Super Mario Bros. Wonder “Ask The Developer” Interviews Reveal Origin Of Talking Flowers

In the leadup to the release of Super Mario Bros. Wonder, Nintendo has been releasing a series of “Ask The Developer” interviews sharing behind the scenes details about the game’s development.

In Part 3 of the interview, the team revealed the origin of the somewhat infamous Talking Flowers that appear throughout the level.  According to the team, it originated from Producer Takashi Tezuka asking whether it would be possible to include “live commentary” based on the player’s performance in the game.

Shiro Mouri: Tezuka-san also once asked, “Can’t we have live commentary?” I had absolutely no clue what he meant. (Laughs) But I interpreted it as a desire for a new experience, even if it’s not necessarily in the form of live commentary.

The team would then spend six months trying to implement the concept, going through numerous iterations such as a generic “newscaster” voice and a snarky “Tsundere” voice that flip between harsh criticism and warm compliments.

Mouri: Even the team was evenly split between those in favor and those against. (Laughs) The default voice was very generic, like a newscaster, but you had the option to switch it to a Tsundere (17) commentary. In fact, according to our play test records, quite a few people were switching to the Tsundere commentary. (Laughs)

Ultimately however, the logistics involved in recording voices for the live commentary idea proved to be too much, and the feature in its original form was scrapped. It would later be repurposed into the “Talking Flowers” that appear throughout the level and spout funny dialogue. The developers felt that it would make the game feel less lonely for solo players, although there is still the option to turn them off.

Mouri: Around the same time, there was a discussion about setting the game in the Flower Kingdom, and we were able to incorporate the idea of live commentary in the form of Talking Flowers that would match the game’s world. It’s a version of live commentary that fits the world of Mario.

Koichi Hayashida: It’s nice that you’re never lonely when the Talking Flowers are there. If you were all alone in a course, it might feel like it was you against the world, but the Talking Flowers speak to you at just the right time.

Masanobu Sato: They’ve got some funny lines like, “Make sure you’re getting your veggies!” as a parent might say. (Laughs) I think it’s a fun experience for those watching the player too.

If you would like to check out even more interesting tidbits about the game, be sure to check out the full series of interviews here.

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