While this week proved pretty
uneventful in terms of Nintendo News, except for the announcement
that Pokemon Sun will have a red and Pokemon Moon a blue cover, I
think this is the perfect opportunity to offer you something I wanted
to write for a long time. Some readers of this blog may remember my
post about the future of 3D Mario and it's level design and how I
think that Mario needs to go back to awe inspiring levels that really
let you explore them. If not you can read all about it here:
Today I don't want to rehash the same
old ideas from these two post, but give you practical look on how I
would like a Mario course in the next 3D Mario to look like.
But first let me cover the basics
again. The next 3D Mario, in my opinion, should go back to the Mario
64 style of Level design. Open levels with Powers Stars that can be
tackled in different orders and an extensive focus on exploration.
Also they should break through the stale concepts of standard Desert,
Mountain, Lava Worlds and offer some creative new twists to this
formula. As many of you know I think Mario Kart 8 did this perfectly,
with its detailed and imaginative tracks.
With that in mind let me take you on a
ride through the hypothetical 3D Mario Wild Woods stage I thought up.
Picture Source: Mario Kart 8
First when you enter the stage there
won't be any Star selection. You get thrown right in. When you're in
the stage a counter on the right side of the screen will inform you
that there are eight Power Stars in Wild Woods. To keep track of the
tasks you'll have to do and the information you gathered on them,
Mario has an Adventure Guide. A Book which helps you keeping an
overview and can be accessed through the Pause Menu (or the Wii-U
Gamepad).
Mario starts between the feet of the
giant tree. Here he finds a small Toad village nestled between the
mighty roots, next to a small lake. There Mario can talk to the
inhabitants and gather the first information about the course. The
Toads tell him that they have lost contact with the Shy Guy village
in the treetops because the water wheel, which powers their elevators
to the top, has stopped. They also inform Mario not to get too close
to the lake because of the monster inside.
So from the get go Mario has two
directions to choose from. So let's check on this water wheel for
starters. It's located on the side of the tree. A series of hollowed
out trunks transports rain water from the treetops down to power the
wheel. After traversing some roots and local wildlife Mario arrives
at the source of the problem. A huge beaver dam blocks nearly all of
the water. After dealing with the problem by going inside the dam,
beating the beavers and stomping the supporting wooden pillars into
the ground, the dam is destroyed and the water is free to flow. Now
Mario simply has to return to the village to gather his first Power
Star from the village elder.
Now what next? With the power source of
the elevators restored Mario could take the quick route up into the
treetops, or he could investigate the lake monster. Maybe he spotted
a golden glimmer halfway up the tree while heading towards the dam?
Well why don't we check on this glimmer
and in the process discover a new power up? So back to the hollow
roots, where Mario finds out that he can't go against the strong
water current. But there are several roots and branches, which help
him ascend. More enemies await, while Mario masters the tricky
platforming until he can't ascend any further. But the Power Star is
still out of reach. If he looks around Mario may recognize some Tree
Sap pouring out of a branch. And one of the villager Toads mentioned
that they used the sap to walk up to the treetops in earlier days
before the elevator got build.
If Mario steps inside the Sap he'll
turn into Sap-Mario, who can stick to any surface and connect objects
with threads of tree sap. Touching water will reverse the
transformation. Luckily there are countless water droplets on the
leafs. With the help of this new transformation Mario can finally
reach the Power Star on the branches.
Now it's finally time to return to the
Toad village or maybe investigate the strange hole in the bark a
little bit further upwards. This leads Mario into the tree, where
Koopa Troops have enlisted some bugs to harvest the Tree Sap. Here he
has his first confrontation with this Worlds main Enemy. A Koopa
General riding a giant bug. Some Shy Guys from the village above will
tell him that they don't serve Bowser anymore. When the Koopa King
began to drain the sap from the Tree they broke free, because this
will destroy their home. They now ask for Marios help in sabotaging
the harvest. He has to gather several sap bombs from the lower levels
of the area and bring them to the pipes transporting the sap down the
tree. Exploding them there will clog the pipes and stop the draining.
Mario also encounters new enemies, which use Sap grenades to freeze
him for brief periods of time, in which he's open for attacks.
