These early concepts certainly do make Mario feel a bit different from the series so far.

Otani:
From Nintendo’s perspective reviewing the character designs, they gave the impression of something different that just resembled Mario. So we called for a meeting in order to reassess the direction.

Furuta:
During the meeting, Nintendo showed us a document describing what defines Mario and Luigi in the Mario & Luigi series. Although we’d enthusiastically pitched this rugged version of Mario, when I considered it from a player’s perspective, I started to worry about whether it really represented the Mario that players would want to play. So, when we got that clear direction from Nintendo, it made perfect sense to us. I think that’s when we realised for the first time, “Ah, this is what we should be aiming for this time in terms of a 3D visual style from Acquire”, and were able to establish the fundamental direction.

Ohashi:
We had a strong desire to experiment with new visual styles, but they articulated their vision to us each time in a way that we found convincing.

Otani:
Yeah, it’s like we’d unleashed Acquire into the wild… only to go chasing after them again.

Everyone:
(Laughs)

Otani:
While we wanted Acquire to have their own unique style, we also wanted them to preserve what defines Mario. I think it was a period when we were experimenting with how those two things could coexist.

Ohashi:
As mentioned earlier, Acquire has hardly ever created games with other companies’ characters, so we didn’t have an established process for this. That was truly a challenge we faced as we kicked off the development of this game. That said, we were able to course correct at the beginning of development by communicating in the way we just described.

Furuta:
On the artwork side, we struggled with how to embody the characteristics of Mario and Luigi in illustrations, and how to match the expressiveness of the original pixel graphics with 3D models. It’s technically difficult to apply styles that were made possible with pixels to 3D, and we made a lot of challenging requests to the character modelling and 3D motion teams. Also, we were set on incorporating drawn outlines, which is one of the characteristics of the series’ artwork.

ATD Vol. 15 - Mario & Luigi: Brothership Chapter 2 Image 3

From a technical perspective, achieving this in 3D can be CPU-intensive and limits what can be done visually, but we were determined to retain these outlines and made it our priority. Thanks to the perseverance of our character modelling lead, who has a deep passion for the Mario series, and our technical staff, we think that the art came together nicely.

Ohashi:
Because we focused on the outlines, we were able to differentiate it from the way Mario is depicted in other action games and realised that we’d established something unique to this game.

Otani:
When the announcement trailer was first released in the Nintendo Direct, I saw the excitement from fans that the Mario & Luigi series was back, and I think this reaction can be credited to Acquire’s hard work. Not only were the 3D models brought closer to the style of 2D illustrations, but the animations also closely mirrored the movements from the pixel graphics in past Mario & Luigi games.

Furuta:
Our 3D motion team studied the series’ pixel graphics in a lot of detail to ensure its appeal would come through. They did a lot of research to depict the movements flawlessly from every angle while preserving the silliness of the pixel graphics. They didn’t just replicate the pixel graphics from previous games, they created a style of animation that’s unique to this game but stays faithful to the Mario & Luigi series.

When it came to Mario’s running animation, we also used Super Mario Odyssey (8) as a reference, studying the feel of the controls closely. The 3D motion and programming teams were constantly tending to the game and kept making adjustments. For example, making it feel more satisfying for players through things like the responsiveness with which Mario’s body tilts when running around corners.

(8) An action platformer game for Nintendo Switch released in October 2017. Mario goes on a globe-trotting adventure, borrowing the power of Cappy, a resident of Cap Kingdom.

Ohashi:
We alternated between working on something and asking Otani-san to try it out.

Furuta:
While it’s essential to get Mario’s look right, we realised that he’s a character for which the fun and satisfaction you feel through the controller as you’re playing as him are just as important.

Not only are Mario and Luigi rendered in 3D for this title, the world where their adventure is set also features original characters. Were there any challenges creating those characters and the world they live in?

Furuta:
It wasn’t exactly smooth sailing. Connie, an original character that appears in this game, was initially designed to look like a human. Afterwards, we settled on the motifs of outlets and electric plugs, and the ideas of an outlet-like face and a plug design that looks like a hat fit right into that world. Eventually, we landed on the current design.



Source link