14 DAY TRIAL // Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of Nintendo's iconic Mario franchise, has talked about his involvement with the next big title featuring the famous plumber, Super Mario 3D Land, which is set to appear for the Nintendo 3DS next month.
Miyamoto oversees all game development at Nintendo, currently, but this doesn't mean he hasn't been involved with the creation process of the new Mario title, even if his role was of a general producer.
"For this game, I worked as general producer," Miyamoto told Famitsu magazine, via 1Up. "I kept my distance from the project at first, but became more deeply involved midway -- I don't think it'd be satisfying as a Mario game to everyone unless I made myself known on the little details."
According to the famous designer, he got involved with the finer details, like the movements of the hero, the enemies or even the music, to make sure it kept the overall Mario theme.
"Well, like how the enemies in Mario should be, or what the music should sound like," he replied when asked how this Mario-ness works. "It's hard to put into simple terms, but it's something that I really have to be looking at or else it won't happen. Having a new control scheme can really erase that Mario-ness from the game, and you'd be surprised at how long that can go unnoticed during development. "
"Still, the main points of it became clear as we discussed it -- for example, how much acceleration Mario should have in order for his jumping to feel really good and Mario-like. I helped fine-tune the numbers behind all of that; it was a really fun part of development."
Miyamoto reveals that 3D land borrows heavily from Super Mario Bros. 3, which appeared originally on the NES, while the more Super Mario titles borrowed from Super Mario World, and this allowed the team to create a much more traditional experience, which is going to please lots of people.
Last but not least, the famous designer confirmed that a sort of Superguide option, which helps players with hints or shows them how to traverse levels if they're stuck, will be present in 3D Land. He said that the first implementation in New Super Mario Bros. Wii prompted some mixed reactions, but lots of people thanked him because they were able to finish the title or enjoy it with people less accustomed to games in general.
Super Mario 3D Land will still reward experienced players, however, with Miyamoto saying that, "If you just want to finish the game, that's relatively easy. Try to collect all the Star Medals, though, and you'll find it pretty rewardingly tough. There are other features in the game, too, for players confident enough in their skills."
The game is out on November 3 in its native Japan, November 13, in North America, and November 18, in Europe.