The Koopa General acts as an additional
hazard. He patrols the area on his bug and if he spots Mario, starts
attacking which most likely will destroy any sap bombs he's currently
transporting. If that happens he has to hide out of sight, till the
General loses interest and Mario can gather another bomb.
Picture Source: Mario Kart 8
Now that Mario has sabotaged the
draining of the sap it's finally time to head to the Shy Guy Village
in the treetops. Or maybe this was the first thing you did after
repairing the elevator? Anyway when arriving in the village Mario
will be greeted by the village elder, who informs him that the Shy
Guys don't serve Bowser anymore. Something we, of course, are already
aware of. While exploring the Village Mario will gather information
much in the same way as in the Toad village before. One Shy Guy may
tell him of strange sounds coming from his cellar. This is another
way of getting into the sap draining area, which is the source of the
disturbance.
Another will tell Mario that this giant
tree only bears one fruit and that it's located at the very top, but
you can't reach it without the help of Sap-Mario. Luckily their local
Sap spring works again after Mario stopped the draining. With the
help of his new Power up he can ascend even further to the top, where
the fabled fruit awaits.
But the Koopa General has also arrived
and want's revenge for the earlier sabotage of his operation. Now the
culmination of Wild Woods starts.
The General flies out of reach and
bombards Mario with sap grenades. If Mario isn't fast enough, he'll
be stuck to the ground and the Koopa General then proceeds to burn
the sap, dealing damage to him. Mario has to use several flowers,
which launch him into the air, when he enters them. Something used to
ascend the tree earlier. This coupled with Sap-Mario will leave
behind a sap thread. With this he can connect the bug to the tree,
greatly reducing it's mobility. After doing this three times the bug
is captured and throws off the Koopa general. Now Mario simply has to
jump on him three times, while also avoiding sap grenades, fire and
shell attacks. After that he can finally claim the legendary fruit of
the tree, which, of course, houses a power star.
That's four stars done, but there are
still four to go. Also this is the one of two stars with a
prerequisite. The very top of the tree can only be reached, after
sabotaging the sap drain operation.
But now back to the Shy Guy village.
Another problem arises there. Mario is informed that their supply of
Masks has vanished. He is told that a Shy Guy mask is made out of a
mystical material. After being born a Shy Guy immediately gets his
mask, which grows with it's owner. The masks are made out of a
special wood from the Heart of the Tree. And that's where the Shy
Guys send you.
Mario now has to gather several
materials from around the Tree to satisfy the Hearts guardian. This
Guardian is found halfway up the Tree if you jump out of the elevator
at the right time. It's a part of the tree itself, and the materials
gathered are simply a nice snack for the guardian, so that it will
open its mouth and Mario can jump in.
At the heart of the tree Mario finds
the culprit, who is responsible for the vanished masks. The Village
elder, who is still loyal to Bowser. He plans on destroying the heart
and blaming Mario, which would drive the Shy Guys back into the Koopa
Kings service. Mario now has to stop him from doing this by
extinguishing the flames with his Water based power up, which is
introduced in another level. After that he can return to the village
and witness a mask being placed on a newborn Shy Guy, but of course
we don't get to see its face.
Picture Source: Mario Kart 8
The last task in the Shy Guy village
can only be done, after destroying the beaver dam blocking the
hollowed roots. Something Mario has already done in this playthrough.
It's a simple race down the tree and if Mario wins, he is awarded
with a Power Star.
So now it's finally time to check on
the monster in the lake. It's a giant Catfish. And he is no monster,
but simply has huge stomach pain. He begs Mario to help him. Now
Mario has to look around for a cure. While talking to the Toads one
old Lady mentioned her old family recipe to cure any stomach pain.
Something she uses regularly after each Chili Fiesta. She sends Mario
to gather the ingredients for a herbal tea. And that's how you cure
the Catfish, who spits out the Power Star, once the pain is gone.
Now for the last star. This one is a
classic. Gather eight red coins hidden across the entire course.
And this is the hypothetical Wild Woods
Course I thought up for the upcoming Mario 3D game. Tell me what you
think of it and the focus on exploration.
I hope you enjoyed this little idea of mine.
And as always
thanks for reading
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