Grab Your Nintendo Switch 2 Mice, ‘Mario Paint’ Is Here

Nothing like a good shadow drop: Mario Paint is now available to play in the Nintendo Switch Online Super Nintendo catalog for both Switch and Switch 2. If you’re a subscriber, you’re good to go. If you’re not, well, I’m so very sorry.

Mario Paint features mandatory mouse control (Joy-Con 2 or USB, your choice), so you can’t use anything else, not even a Pro controller. This isn’t at all surprising, given that the original 1992 release shipped with the official SNES mouse and even an accompanying mousepad.

Naturally, Nintendo consoles always launch with some sort of gimmick, from R.O.B. on the NES to the N64’s trident analog controller, and the Switch 2 continues this tradition with its ability to turn any Joy-Con 2 into a computer-style mouse.

In compatible software like Welcome Tour and now Mario Paint—in addition to the system’s main menu—you can detach a Joy-Con 2 from the console, slap on one of the handy smooth-footed straps, flip the Joy-Con 2 over and use it as a fully functional mouse.

It’s funny that Mario Paint is launching on NSO tonight, because I literally published an article earlier today complaining about the lack of a proper Mario Paint sequel on the Switch 2. It’s no sequel, but the first Mario Paint is way better than nothing, and honestly, what a nice little retro gift.

After booting it up, I did notice some input lag when using a Joy-Con 2 as a mouse, which felt borderline unusable in the fly-swatting minigame. So, I switched to a wired USB mouse instead, and this felt somewhat better, though not perfect.

It’s difficult to remember what the SNES mouse responsiveness felt like over 30 years ago, but even after adjusting the in-game sensitivity, as well as the Switch 2’s native sensitivity option, a touch of lag remained. I’m not sure if this is due to my monitor’s settings or Nintendo’s hardware quirks. Either way, it’s bothersome, but not necessarily game-breaking, at least in the artistic segments.

Still, it’s been a blast diving back into Mario Paint. I spent so many hours messing around on this cartridge when I was a kid. Other than fly-swatting, the game has no real concrete objective, other than to make cool stuff, which includes music composition, filling out coloring book pages or simply drawing. Creativity in game form.

Maybe Mario Paint’s arrival on NSO means Mario Paint 2 is in the works somewhere. I won’t hold my breath, but at least we’ve got some 1992 nostalgia to appease our collective sentimentality.