14 DAY TRIAL // One of the most surprising announcements that Nintendo made during the E3 2014 trade event was that it was working on Mario Maker, a game designed to mix classic platforming with a powerful level editor in order to give players the ability to create their own levels and fun moments.
Takashi Tezuka, a producer working on the game, now says that even more surprising might be the main source of inspiration that his team is drawing on while creating the new Wii U title, one of the classic experiences that was offered on the SNES.
He is quoted by Gamasutra as saying that “I wanted to take the essence of Mario Paint, the really fun elements where it was enjoyable just interacting with the software itself, and bring that into our new game.”
The decision to create Mario Maker was made after the team saw one of the prototype level editors created by a Nintendo team focused on tools development.
Despite the fact that the tool was basic, all the developers who used it had fun creating new content, and Tezuka quickly saw the potential to deliver a similar experience to the very big Mario fan base.
The fact that players can create their own levels and use all the elements that are part of the classic platformer genre means that difficulty is not an issue and that both veterans and newcomers will be able to enjoy the title.
Tezuka adds, “When the original Super Mario Bros. came out, it was the first of its kind. No one was good or bad at the game. Now we have people who like action games and many other kinds of games - it's really varied. With Mario Maker, anybody can play it and use it any way they like.”
Super Mario Bros. 8 bit NES and New Super Mario Bros. U visual styles have been demoed at E3 2014, and Nintendo says that it plans to introduce other graphics layers, including some based on series that it has not directly developed.
Gamers will be able to create their own levels and share them with the community using a new set of tools that will encourage social interaction.
Mario Maker is set to arrive exclusively on the Wii U at some point in 2015.
Until then, Nintendo expects the launch of Super Smash Bros., which is rumored to take place on November 21, to boost sales of its home console.