Nintendo's plans for this year may have been scuppered thanks to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, but the publisher appears to have begun going all in on the 35th anniversary celebrations for the Super Mario franchise. With Super Mario 3D All-Stars, a compilation of three of Mario's biggest 3D titles, out in only a few days (though it's already leaked online), CNN spoke with four prominent developers about the series' history, among them being series creator Shigeru Miyamoto himself.
During the interview, Miyamoto was asked a question no doubt many have pondered at least once in their lifetime: why is Mario a plumber? Granted, that hasn't always been the case. In the original Donkey Kong arcade game, he was initially a carpenter named Jumpman, due to the game taking place on a construction site.
Mario very quickly changed career paths from Mario Bros. onward, but as for why his role as a plumber stuck, Miyamoto provided a short and simple answer: "We wanted him to be someone who might live near you, and not a superhero." While Mario certainly exhibits superhero qualities, such as his wide range of powers and abilities and his unwavering willingness to always rescue Princess Peach when she's been kidnapped, his status as an average everyman has likely contributed to his popularity.
It's also probably why Mario has managed to take on various other roles and genres with ease, from go-kart racer and tennis player to doctor and owner of a toy company. Despite these frequent changes, Mario has always remained Mario, a fact that producer Yoshiaki Koizumi, whose work includes Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Super Mario 3D World (which is seeing a re-release on Switch next year), admits to finding comforting: "No matter what worlds he takes on, Mario remains Mario. Maybe this is strange but I find that fact very comforting."
Super Mario 3D All-Stars will not only serve as some fans' first times experiencing critical darlings like Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Galaxy, but will allow returning players to enjoy them again on modern hardware, while also reliving nostalgic memories.
The collection's producer, Kenta Motokura, who also served as director on Super Mario Odyssey, says "I hope that people who played these games before will play them again, like I'm doing. It not only brings back some nostalgic memories, but it may allow them to find there are plenty of fun things they haven't yet discovered."
Unfortunately, while guaranteed to be a sales success for Nintendo, 3D All-Stars is mired in controversy and has received criticism from some fans for a couple of reasons. Firstly, many have expressed confusion and disappointment that it excludes Super Mario Galaxy 2, a title which is considered one of the best games of all time.
But the biggest complaint fans have is that the collection is a limited release and will no longer be distributed physically or digitally come the end of March 2021. This already appears to be having disastrous effects, as one UK retailer had to cancel all pre-orders due to receiving a "woefully short" supply.
Super Mario 3D All-Stars will release exclusively for Nintendo Switch on September 18th.
Source: CNN