In this week’s edition FamitsuBehind the two developers Super Mario Bros. Wonder Discuss the decision to remove the timer. Producer Takashi Tezuka and director Shiro Mori were involved.
Timeline side-scrolling from the main game is a staple of the series. Super Mario Bros. Wonder shook up several aspects of the classic formula, and ditching it was one of those changes.
In the interview, Takashi and Mori talked about how the development team incorporated various aspects of the Super Mario games, even extending to the flagpole at the end of the level. Another thing to keep in mind is that some magical effects have their own timers, so a global cycle timer that goes beyond that can cause problems.
One of the biggest changes to 2D Mario Rules is that aspects like time limits and points are no longer displayed the first time. I was surprised that the things I took for granted were gone, but changing them was a big decision, right?
Die: It wasn’t exactly a big decision, but I think it was necessary to create new things and evolve. This time it’s been almost eleven years since Super Mario Bros. was made. Totally basic, so we’ve checked all the rules set so far.
At one point there were comments that we should replace the flagpole, so we really thought of things from the ground up. It had a practical multiplayer purpose with the flagpole, but things like time limits and scores, as well as things like jumping over underwater opponents or returning to the world map after a failed level were a return to normal structure – we’d say, “If we were starting from scratch.” But the right way” and make our decisions one by one.
Tezuka: The development team includes not only employees who have been working with Super Mario for a long time, but also many first-timers. These guys spent quite a bit of time discussing what kind of Mario game they wanted as players. Even if it seems like how 2D Mario has been done so far or the important things, this time we take them one by one to see what can be changed.
show Although, for example, the time limit for clearing a route within a certain period of time has remained constant since the first Super Mario Bros. game. And I had a rule in the premise of this game; After careful review, were you able to test all game components?
Die: For accurate timing, the cooling effect of some courses is time-limited, making two levels of timers a problem. The discussion about what to do about it comes up when the question is asked: “Do we even need a timer?” This problem occurs primarily not only with new employees, but also with employees who have been there for a long time – then try to test our time limit lifting.
We asked staff to play in this condition and get their feedback, but removing the time limit did not encourage players to start exploring without worrying about time; After all, the goal hasn’t changed. I felt that I had more time to do what I wanted, so my “goal” was secure until now, and this time we found that there was no deadline.
What do you think about the game not having a classic timer? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
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