8. A Game Anyone Can Play
Lastly, could you each please say something to the fans? If there is something in particular that you would like them to enjoy, please mention it.
There are a lot of scenes in this game that will make you smile as you play. I do, of course, want players who are new to Super Mario in 3D to enjoy this game, but earlier we talked about Super Mario Bros. 3, right? Super Mario 3D Land has lots of highlights and nods to the game that will make players of previous games think, “Hmm, I’ve seen this somewhere before...” I hope the players will search through the whole game for such highlights.
It would be amazing if someone could spot them all! Alright, Sugawara-san?
Schedule-wise, we were packing all sorts of stuff in and making adjustments right up until the very end. We really were tinkering with it right up to the last second - even more so than ever before. I hope people will enjoy what we have done. For example, if you drop a stone in one of the pipes, a 1-Up Mushroom will come out!
The Legend of Zelda team says things like “We’re going to do all that?!” and it seems like the Super Mario team has caught that bug! (laughs) Okay, Motokura-san?
Something that never came up during this interview but is in this game are 3D illustrations. As you progress with the story, you get some illustrations with a nostalgic 2D touch telling you the current state of Princess Peach. They’re really enjoyable.
This feature is also used in the TV commercial (in Japan). You use the gyro sensor, so if you shake the system, the illustration shakes accordingly .
That’s right. We paid attention to finer points like that, too, so I hope everyone will check them out.
And finally, how about you Hayashida-san?
I really do hope a wide variety of people from beginners to advanced players will play this game. For new players, we put in two types of Assist Blocks - the Invincibility Leaf, which helps you stay as the invincible Tanooki Mario for a long time, and the P-Wing, which helps you fly near Checkpoint Flags and Goal Poles. Some courses are difficult to clear even with the invincible Tanooki Mario, so at times like that, use the P-Wing.
You made it so that when people run into some area they can’t clear, they have a way to move forward. There aren’t any places to make you say, “I can’t get past this!” But you can also enjoy the game by trying to make it to the end without using such aids.
Assist Blocks show up after five misses, so I hope advanced players will try to avoid having them appear. Also, if you get Game Over, you can go into Toad House to get a hint. We made it in the hope that all kinds of people will play it, from players of previous 3D Super Mario games to children and people who think Super Mario games are difficult, so I hope they will play it.
The same people made the original 2D and the original 3D Super Mario games, so it’s not like their roots are different. However, as they each grew and developed, they grew apart. You made Super Mario 3D Land in a way that would connect them again. Stereoscopic 3D came along and you were able to create a bridge between 2D Super Mario and 3D Super Mario. I can’t wait to see with my own eyes how this game decreases people’s resistance to 3D Super Mario and creates a bridge. Thank you very much for your time today.
Thank you!