Super Mario Bros. 5, are we there? - The Lakitu Sachet
On the Italian night of August 6, the official Nintendo page - the Japanese one - posted a job announcement on twitter, in which a level designer is sought, for the Tokyo office, to create a two-dimensional action game. In itself, this is already good news: excluding NES Remix, which is (was?) A small project, in Tokyo they are not working on a two-dimensional game with the beautiful - if strange - Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat (2005). A platformer in which the ape controlled himself with Donkey Konga's bongos, a madness composed by Koizumi between Super Mario Sunshine (2002) and what would become his masterpiece, Super Mario Galaxy (2007). At the end of 2019, in apparent contradiction to the recent announcement, the news emerged that in Tokyo they were looking for staff for a three-dimensional action game.
In our opinion, there are two possibilities: or they are bringing forward two games at the same time, or... or there is another possibility, which we will explain shortly, after some prodromic information. We close the paragraph with a good news: this team immediately releases a great new game every three years, and considering that the last dates back to 2017, we should be neighbors (coronavirus permitting) in the next publication.
Super Mario Bros., Kyoto
let's Leave for a moment by EPD 8, and let's focus instead on the EPD 10 , the group led by Hiroyuki Kimura - the first game within the Nintendo was, coincidentally, Super Mario Bros. 3 (did the character design). This team in the following three series : New Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Maker (2015) and Pikmin. From November last year - the ad is still active - looking for collaborators for the production of an action game two-dimensional. It is not difficult to imagine what it is.At the beginning of 2019 was released New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe , a port that didn't require too much effort; a few months later came the Super Mario Maker 2 , which has also received constant updates after publication. In spite of the ads already mentioned, there was the possibility that they were working on a sequel to Pikmin 3. For the rest, the final of that the game is rather ambiguous, and Miyamoto years ago had stated that the sequel was already in development. During this week we had the indirect confirmation that it is not so in Pikmin 3 Deluxe to arrive in October, and it is very difficult to be only an appetizer to the fourth episode. In essence, it is almost certain that more than a year in Kyoto are working on the new Super Mario two-dimensional . And they are definitely aware that serves as a turning point: either because the skin of New Super Mario Bros. is available within Super Mario Maker 2, and how polished it would be absurd to take advantage of that engine, is because the last episode was rather disputed, and dates back even to the 2012.
Even in the worst case, it is unlikely the new chapter in the two-dimensional will be derivative as they have been the last "New": for this reason, it is possible that Nintendo will choose to change the nomenclature.
Super Mario Bros., Tokyo
going Back to the initial topic, soon we will know what he is dealing with EPD 8, the group of Tokyo . For the reasons exposed in the previous paragraph, it is almost impossible for their main project, at the moment, is a Super Mario two-dimensional. You may be working on a new title in the three-dimensional (not necessarily Mario), or on the rumored collection of which so much has been discussed, which would contain the remaster (or remake?) of various historical episodes, including Super Mario 64 and Galaxy. In this case, they would have had time to work on a two-dimensional game, the one for which they are hiring, maybe a sequel to Donkey Kong (Country?), seen that in Texas are engaged with Samus Aran? It is possible to.Undoubtedly it would be strange to have two platform two-dimensional developed simultaneously by in-house studies; does not happen for a long time, and it would also be a business choice - unfortunately - is anachronistic. Strange as it may seem, it is not absurd to think that Kyoto and Tokyo are working together . It is an event almost never happened, and the two macro-groups have different items of clothing (although coordinated both by Shinya Takahashi): there is only an exception, and is represented by division EPD 8 and 10, unitesi for Super Mario Maker 2. The toughest jobs was always done in Kyoto, but in Tokyo they have helped and how, having been employed to generate - and integrate - the skin of Super Mario 3D World. The two "Mario Team" then they have already collaborated in the past, and it is not said that it cannot do so in the future.
The hypothesis , in conclusion, are these. The two groups seem to be creating together with the new Super Mario two-dimensional the possibility of this, for the fans of the saga, would be preferable. Another theory is that they are working at the same time to two different action games (2D). Super Mario Bros., we would lose, but at least we would have two titles differentiated: a new Donkey Kong or a new IP) from Tokyo, a new Super Mario from Kyoto. That, again, however, it might not be a "New" so derivative as it were the last.
The upcoming title EPD 8 probably will, unless anticipated by the Breath of the Wild 2 , the game Nintendo Christmas 2020 . When the present, we will understand better the real possibility of their involvement in the hypothetical "Super Mario Bros 5".
