So, the Wii generation introduced something that to me took Nintendo from "very welcoming to kids" and brought it to "so obviously aimed at children that it alienates adults".
A very good comparison would be Mario 64 vs Mario 3D World.
Mario 64 is fine for children. It's cartoony, it has silly voices, all kinds of colorful characters... But do you know what else it has? Browns, blacks, mixes of different colors and textures. Mario 3D World, like the Wii 2d Mario games, put this emphasis on every single thing in the environment being not only SUPER bright, but having this candy-like glossy sheen across every single surface and character! It's just simply too much. It literally looks like a screen full of kids toys. They've kept this now for essentially the entire Wii/Wii U generation, close to a decade now. Why does EVERYTHING have to scream childish/silly/goofy/shiny/bright?
I don't think there is one thing in Mario 64 that would make a parent not want their kid to have it. But there's plenty in the new Mario games that would make the parent not want to have it. I understand the importance of bringing kids into the gaming world, but there's no reason to alienate those who are not kids. It closes the already small market Nintendo has. And I don't want to hear "stop being close minded" and things like that, because I personally have no problem with it. But every single friend I have that I've brought a Wii U over to their house has lost interest and wanted to turn it off and play something else, and every single one of them says it's because they feel like they're playing a game for little kids.
They've gone into a style that is just too alienating to older people. Gaming is a big part of late teens/early adults getting together and having gaming parties and such. We used to do that for Smash/Kart all the time. You don't want those people starting to think "I probably should bring the PS4 instead of the Wii U/NX because Jeff and Steve always comment on how it's for little kids and make fun of it" etc. Things like that are very common. I doubt the 8 people or so that I've brought the system to are anomalies.
I personally think it's very important for Nintendo to go back to neutral art styles that are welcoming to all. As much as I used Mario in this example, it's every Nintendo franchise almost. Kirby for NES = We all could get into it. Kirby's epic yarn and raindow curse? Super kiddie. Yoshi's Island? My parents played it with me. Yoshi's Wooly World? The game screams LOOK HOW CUTE I AM AT EVERY TURN! I'm sorry, but a large part of the gaming population is adult males and they feel awkward sitting around with their friends playing a game that does everything in it's power to be "cute" every 3 seconds. Heck, Wind Waker was super cartoony and suffered it's share of critics, but it's nothing compared to Skyward Sword which has that same super glossy shiny polish. My friends laughed so hard while we played that part right after you leave Skyloft and have to find those little cute creatures with the dousing. Everyone kept saying "This is so 'cute' it's awkward".
This style just isn't effective to bring in a large audience. Nintendo recently made a game that they said would "Bring back older gamers who had left". Do you know what it was? SPLATOON! WHAT???? Do you know why those gamers left, Nintendo? Not because of gameplay quality, as your gameplay has always been 2nd to none. But because everything is so childlike and glossy and shiny and cute. So you make SPLATOON to bring them back? It's like.. Who is in CHARGE over there?
Ok, rant over. I love Nintendo. I just hope they help me help them, because if they start once again making games that aren't so cute they make everyone in the room uncomfortable, I can help them spread the word like I've been trying to for the past decade.
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Topic: Changing the Wii art style on NX
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