Shigeru Miyamoto says the most interesting thing about the original Super Mario Bros. is the fact that Mario doesn't actually fight Bowser in the 1985 platformer.
Last week, Miyamoto – who created the likes of The Legend of Zelda, Donkey Kong, and Pikmin – received the Japanese Order of Culture from the Japanese government and is the first-ever game developer to win the award, which typically has been awarded to actors, musicians, and Nobel Prize laureates. Miyamoto is perhaps best known for his unique ideas in game design, with stories of his unorthodox methods during playtesting at Nintendo widely reported, so it's no surprise he has some unique opinions about his own titles.
Speaking at a press conference following his award, attended by Denfaminicogamer, Miyamoto details what he believes is the most intriguing aspect of the 1985 platformer that single-handedly changed the industry as we know it. But rather than its innovation in platforming through its scrolling screens and secrets, Miyamoto singles out the game's boss fights; namely, the fact that they really aren't fights at all.
Miyamoto notes that the developers were struggling with how to create a climactic battle, but eventually had the thought that since the game is about running to the right, why not make the bosses that way? So from there, Bowser's 'fights' – which consisted of jumping over him and a number of projectiles he shot to destroy the bridge from beneath him – were born.
And from there on out, Mario's fights with Bowser became more like actual fights, such as throwing his explosives at the clown car in Super Mario World or grabbing his tail and launching him into explosives in Super Mario 64. Although Miyamoto does neglect to mention that you can fight Bowser in Super Mario Bros., given that throwing enough fireballs at him will also kill him.
