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 spoke about how Super Mario Bros. Wonder took inspiration from the 3D Mario games and increasing the character roster:
Mario Devs on How the 3D Mario Games Influenced Wonder:
Takashi Tezuka: 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.
Koichi Hayashida: With all that in mind, we felt that a 2D Mario game adapted to the times would be one that you could complete your way. For example, up until now, 2D Mario games have been in a format where players complete each course in sequence. But in this title, players who want a challenge can start with a difficult course, and beginners can start with an easier one. Each course has its difficulty indicated too.
We even implemented a method used in 3D Mario games by which you can unlock specific courses with key items that you collect. That key item is what’s called the Wonder Seed.
You can obtain Wonder Seeds upon reaching the end of each course, but even if you can’t complete a course, you can still buy them at the Poplin Shop by collecting flower coins.
Shiro Mouri: We’ve also increased the number of playable characters to 12, and players can freely choose what ability to add to their own character.Some of the previous Mario games had different characteristics for each character. For example, Luigi could jump higher, and Peach could float. But that meant that there were things that could only be done with a specific character. If you wanted to jump higher, you’d have to choose Luigi. We wanted to remove that in this game so that players can pick their favourite character and ability. So, we kept characters and abilities separate by implementing a badge system, where players can attach a badge that has the ability they want to their favourite character.
For the full interview, why not click here to check out Ask the Developer Vol. 11, Super Mario Bros. Wonder – Chapter 3.
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
