Super Mario Wii U - What we want to see next in the Mushroom Kingdom

When it comes to most of its franchises, but Mario in particular, Nintendo treats each new system as a new chapter in the character’s history. Super Mario 64 was his first journey into the third dimension, Super Mario Sunshine introduced a combination of summery settings and watery powers, and Super Mario Galaxy sent Mario to the stars. Once the 3D platformer comes to Wii U, Mario needs to make a similar break from his past.

Where could Mario possibly go after exploring entire solar systems? The dev could keep growing things, going to Super Mario Universe next--and the “U” subtitle fits with the system’s name--but that’s too predictable. We want the theme and setting of the game to be unanticipated, like the neon of Las Vegas or the insect kingdom. Maybe they could even follow the dessert theme of New Super Mario Bros. U and base every stage on some piece of food. Whatever it is, we want to expect the unexpected.

At a time when some were doubting the versatility of the Wii, but Super Mario Galaxy proved them wrong by introducing many new ideas that could only be done on that console. That’s due to a design ethos the director of Super Mario Galaxy 2 explained to us in an interview. He said, “… every time [Nintendo] comes out with new hardware, the unique capabilities of that technology drives [Mario developers] to find new combinations for gameplay that’s familiar… but made new by something special about that hardware. That combination of familiar and new, I think, gives people a sense of freshness.”

Since EAD had that in mind for 3DS and Wii releases, the same philosophy must be in place for the team’s first Wii U game. The devs are out to find as many natural, fun ways to use the new controller and its many features. The mind boggles at all the uses they could find for the GamePad’s touch screen, camera, near field communication, Miiverse, and motion controls.

While the New Super Mario Bros. games chose to focus on chaotic, party-friendly four player modes, the 3D Mario games never added any new multiplayer modes that impacted the precision of controlling Mario. The closest they came was mild co-op in Co-Star mode in Super Mario Galaxy 2, a feature that let a second player tag along as a Luma that assisted Mario without getting in the way. The Wii U could add something just as innocuously fun using the GamePad.

If you imagine that Mario could be controlled either with the GamePad or the Pro Controller, then the primary player could handle Mario on the more traditional input while a second player could use the GamePad’s touchscreen to assist or hinder player one. We see it as the natural combination of Co-Star with New Super Mario Bros. U’s touchscreen platform creation.

After EAD made two of the Wii’s best games, the developer entered unfamiliar territory when Nintendo tasked the team with creating a portable 3D Mario. The team had to completely rethink how they made stages, placed enemies are designed power-ups. And now they can bring that new perspective back to the Wii U.

One of the simplest ways they can use those new skills would be--after building a game to fit on the 3DS screen--EAD is now prepared to create stages to fit within the GamePad’s screen. In addition to that, for as much as we loved the sprawling nature of Galaxy 2, 3D Land might have refocused the team to make cleaner, more concise stages in their next game.

The trend these days--and the stated goal of publishers like EA--is to not release a game unless it has some online multiplayer component included. Nintendo has previously resisted that trend, usually only adding multiplayer when the game demanded it, like in Kid Icarus Uprising. And even with all the new options that the Wii U presents for online, we hope the next 3D Mario has that same focus.

EAD in particular has always been about solo fun first, then filling the margins with cute multiplayer options as needed. If the team feels their next Mario game really needs online multiplayer, we’ll trust them to a point, but we hope the series stays dedicated to being the greatest solo experience it can be.

If you compare the Galaxy entries to the New Super Mario entries from a profit standpoint, the New Mario games outdid the Galaxy games by selling more than twice as many copies. Despite that fact, the critical consensus put the Galaxy games and 3D Land on top, thanks in particular to those games being far more creative than the overly safe New Mario titles. And no matter what the sales say, we hope EAD stays on that path.

The New Mario games aim at a more casual (and admittedly wider) audience that loves the simplicity of 2D platforming, but EAD needs to keep the 3D games a balanced affair that’s inviting to newer players but challenging to veterans. 3D Land was almost too easy in parts, something we hope EAD leaves behind when returning to consoles.

Nintendo ignored the move towards DLC for many years, even while its rivals adopted it more and more to earn some extra income. That’s now changed, as New Super Mario Bros. 2 has already released paid DLC and eventually New Super Mario Bros. U will have some too. DLC and Mario are now attached at the hip, but when it appears in the next 3D game, it had better be worthwhile.

What’s the best type of DLC for a Mario game? How about remaking classic 3D Mario stages using the Wii U’s HD visuals, similar to the Throwback Galaxy in Galaxy 2? Or maybe downloadable character skins, transforming Mario into Wario, Princess Peach, or Donkey Kong? As long as it was meaningful, we wouldn’t reject it.

If you want to know when the game should be coming out, here’s a little history lesson. Super Mario Sunshine came to GameCube nine months after launch, Galaxy came to Wii almost a year to the day after the system came out, and 3D Land came eight months after the 3DS went on sale in the US. Based on more than a decade of Mario history, the next 3D Mario will be out before November 18, 2013.

After launching the N64 with a brand new 3D Mario, it’s clear that Nintendo now chooses to release those games as their holiday tent pole for the system’s sophomore year. For that reason you can bet Nintendo will premiere this game at E3 2013, then hype it to high heaven until it goes on sale during Thanksgiving next year. If it comes any later than that, Nintendo will be missing a golden opportunity.