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The last two sections of the Super Mario Bros. Wonder 'Ask the Developer' interview are out now for your perusal, but there's one snippet that we thought was particularly interesting.
It's no secret that the latest '2D' Mario adventure will be the first in roughly 11 years, which means the developers over at Nintendo have had plenty of time to figure out the direction for Wonder ahead of its release this Friday.
After discovering that one of the developers had trouble progressing through a certain section of Super Mario Run on mobile devices, Takashi Tezuka, Executive Officer of Nintendo's Entertainment Planning and Development division, started to ponder how the team could approach its next mainline entry:
"We didn’t think [Super Mario Run] was that challenging, so we hadn't realized you'd feel discouraged from continuing the game if it felt too difficult. So we started to think about what we could do to make players want to advance. Then we thought, maybe there isn't enough freedom. For example, I feel that Super Mario Odyssey is designed so that all players can reach the ending, no matter how they progress through the game."
Developer Koichi Hayashida then steps in to explain that Tezuka suggested using the 3D Mario games as a reference point for the development of Super Mario Bros. Wonder. Tezuka goes on to state that the team created Wonder with the aim of providing players with more freedom, since earlier 2D entries would feel somewhat restrictive in certain sections in the event players make a mistake:
"I felt that 2D Mario games often had the reputation of being unforgiving. Compared to 3D Mario games, just one mistimed action can lead to a bigger mistake, since you have fewer options in terms of movement. In this game, we've changed that. We've designed it so that players can conquer the game with their ideas and use their heads, not just their skills, to progress."
We reckon you can definitely see the influences of 3D Mario games in Super Mario Bros. Wonder, and not just in its new-found accessibility. You can check out our full thoughts on the game in our 9/10 review.
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What do you make of this development approach from Nintendo? Are you excited to jump into Super Mario Bros. Wonder? Let us know.
[source nintendo.com]
Comments 19
As a fan of the 3D mario games and not the 2D ones, this is exciting to see the devs looking to the 3D games for inspiration.
Too bad that apparently they didn’t get inspired by the boss variety 3D Mario has..
Not really a fan of the sound of that, if only because in most of the other 2D Mario games pretty much any level where you have to slow it down and explore more tends to be among the weaker ones. Especially the ghost houses in the NSMB games which are pretty much universally interminable chores.
First time in a long time that I've been genuinely excited to get my hands on a new game
Can someone hurry the time along so make it Friday already
I think removing the time limit in the levels was a good start, but it appears the levels themselves are still rather short
@ArchRex Uhm, I'm pretty sure there is some good bosses in this game... (Like not just Bowser JR and stuff)
Im so excited for this game!
@GalaxicGlobe Unfortunately, it seems that it’s not the case, like TheGamer’s review is saying:
"Boss battles don’t take advantage of the Wonder Flowers as much as I’d like, since most of them are just Bowser Jr across a litany of similar looking castles."
man, the more people try to talk this game up, the worse it sounds to me. i just want to try it for myself!
@ArchRex Oof thats sad
"2D Mario games often had the reputation of being unforgiving"
I can genuinely say that I have never heard that once in my life.
hmm this sounds like the game is going to be easy.
I don't think they're saying they've made it easier than past games, just that there are more options available to clear challenges. These are things I think we already know about, like the optional badges that give you extra moves/buffs, or the "open" parts of the world map that let you play certain levels in any order (maybe even letting you bypass a tough level entirely if you get enough Wonder Seeds to progress elsewhere).
Translation: The game is going to be boringly easy.
@RR529 We've already had 2D Mario games with handicaps and skippable levels / warp items. Those things would be plenty for gamers that can't finish the game.
“"I felt that 2D Mario games often had the reputation of being unforgiving. Compared to 3D Mario games, just one mistimed action can lead to a bigger mistake”
They are flat out rewriting history here, 3D Mario is infamous for punishing mistakes with death and giving no options compared to 2D Mario where you have a bounty of power ups and level skips. I’ve never had to endlessly replay a 2D level to beat it the way I did with the Fluddless levels in Sunshine, Luigi's Purple Coins in Galaxy and all the long final challenge levels that don’t have checkpoints and only allow taking 1 or 2 damage.
@roy130390 Right? It's not like people played Celeste and said "a brutal 2D platformer, just like those Mario games we all know and love."
Nintendo doesn’t dip into challenging gameplay as much as engaging gameplay and they’re probably a better business and creative house for it. Outside developers can take that opening along with Nintendo’s engagement design and carve a space for themselves. So it’s not a bad world.
So they were inspired by the 2d Mario games... to make it not like them at all? I hope those quotes lost something in translation as they somewhat dampen my hype for the game. I'm wanting something that feels like an extension of Mario 3 and Mario World... not side scrolling Odyssey. Oh well, I've bought it regardless and get my own opinion when it arrives.
@RR529 Same thing with TOTK’s shrines they felt easier than BOTW but really they just had more options
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