With Super Mario Bros. Wonder releasing nearer to the end of this week, Nintendo has made Super Mario Bros. Wonder the latest game to get the “Ask the Developer” interview treatment. Across the interview’s multiple instalments, we got to hear from the likes of Takashi Tezuka and other developers all involved in Mario’s latest 2D outing.
During the interview, we heard from the devs behind Super Mario Bros. Wonder, as they revealed The Super Mario Bros. Movie did not influence Super Mario Bros. Wonder:
Mario Devs on Super Mario Bros. Wonder not Being Influenced by the Movie:
Masanobu Sato: We’re often asked about the film’s influence on the game, but we didn’t hear anything about the film’s content during development. I think Tezuka-san and Kondo-san were the only members here who knew the details.
New Super Mario Bros. was the first 2D Mario game to use 3D models. The adoption of 3D models provided a natural change and was seen as a significant evolution in 2006 when it was released. In addition to the visual changes we incorporated back then, we wanted to implement more engaging and functional ways of using 3D models in this 2D platformer. Therefore, at an early stage of development, we set ourselves the goal of discovering how this could be achieved.
Takashi Tezuka: During development, we didn’t know when the movie would be released, but we were sure some people would play the game because they watched the movie. This is why we were conscious of creating a game that wouldn’t disappoint them. So for this game, we dedicated ample budget and time to create the characters with even more care and attention and in greater detail.
Koichi Hayashida: Also, with Nintendo Switch’s technology, we were able to make movements and facial expressions more dynamic than before. The number of joints has also increased considerably.
Masanobu Sato: Both joints and animations have more than doubled in number since the previous title. Facial expressions that are difficult to express using joints were created by replacing the models with new ones.
For the full interview, why not click here to check out Ask the Developer Vol. 11, Super Mario Bros. Wonder – Chapter 2.
Ask the Developer | Super Mario Bros. Wonder (Participating Developers)
- Takashi Tezuka | Executive Officer Senior Officer, Entertainment Planning & Development Division
- Shiro Mouri | Entertainment Planning & Development Department Production Group No. 10
- Koichi Hayashida | Entertainment Planning & Development Department Production Group No. 10
- Masanobu Sato | Entertainment Planning & Development Department Production Group No. 10
- Koji Kondo | Senior Officer, Entertainment Planning & Development Department
