Shovel Knight has become somewhat of a gaming icon since his self-titled game was released in 2014, but the same can’t be said for Nintendo’s beloved underdog, Geno. A fan favorite for many reasons, Super Mario RPG‘s Geno has continually been ignored by Nintendo, despite outcry from fans who want to see this little wooden boy brought back to life. Shovel Knight, created by indie developer Yacht Club, has seen more love from Nintendo than Geno, even though he is a third-party indie character.
Not only has Shovel Knight been made an Assist Trophy in Super Smash Bros., but Nintendo even allowed Yacht Club to produce amiibo figures of Shovel Knight‘s playable characters. Beyond his own series, Shovel Knight has had countless crossovers, ranging from playable characters in other indie games to cosmetic items in AAA releases.
Even with a much larger publisher behind him, Geno has only appeared in a single game, released in 1996, and he has remained a one-hit-wonder ever since. He may have been given a lackluster Mii costume in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and a spirit in the game’s World of Light campaign, but he deserves much more than these insignificant representations. Geno deserves to be treated like Shovel Knight, even if Nintendo never decides to do anything with the character himself.
Super Mario RPG’s Geno Deserves The Shovel Knight Treatment
Geno appeared in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars on the SNES, which was developed by both Nintendo and Square (now Square Enix). His singular appearance made him somewhat of a Nintendo legend, and fans long requested his appearance in a Super Smash Bros. game. Seeing him receive a Mii gunner costume in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate instead of an assist trophy or an official fighter virtually destroyed all hopes of him becoming a real fighter. However, Geno doesn’t need to be given his own game or become a Smash character; Nintendo just needs to allow Geno to be used in the same manner as Shovel Knight so that this beloved character can live on in other video games.
It wouldn’t hurt for Nintendo to start by porting Super Mario RPG to Switch, allowing more players to get acquainted with Geno’s character. Nintendo could also make a Geno costume in Super Mario Odyssey or even produce an official Geno amiibo. It could then begin to license Gino out to other developers, allowing him to become a fighter in Brawlhalla or Rivals of Aether. There’s also crossover potential for the Breath of the Wild sequel, where he could be a DLC armor set. Geno is popular enough for fans to care about these small appearances. If Shovel Knight is able to maintain relevance through crossovers alone, Geno should also be able to ride that same wave.