“you better try harder to surprise these players.”
Still, such a wait for more handcrafted Mario levels seems notable.
Something that feels truly new again, I’m happy to report.
Sure, why not.
I told them that at the time we were still thinking of a lot of new things to do.
So I’m glad we now have the opportunity to show them!"
“you gotta try harder to try and surprise these players.”
Well, Super Mario Bros. Wonder definitely does that.
But there’s far more to Wonder than Elephant Mario.
Or you’re free to choose not to activate a level’s Wonder Seed at all.
It’s up to you.
But what makes a Mario game for this day and age?
Another big change to gameplay are Badges, which bestow effects on characters or levels.
Other Badge options allow you to tweak levels to offer more coins or rewards.
Speaking of which, Mouri notes the positive response online to Nintendo’s announcement that Daisy is playable.
It’s a character he was pleased to include as well, he says.
Want to jump on a Maw Maw’s head to defeat it?
You’ll need to be able to hit it twice.
Throw a shell in its face?
It’ll simply gobble it up.
Hoping to get that power up?
You better reach it first.
Bushes now become hiding spots, as you rush between safe zones to avoid their patrols.
Alongside Elephant Mario, Super Mario Wonder introduces two other new power-ups.
Here, you’re able to also use your drill skills to access hidden areas through narrow crevices.
Then there’s Bubble Mario, who can fire bubbles at enemies to trap them and send them skywards.
There’s a lot to take in, but that’s the point, I think.
After 11 years, it feels like Nintendo’s 2D Mario team is finally back - and properly so.
Did Nintendo feel the pressure after seeing players' Mario Maker creations?
Before my time with Nintendo is up, I can’t help but wonder.
“I’ve left all of these other topics to Aonuma-san,” Tezuka says.
So no Super Zelda Wonder?
And finally, a question on my personal favourite Nintendo franchise.
Tezuka is a veteran of the Pikmin series, and recently served as producer on Pikmin 4.
“I think that would be best as well,” Tezuka smiled.
“We’ll try not to let everyone wait.”
