Miyamoto explains NSMB Wii design

By Oli Welsh Published 19 November, 2009

"It's been a nostalgic time for me."

Shigeru Miyamoto has given an interesting interview to Famitsu - translated and summarised by 1UP - about the design processes behind New Super Mario Bros. Wii.

It's the most closely he's been involved with day-to-day game design in a while, he said. "It's been a nostalgic time for me. I've been getting into the game and making the sort of fine-tuning adjustments that I made with Super Mario World and Mario 3."

Miyamoto says that the decision to go with "a very orthodox Mario" in the modern day and age was "courageous", but motivated by the decision to focus on multiplayer.

"I figured that as long as multi-play was fun, then simpler would be better for everything else, both to players and to us creators. To put it bluntly, I would've been just fine with basically making a multiplayer Super Mario World. That's not too terribly interesting, though..."

The multiplayer served Nintendo's goal of making the game more accessible to everyone without making it easier or creating multiple difficulty modes, since a talented player can carry others through it. "Even if they can't beat the game themselves, it's fun for them to experience the entirety of the game. That's why what you could call the 'story mode' is completely playable in multiplayer."

Miyamoto agrees with us that it's a tougher game than the DS New Super Mario Bros. "I do think the game has a lot more oomph to it than the first New SMB," he said. "World 1 and 2 are pretty forgiving, things ramp up starting with World 3, and it gets even harder at World 6... You could say this game is a challenge to gamers, to see if they have the perseverance it takes."

More from Miyamoto, including his thoughts on the Super Guide and how it was prefigured in Super Mario Bros. 3, over at 1UP. New Super Mario Bros. Wii is out today and it's lovely.

Picture of Oli.

About Oli Welsh

Oli is Eurogamer's acting deputy editor and reviews editor and likes to take things one word at a time. He is among the best dressed people in South London.

Read more articles from Oli by visiting the Oli Welsh archive page.

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Comments (25) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • andywilkie35 #1 2 years ago

    "It's been a nostalgic time for me."

    I bet it has - reminds you of the time when you actually made games rather than shit shovelware parp like Wii Music.

  • kincaide #2 2 years ago

    I thought it was out tomorrow.....

  • Les #3 2 years ago

    Really, really looking forward to play this. :)

  • swissorc #4 2 years ago

    "Lovely" sums mario up perfectly :-) Rock on Nintendo.

  • electrolite #5 2 years ago

    In a thread where Miyamoto discusses his latest game, out tomorrow, someone posts something about "the time (he) actually made games".

    You just couldn't make it up

  • gimo80 #6 2 years ago

    I'm actually so excited for this! 2d gaming ftw :)

  • schnide #7 2 years ago

    7/10 in Edge, wasn't this?

  • Eraser #8 2 years ago

    Yes the official street date is 20th of November, which is tomorrow not today, but I wouldn't be surprised if stores offered it today already.

  • carrotcake #9 2 years ago

    where is it out today? i want

  • nuanimal #10 2 years ago

    Already got a hold of it. Wow. Just wow. It's a brilliant side-scrolling proper Mario platformer!

    Plays beautifully, and it was genius with my little sister younger brother and me playing through. And yep, it does remind me of Super Mario World on SNES - but that's not a bad things.

  • JayScott #11 2 years ago

    He's right about it being tough.

  • DaDon123456 #12 2 years ago

    Dammit..... I really want this game..... But I forbade myself from buying any more until Ive finished the many games I already have!

  • beckyh #13 2 years ago

    Can you play it single player? If I played it on my own would I have AI multi's hanging around?

  • Les #14 2 years ago

    "7/10 in Edge, wasn't this?"

    Scores are meaningless. Do you agree with their argumentation or not?

  • mega7ech #15 2 years ago

    Miyamoto has lost his touch. Discuss..

  • modo_komodo #16 2 years ago

    Miyamoto is not losing his touch.

    He created the damn touch! It's what people reach out to try and touch...that's his! he invented it!

    I respect the man for trying stuff that doesnt always work (Wii Music). He is a cheeky faced pioneer!

    Imagine getting complaints that there are too many Marios and Zeldas for years, doing something different (Wii Music) and then getting blasted by everyone. No wonder he made 2D Mario after that!!
    Edited by 1 at 19/11/09 @ 17:26

  • smelly #17 2 years ago

    Played it last night.. F-ME it's hard! (in a good way!)

    Took me 3 and a half hours to beat the first world!

  • smelly #18 2 years ago

    >Can you play it single player?

    yes

    >If I played it on my own would I have AI multi's hanging around?

    No, it's played like a standard 2d mario game in single player... Except for missions where you have to carry toad to the end of the level for power-ups - those are kinda different.

  • smelly #19 2 years ago

    "Imagine getting complaints that there are too many Marios and Zeldas for years, doing something different"

    .. Pikmin?

  • green_nifta #20 2 years ago

    Oh p*ss off andywilkie35. Wii Music was genius. It was just idiots that tried to compare it with Guitar Hero that utterly utterly missed the point of it. Completely different genre.

  • SG #21 2 years ago

    electrolite
    19/11/09 @ 10:26

    In a thread where Miyamoto discusses his latest game, out tomorrow, someone posts something about "the time (he) actually made games".

    You just couldn't make it up

    NSMBWii might well be a great game, but in the last few years how many good games has he made vs shite ones? There was also unnecessary waggle - even for picking up items FFS! Why I ask you? WHY?!

    However...

    schnide
    19/11/09 @ 10:38

    7/10 in Edge, wasn't this?

    Yes, and it's pretty much universally agreed that they're a bunch of pretentious cunts. Everywhere else gave it rave reviews. I know who I'd trust over Edge or EG...
    Edited by 2 at 19/11/09 @ 23:06

  • smelly #22 2 years ago

    Edge only cares about graphical advancements and shit like that. They rarely care about gameplay. Wasnt it them who gave Vice City a low score?

    Who cares anyhows.. it's a REALLY GOOD game...

    And so far the first 2 worlds have lasted me longer than Modern Warfare 2 did for most people...

  • smelly #23 2 years ago

    @green_nifta : +1

    Wii music was a good entertainment product aimed at the younger audiences. "Hard core" gamers didnt "get it" .. doesnt mean it was bad - the opposite in fact.

  • smelly #24 2 years ago

    >The last game he 'made' was Ocarina of Time.

    strictly speaking he's never MADE a game.. he's led the design of some games, but its the programmers and artists who are actually making them.. Right back to mario 1, he didnt do the coding.. :-)

  • Stompy #25 2 years ago

    "Reminds you of the time when you actually made games rather than shit shovelware parp like Wii Music."

    I thought you parped on a trumpet, not on a shovel.