The Mario series has existed for over 25 years, and it has been dubbed as one of the most beloved franchises ever to exist in video games (perhaps, THE most beloved?). And it has recently been on a long run in releasing more and more games as the years go by. In the past year alone, we received numerous Mario games from both the main and spinoff series like Super Mario 3D Land, Mario Kart 7, Mario Party 9, Mario Tennis Open, and we are looking forward to the two 2D Mario games New Super Mario Bros. 2, and New Super Mario Bros. U. We can also look forward to both Paper Mario: Sticker Star and Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon to release later this year as well. That’s quite a bit of Mario there. Nintendo 3DS is looking to be a good Mario-filled handheld console, but what else can we expect from the plumber on the 8th generation handheld? More importantly, what about Mario on the yet-to-be-released Wii U?
Currently, I’m pretty sure that fans around the world will spend a good amount of money for those next games starring Mario or a Mario’s younger brother. Nintendo 3DS is really creating quite a library with Mario. Only a few Mario titles have yet to appear on the handheld (which are likely to appear sometime in the near future) like a Mario Party game, an inevitable Mario & Luigi title, maybe another Mario sport game (a game involving a sport such as soccer in the Mario Strikers games), and perhaps another title involving another Mario series character (such as Yoshi). 3DS will likely have more great Mario titles in the future (would love to see a remake of well, I don’t know…..Super Mario Sunshine) Love for that console is great, but what about Wii U?
Yes, I know, the next generation home console has yet to release and yes, it is too early to criticize anything regarding the lineup ahead for Wii U throughout the next years of the system’s life. The 2D Mario game releasing at launch will likely be a multi-million seller as history tells us. But the greatest Mario games are arguably the 3D Mario games.
Indeed, the pattern seems to be similar as of late: 2D Mario games are great and sell extremely well, and 3D Mario games receive the highest praise and sell pretty well (not as much as 2D Mario). Both Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2 are claimed to be 2 of the best platformer games in existence and have received the fame and glory they rightfully deserve. The question then becomes, should we expect to see a 3rd Mario Galaxy title in the making for release on Wii U? It’s a given that Wii U will hold at least one 3D Mario title in its grand library of great games. But should we expect a different 3D Mario Title? Something, not like how the Galaxy titles were.
After playing all 3D Mario titles, none excite me more than titles which are known as “exploration Mario”. These Mario games have a long lasting appeal due to their known length, and their numerous memorable “missions” to complete in one large map not separated by planets like in Mario Galaxy. Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine are good examples of Mario games that take advantage of the freedom one has to explore and wander about in one large stage containing perhaps 6 to 8 missions (like boss battles, defeating certain enemies, searching for the red coins, helping someone out with a task, etc.). A game like this while using the Wii U Gamepad at ones disposal opens up a large world of possibilities, provided that the game isn’t made with linearization in mind. Don’t just allow travel involving simply point A to point B, allow one to possibly wander off into a tangent, towards points C, D, E, F, G, H, etc. Introduce new elements into the 3D Mario game universe like how different Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine were, while keeping the same charm Mario has had for decades. Another Mario Galaxy title isn’t a bad thing, just don’t force linear gameplay, there’s a universe out there filled with possibilities for exploration to play an important role for Mario.
When thinking of a new 3D Mario game, developers need to add new elements to the series. A new element for a new 3D Mario game, one in particular comes to mind. We’ve been introduced to the Mario & Luigi series as well as the Paper Mario series, and even to specific aspects of handheld Mario Tennis games, and those games were made with RPG elements in mind. Those titles proved that RPG works very well with the Mario series. What both the Wii U and the Mario series need is a 3D Mario RPG game. An RPG game filled with all sorts of tasks to complete and levels to finish at different difficulty levels, something both a newbie and an expert can love and enjoy. We need a lengthy serious Mario title to further prove that Mario can do just about anything. I know, Mario games have been known for their “everyone” approach (little violence as possible), and yes, we have been introduced to Mario’s more violent side with the Super Smash Bros. series, but it has never expanded beyond that. No, I don’t want to see Mario blasting people with guns like crazy, nor do I want to see constant shout outs of foul language, but I would like to see the Mario series venture off towards another direction. A direction that grabs hold of a more serious approach for the series. Something similar to what Xenoblade [Chronicles] or The Last Story have offered for Wii, but in the universe of Mario.
Serious RPG games like these will likely require good bits of voice acting. Looking back, Super Mario Sunshine had voice acting; however it was nowhere near the strongest point of the game. In fact, it received negative to mixed reception from both critics, and fans alike. It’s hard to imagine a Mario game including voice acting after witnessing Super Mario Sunshine’s acting, but one wrong take towards voice acting in Mario games shouldn’t mean the end of the idea completely. The voice actors of Mario Sunshine were for the most part great fits for the characters, just the acting itself was done rather poorly and with seemingly little effort. There are great voice actors out there waiting to just be heard in a possible critical Mario game for the future.
Though I would like to see Mario venture off towards a less “colorful” and “cheerful” road, it wouldn’t hurt at all to make a 3D RPG Mario title filled with the humor other Mario RPG titles have. Humorous Mario RPG games have proved to be major successes as Mario & Luigi and Paper Mario have shown. Shigeru Miyamoto himself once stated that he would not create a game in the Mario series which would contain higher levels of violence than what it already has. Which is why my thought for a 3D Mario RPG title should only be developed by a studio not within the Nintendo EAD groups. Retro Studios seems to be a good candidate. Or since Nintendo now owns Monolith Soft, perhaps the creators of Xenoblade [Chronicles] would have great ideas under their disposal.
So there you go, I would like for the 3D Mario series to go back to its “exploration” element, but also have the series introduce a new road for the franchise by adding RPG elements to the 3D games. The next 3D Mario will likely be developed by Nintendo’s Development Groups in Japan, while the more serious 3D RPG Mario titles would need to be developed outside the Nintendo EAD or Tokyo groups. What about you? Where do you see the Mario series going next?
Note: I place brackets “[]” around the word “Chronicles” in Xenoblade [Chronicles] because some would refer to the game as simply “Xenoblade” and ignore the “chronicles” part.