5. Easy for Beginners, Tough for Pros
With the inclusion of the Co-Star mode and the ability to transform into Bee Mario, Super Mario Galaxy was made so that it would be easy for beginners to get into the game. But because of these features, I'm thinking that quite a few of our customers misunderstand the game, thinking that this Mario isn’t suited for mid-level and expert gamers like themselves. But I'm sure that those of you who have developed it are thinking "No! That's not the case!" (laughs)
That's something I really would like to emphasise. The sheer volume of this game is tremendous. There are also many different ways you can enjoy playing the game, and if you get deep enough into it, you’ll find stages experts will find challenging - precisely because they’re experts. If someone who is good at video games plays one of the normal levels, they can try defeating the enemy in a very cool manner.
That's their "Super Showy Gameplay".
So good that you want to record and show it off! (laughs)
So, this game also caters to those who are looking for a sense of challenge that is traditional to the Mario games, a sense that is similar to an experience in a sports gym.
I actually like the gym-style challenge mentality myself! (laughs) So of course, I put things in the game that I’d have wanted to see in there if I were the player.
It’s like how with cars, for example, anyone can easily drive an automatic at first, but as you get used to driving, you can switch to a car with manual transmission and get even more control over how you drive. In this sense, the game can really be enjoyed by everyone from beginners to experts, and the game was made with this in mind.
It’s easy to say that the game appeals to everyone, but it must have been difficult to make it easy for beginners while also catering for the needs of enthusiasts.
You might say that’s something of a camouflage...
That's quite a way to put it! (laughs)So you're saying that it's wearing sheep’s clothing on the outside, but on the inside it’s full of difficult, gym-style challenges?
We were extremely thorough in making it that way.
But if we just made it hard, I think even the experts would be backing away from the game. It's not ascetic training, after all! (laughs) I think the difficulty level has been balanced so that it still feels good playing the game.
In the areas that I was responsible for, there are stages called EX stages. It doesn't take long to play through them, but they’re painfully hard. Even the best of the best will be sighing in relief once they get through them.
So even experts will end up with sweaty palms in that area.
I’d definitely like those that are looking for a hardcore challenge to give the EX stages a try. But don’t let the cute music for those stages fool you.
That must be a part of the camouflage! (laughs)
Still, you don't have to clear them to move on in the game.
Now, to wrap things up, please say a few words to our players looking forward to the game's release.
(Takes a note out of his pocket) Actually, the staff who weren’t able to appear in this interview gave me a message that they’d really like me to pass on. Do you mind?
(laughs)
Let's see... “We’d really like you to try the Star Ball stages.”
Star Ball is a game that uses the tilt sensor , and was originally one of the ways we experimented with to control Mario. However, it turned out to be a lot of fun when we played it with a ball instead of Mario. It was so good that we put it in the game.
Continuing on... “There are also stages in a style similar to pseudo-2D , and when you get to these stages, you’ll feel like you've come home. We developed the sound so that you can play along with its rhythm, so please enjoy this part.” That’s it for the staff note. (laughs)
I think Super Mario Galaxy turned out to be a game that's full of variety. The difficulty has even been balanced so that people won’t think they can’t do it, and we’ve also made it so that we can respond to the people wondering why a certain character doesn’t appear in the game. (laughs) We’ve put our full effort into even the smallest of details, so we hope you'll have a lot of fun with it.
Since I wrote the gravity program, I would like our players to have an experience like no other, running around all the weird-shaped planets. Also, as a programmer, let me say that I really worked hard to make the game run at 60 frames per second6, so I hope you'll enjoy the smooth animation. 6 frames per second: the number of frames - still pictures that make up an animation - displayed each second.
What I want to talk about is the Toad Brigade. When you travel around in space, you get lonely, don’t you? But throughout your journey, Toads will appear here and there to give you hints and cheer you on. I think it’ll come to feel like you’re journeying through space with the Toad Brigade on your way to rescue Princess Peach. There are also secret stages, and you'll find some pipes hidden in the most unexpected places. I'm sure you’ll have fun exploring the game world, so I hope the players will truly savour every last bit of the vast world of Super Mario Galaxy.
If they were to do that, it might take them an awful long time! (laughs)
Definitely. We’ve made a huge number of planets.
Everyone, thank you very much. For the next interview, I’ll return to the Kyoto headquarters, where I’ll be interviewing the rest of the development staff.