The upcoming 2D Mario game, “Super Mario Bros. Wonder,” is generating excitement with its new powers, worlds, and enemies. One power in particular, the ability to transform Mario into an elephant, has gained popularity online. However, Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of Mario, initially didn’t approve of this unusual transformation.
In an interview with IGN, the director and producer of “Super Mario Bros. Wonder” explained that Miyamoto provided feedback during the game’s development but wasn’t constantly involved in the decision-making process. He would visit the team occasionally and offer observations and comments.
Interestingly, Miyamoto did have concerns about Elephant Mario’s design. He felt that the visuals didn’t resemble a typical Mario character. The team had already planned to adjust the visuals, but Miyamoto’s comment pushed them to make necessary changes.
Furthermore, Miyamoto also expressed dissatisfaction with how Elephant Mario sprayed water from his trunk, pointing out that an actual elephant wouldn’t move in the same way. This suggests that Miyamoto put significant effort into studying elephants’ movements for accuracy.
The idea for Elephant Mario came from the desire to create a power-up that would make Mario bigger and allow him to shoot water. The team at Nintendo opted for an elephant because of its natural association with water. Additionally, when the team wanted to incorporate the ability to dig underground, they decided against a “mole Mario” and instead added a working drill to Mario’s head to maintain the ability to defeat enemies above ground.
According to Wired magazine, the team behind “Super Mario Bros. Wonder” firmly believes in pushing the boundaries of the Mario games. They encourage wild ideas and reject limitations or rules, striving to create cool and fun experiences for players.
“Super Mario Bros. Wonder,” along with its innovative power-ups, is set to launch on October 20 for Nintendo Switch.
