Fukushima: When we first embarked on defining the gameplay that would become the heart of our new project, Acquire presented us with a compelling initial concept. Their proposal painted a picture of a Mario adventure uniquely tailored to each player, centered around drifting islands.
Ohashi: The idea of these drifting islands was incredibly appealing to me. The concept of discovering a new island, embarking on adventures, and making friends with its inhabitants was intriguing. The potential to link these islands and expand your circle of companions for further adventures was exciting.
Otani: I must say, it was a novel idea. In all our brainstorming sessions at Nintendo, no one had thought of connecting a series of islands in this way. It was refreshing and unexpected. (Laughs)
Ohashi: Despite its potential, capturing that “Mario & Luigi-like” essence took quite some time. Testing the element of drifting islands lagged behind as we deliberated over how to make it enjoyable. Consequently, it was quite some time before we had concrete ideas to show Nintendo, which I suspect might have left them feeling a bit uneasy.
Otani: I confess, I was feeling a bit nervous. Fukushima-san and I were eagerly waiting for Acquire to reveal some tangible ideas. It was a nerve-wracking process. (Laughs)
Fukushima: We knew that Ohashi-san approaches challenges thoroughly before presenting solutions, so we had confidence in that process. Still, we had numerous internal meetings to strategize on how long we could hold off. (Laughs)
Ohashi: In our game, Shipshape Island acts as the central hub for Mario and company. The island drifts across the ocean, approaching various other islands to set off new adventures. However, it took some time to nail down the mechanics of how this island would navigate the vast ocean.
Fukushima: Typically, the game’s gameplay and storyline are ironed out early in development, and we build from there. This time, it took a bit longer. We were concurrently working on aspects such as combat and exploratory actions even while some fundamentals, like Shipshape Island’s movement system and the game’s scale, were unsettled. It felt like chasing after rainbows—a daunting task.
Otani: There was also a major difference between our companies’ game development approaches. Traditionally, we developed gameplay first and then crafted a storyline to match, with the director steering the entire process. But Acquire’s methodology involved Ohashi-san focusing on the drifting islands aspect while an external company developed the storyline independently. However, for an RPG, storytelling and gameplay need to complement each other closely.
Ohashi: The story writing team faced a tough challenge in nailing down the “Mario & Luigi-like” vibe. Crafting a suitable story wasn’t easy.
After facing these challenges, though, you eventually found a solution, didn’t you?
Ohashi: Yes, I think we did. It was during one of our collaborative plot discussions when we decided to assign themes to each sea—like “family” for the first sea, “friends” for the second, and so forth.
Fukushima: That’s when the pieces started to come together under the central theme of “connection.” The gameplay revolved around linking islands, but it was also about the bonds formed among the people living on them.
