Super Mario Bros. Wonder Had No Due Date During Prototyping Stage

Nintendo outlined Super Mario Bros. Wonder in a recent Direct, with the various courses, mechanics and new features showcased in glorious detail. However, it’s interesting to note that when the platformer was in the prototyping stage, it didn’t have a due date or deadline.

Speaking to Wired, producer Takashi Tezuka said this was because “I wanted to prevent people from saying, ‘We won’t make that deadline, so that’s why we didn’t do it – we can’t do it.’” Director Shiro Mouri also affirmed that the team didn’t intend to make it “halfway.”

As for the approach to the game, Tezuka discussed when the first game came out and how “Everything was new, so we really didn’t have to explain anything or convince people to do that play style. We provided the game, and people were able to come up with their play styles.” However, while the older games were about mastery, the team wanted to create environments that allowed for more freedom.

Badges are one part of that, and there were plans to allow two to three at once or switch mid-level. Tezuka said this was nixed since “It felt more like maybe something that you would see in a Zelda title. It didn’t really feel very Mario-esque… Mario gameplay is a lot more straightforward and simple.”

The objective is clear though: Nintendo wants players to retry levels and experiment. “If someone plays through a course, finishes it, moves on, and never comes back, that makes me a little sad. I really want players to play courses again and again.” You can also expect lots of secrets.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder launches on October 20th for Nintendo Switch. Nintendo will also release a special Nintendo Switch – OLED Model Mario Red Edition for $349.99 on October 6th.