During a new “Ask the Developer” interview with Nintendo, three of the Mario & Luigi: Brothership developers discussed the comparisons between Brothership and The Super Mario Bros. Movie:
Mario & Luigi | Brothership Devs on Certain Comparisons to the Mario Bros. Movie:
Akira Otani: We didn’t actually have the movie in mind when we made it. Or rather, when we made it, we didn’t have any information about The Super Mario Bros. Movie. I assumed the movie would probably also express the bond between the brothers in some way, but I decided not to worry about how this would be depicted and to just focus on portraying it in the right way for Mario & Luigi… But yeah, I’ve been told that the opening cutscene bears an uncanny resemblance. (Laughs)
Haruyuki Ohashi: I got a shock when I saw the movie. (Laughs)
Hitomi Furuta: It felt like they really got us good with it. (Laughs)
Akira Otani: Just like Snoutlet says in the game, “Some coincidence, huh?”.
Haruyuki Ohashi: To be fair, the movie and the game share the same foundation – this brotherly bond.
Akira Otani: We were also really happy about the release of The Super Mario Bros. Movie. I’d be really grateful if people who’ve seen the movie are then motivated to try out games starring Mario and Luigi.
Of course, you can still fully enjoy the game’s story even if you haven’t seen the movie. In previous Mario & Luigi games, the stories often felt more relaxed, but in this game, it’s a little more serious. Especially towards the end of the game, you’ll really get a sense of Mario and Luigi’s heroism.
Haruyuki Ohashi: Mario is a representation of the player themselves. I think the more serious and difficult the situation you find yourself in, the greater the joy you’ll feel when you overcome it. So I thought we might be able to portray the bond between brothers even more than in previous games. Also, we wanted to make something different from before, with new experiences and attractions.
For the full interview, why not click here to check out Ask the Developer Vol. 15, Mario & Luigi: Brothership – Chapter 3:
Ask the Developer | Mario & Luigi Brothership (Participating Developers)
- Akira Otani | Entertainment Planning & Development Division, Co-Production Group (Producer)
- Tomoki Fukushima | Entertainment Planning & Development Division, Co-Production Group (Associate Producer)
- Haruyuki Ohashi | Director, Acquire Corp.
- Hitomi Furuta | Designer, Acquire Corp. (Art Director)
