Splatoon 2 launches a new Mario-themed Splatfest later today

This weekend, a brand new Splatoon 2 Splatfest will task players with choosing between Super Mushrooms or Super Stars, as part of the celebrations from Mario's 35th anniversary last year.

You might not remember, but back in September 2020, Nintendo revealed that as part of the celebrations for Mario's 35th birthday, a Mario-themed Splatfest would be coming to Splatoon 2. That Splatfest is finally taking place this weekend, and the two sides duking it out for victory are Super Mushrooms and Super Stars, both recognizable items from decades of Super Mario games.

Right now, you can head to Inkopolis Square in Splatoon 2 and choose your allegiance to either side. Later today at 2 p.m. PT/5 p.m. ET when the fighting commences, you'll be able to delve into multiplayer versus games of Splatoon 2, with every win counting towards the total score for your team.

Oddly enough, this latest Splatfest comes about nearly 18 months after Nintendo originally announced that the events for Splatoon 2 would be drawing to a close. The Final Splatfest trailer below was debuted in July 2019, with players having to choose between Team Chaos and Team Order for the final grand fight. However this isn't the first time that Splatfests have been resurrected by Nintendo since July 2019: a Halloween-themed Splatfest took place in October last year to mark the spooky occasion. 

Perhaps this Mario-themed Splatfest will be the true final Splatfest for Splatoon 2. Either way, here's hoping Nintendo hopes to continue the Splatoon franchise in the near future for the Nintendo Switch, because I'd absolutely adore another entry in the zany shooter series.

For a list of all the future games confirmed to be coming to Nintendo's console at some point down the road, head over to our upcoming Switch games guide for more.