Iwata Asks: Origins of Cat Mario, Double Mario was a Mistake

The latest Iwata Asks session dabbles in Super Mario 3D World including creating the music and the cat inspiration.

Speaking to the team, Iwata recalled the shift from Super Mario 3D Land on Nintendo 3DS and how Kenta Motokura stepped into the director's shoes without Miyamoto "upending the tea table". Miyamoto admitted that he was only involved in "occasional spot-checks" in certain aspects of the game, this time trying to drive audiences for 2D and 3D Mario games together as one.

This time it was a policy of "put everything in", to the point where the game was "overflowing with content" before this year's E3 Expo. "As a result, it feels condensed and packed solid", with around 100 members of the team towards the end of development.

Moving onto the game's mechanics, Iwata expressed a concern that the new Cat Mario power-up could "destroy the game balance of Super Mario". Miyamoto feels that "we figure it's okay if it's fun, and we make a lot with that as a priority", with Motokura teasing that the team still have "a mountain of ideas" for future Mario transformations.

The origins of the cat spawned from the feeling of simply running and jumping, and what if players could run on all fours? "The outward form of a cat came later, after the function had been set", stressed Iwata, with function coming before form during development. Before the actual cat suits, the team had the regular characters on all fours and Princess Peach looked like "a scene from a horror movie", so the notion of a cat was set.

As for the multiple Mario power-up, Double Mario, Miyamoto recalls how the group had thought about moving multiple characters in the past, however now that they move in unison "there's one more stuck to you-like in an old shooting game", like Galaga. "One spaceship would become two and you'd think, 'I'm so tough!'"

Amusingly, the idea of two Mario players came as a mistake when a staff member accidentally placed in two characters are the same time and "we thought it was great! So we went ahead and put that in the game."

There's also a tantalising sample of the recording process in Super Mario 3D World, which features a range of instrumentation produced live:

The game also incorporates a solid four player multiplayer function, with a fixed camera for "less chance of getting lost" and a Free Camera Mode when going about it solo.

The team also delve into the ideas behind the new Captain Toad levels, where players aren't able to jump on enemies and this shakes up the designs considerably, with different themed levels towards the end of the game as there was a fear that "you might get tired of some things" after playing too many Mario titles, Miyamoto admitted.

Addressing a concern that the game may appear too short, Iwata noted how even with single player, there are four characters with different abilities, which invites may ways to clear a course.

Iwata and company also discuss some spoiler-driven elements in the game, so be warned! Be sure to click here to read the entire Iwata Asks session.

Footage via Nintendo Everything.

Will you join Mario and friends in Super Mario 3D World?