. 3.
Admittedly, it's not such a bad idea to closely emulate any of them Mario game, let alone Super Mario Bros. 3. Many fans believe Super Mario Bros. 3 to be the benchmark for platform games, with some even claiming it's the best Mario game that ever comes out. Although quitting may be a risky move, The legend of Santa release on the Switch already has a release date, so Nintendo may have let the similarities slide.
The legend of Santa is a platform game by Plow Games, in the style of early Mario titles. The visuals are very familiar, looking like a re-colored and re-skinned Super Mario Bros. 3with the titular elf replacing Mario. Players will be able to play as Santa through a set of Christmas-themed scenes where he can stomp on enemies, hit blocks and shoot power-ups. Steam review results are largely positive, which could mean good things for the title. With many fans yearning for more 2D Mario game, The legend of Santa maybe it just itches.
Should Nintendo be worried about The Legend of Santa?
With how strict Nintendo can be when it comes to copyright claims, it's very surprising The legend of Santa passed the company's quality control. While it may not encroach on characters and settings that Nintendo owns, many fans have already noticed how familiar the graphical assets of the game seem. That's why some fans are worried if this would cause problems down the road.
Sure, there are some things that The legend of Santa do differently. It seems that Santa's sprite graphics change depending on the location. The game also offers multiplayer options for up to four players. The levels aren't entirely limited to an outdoor winterscape either, with some wanting to take place in caves. There may be just enough differences that Nintendo probably considered the similarities on the surface. In this case Mario formula has had historic success for Nintendo, and a Christmas twist could do wonders. There are only a few Christmas-themed games that come to mind, and even fewer on the Nintendo Switch. The legend of Santa can be a good addition for not only fans of Mariobut also for people who want to celebrate the holiday season.
Nintendo Switch
The Nintendo Switch is a hybrid console launched in 2017, which can be played in handheld mode or docked to a television. The Switch Lite, a handheld model, followed in 2019, with an OLED update coming in 2021.
