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.