A constant struggle in the video game industry is the ability and desire to evolve a franchise beyond what it has been in the past and into new and exciting territory. While not every franchise necessarily needs grand scale changes, most are susceptible to repetition and getting bogged down by repeating the same gameplay. Certain recent sports titles have that issue. In the case of the Mario games, it can be said that things are going on behind the scenes to ensure the games don’t grow stale, something that series creator Shigeru Miyamoto will be most pleased about.
This comes not from Miyamoto himself but from Producer Takashi Tezuka, who is heading up the upcoming Super Mario Bros Wonder title for Nintendo Switch. He was asked by IGN if the games could ever go back to their “numbered format.” For those who don’t recall, that is how the series started when they were on the NES and SNES. Each was a “clear sequel” to the other, and certain handheld games followed the numbering pattern for a short time. But according to Tezuka, Mario’s creator isn’t likely to ask for that “return to form”:
“Hmm…I don’t think he’s (Miyamoto) ever going to say, ‘Go make [SMB] 4.’ And I really think he wants to see this evolution in the series as we move forward and continue making games, and I don’t think he’s really that particular about the naming convention.”
For better and for worse, Shigeru Miyamoto has always pushed the franchises he was a part of or had a hand in advising to be bolder and different from what came before. Sometimes it worked for the better, and other times it didn’t. In the case of Mario and his recent titles, things have definitely been taking a turn for the better.
With Super Mario Odyssey, the game embraced a more “open” aesthetic than ever before, and with new abilities thanks to Cappy, the title became a Game of the Year contender. As for Super Mario Bros Wonder, that game has the potential to completely flip the 2D “standard” of those titles on its head. The game will feature entirely new concepts, such as the “Wonder Flower,” and even brings special abilities into the game through badges that players can test out in every level.
The only question is, what will happen in the next titles? Many expect a new 3D game with Mario to come out soon, and possibly with the launch of Nintendo’s next system.
