Nintendo played a prominent role during last week's début Game Awards in Las Vegas, with Reggie Fils-Aime on hand to introduce a few segments, including the well-received Legend of Zelda Wii U footage. Yet there was another prominent Nintendo figure on hand in Koji Kondo, the iconic composer who's produced some of the most memorable and loved music in gaming history — including, of course, that famous Super Mario Bros. theme. He's still particularly prominent in Nintendo's biggest releases, notably contributing to Super Mario 3D World in 2013.
He's also involved in the Mario Maker project, which will allow gamers to create their own stages and play them in at least four stylistic variations that take in the biggest releases in the franchise. Though there won't be the option to compose entirely new music, Kondo-san has stated that there'll be "robust sound editing functions". Speaking to IGN, he explained how music will be an important part of the experience.
There are two modes to this game. You have the mode where you’re playing whatever it is you’ve created, and then the actual creation mode where you’re placing different blocks, enemies, and whatnot to build your level. What I really wanted to focus on was the seamless transition of music between those two modes.
So when you’re playing, you’ll be hearing the kind of music you’d expect, Then, when you transition into edit mode, the sounds might become a little brighter, cleaner, livelier, but we don’t really want you to notice that change. That seamless transition between the two modes is where we’re really focusing.
We also want to make sure that players, who will be spending a lot of time in the edit mode creating their levels, don’t get tired of the music. We have all the different tracks – the base track, the piano, the drums – which we try to do some interesting things with using our recent technology. Whether it’s lowering or increasing volume, or bringing them in and out of these separate tracks, we always want to make sure the music sounds fresh and new so the players never get tired of hearing it.
...The sound effects that you hear when you’re placing the different elements within a level are pitched to match the music playing at that time. It’s pretty fun to add and subtract elements and see how those sound effects change to fit with the music that’s playing.
Similarly, a lot of the music in edit mode will be standard arrangements of some of the original scores you’ll be hearing in play mode, but I’m really looking at making those arrangements branch into a lot of different genres as well. Some of the songs will be pretty unique and abstracted versions of the original score.
Is Mario Maker high on your list of anticipated Wii U games in 2015, and is the classic music a major part of the game's draw? Let us know what you think, while the latest trailer is below.
Thanks to Benson for the heads up.
[source m.uk.ign.com]
Comments 33
While it's not one of my top games of 2015, I do look forward to it.
Day 1 for me!
Woah, so once this is out Nintendo won't have to make any more 2D mario games. The community can just make them all This had better have a level sharing feature otherwise the game would be kinda dumb.
@SMEXIZELDAMAN Sharing was already confirmed
grabs time travel machine and goes to the day of release and buys time to make the hardest Mario eva!
Super Mario Bros
Super Mario Bros 3
Super Mario World
New Super Mario Bros U
Mario Maker
I guess the sequel will be "Super Mario Maker"?
On the bright side, I won't have to keep hearing the Youtubers refer to this as "Mario Maker brOse"
I'm not a fan of the 2D Mario games but my creative oriented sons are both really looking forward to this, and they don't like 2D Mario either. I doubt they'll be making more SSBU levels after this comes out. Day 1 me thinks.
I've always wanted to see this in a video game--music that changes naturally depending on what a player is doing. Awakening did in a way that by blending map and battle music. Ocarina of Time's Hyrule Field had different segments that would be played semi-randomly based on whether the player was moving.
Hopefully in the future we'll look back and scoff at music in video games today: enter an area and just loop some music track until the player leaves.
I for one am pleased about this, new Koji Kondo music is way better than a having a music editor.
I want to be able to write my own music for my stages. Please, Nintendo. You even hinted at such a possibility before, citing Mario Paint for the SNES.
@rjejr
Hey, at least it isn't called New Mario Maker.
This looks really good. Depending on the price, this might be a Day 1 buy for me.
Now I want Mario Paint on my 3DS.
@WaLzgi That's trill. Is there also confirmed being able to make different levels, like desert ones or snowy ones? You'd think that'd be kinda a given, but I want to be sure. If these things are, then I will totally get this game. It looks trill 2 da MAX
It would be high on my list if nothing else was really coming out, but money-wise, I gotta put it lower (I mean, I gotta prioritize Zelda, Star Fox and Yoshi). Plus it seems like quite a time-consuming game. I'm a really creative person and love to do things like this - create stuff, but unfortunately I'm not in the situation where I can afford to spend a lot of time at the moment. Shame really, this would have been perfect for a younger self. Man, why couldn't I have the chance to experience this as a kid
Hopefully we'll see a portable Mario Maker that covers the handheld 2D Mario games, from Super Mario Land to New Super Mario Bros. 2, sometime in the future
Day zero purchase for me haha I am so excited for this its going to be my game of the year!!
Nothing in the excert posted tells me there won't be a music editor. If anything it tells me you just won't be able to have an audioless Mario game.
This needs too be on the 3DS as well.
Mario Maker Alpha Day Zero With Season Pass coming soon!
Music has to be one of the single most important parts of gaming since an amazing soundtrack sets the scenes in games, whether those moments be happy, sad, or intense. Nothing beats hearing a Zelda or Metroid tune while exploring their world's and in my opinion Nintendo are the only ones who have really mastered this in their games. Some other developers do a good job, but Nintendo are the masters!
@Lizuka Koji Kondo was only responsible for composition in the first New Super Mario Bros. game, in all the later ones he's acted as sound supervisor.
Aww, I was really hoping for a music creator, to create NES, and SNES music with! That would have been great... Maybe Nintendo is saving it for a music making app, but that's wishful thinking.
@Phantom_R Oddworld Abe's Oddysey and Oddworld Abe's Exoddus did pretty much that back on PSX
if this has very good reviews with greats reasons, i'll buy it.
Yeah, that sounds awesome.
@mystman12 You'll have to wait for Mario Paint U for that!
@Phantom_R I remember in Super Mario World it kind of did this with Yoshi too. Depending on if you are riding Yoshi, the music changes. More drums come in or it has a few other little notes added. Maybe not as seamless as this, but I always thought it was an awesome touch.
@Lizuka I wonder about the price too. Seeing that they just released Captain Toad at $45 in Canada, I wouldn't be surprised to see this at the same price point.
After seeing the last trailer and reading this, it's certainly become a thing I need to get when it releases. Kondo's as much an inspiration to me as Miyamoto.
Would love to see this get a lot of love AND a 3DS version.
Technically not on my radar, but the mere thought of creating my own 2D Mario games excites me lots. I'd like to dabble in this at least once.
I assume the console release means the game will exceed the 3DS's hardware limitations, in which case I think it'd be awesome if it included a free download to a 3DS app that's a standalone, on the go editor. You could design and test levels, then when you get home you sync it to your Wii U and upload your creations!
@Phantom_R
Games have been doing this for a long, long time. Mario 64 did a great job of it, the Zelda series has all sorts of touches including musical notes playing ALONG with the music when you make a successful attack (Wind Waker), but then further back, different instruments added to music in Super Mario World when you ride Yoshi, and even X-Wing for the PC in 1993 had extensive use of dynamic music based on what was happening in the game. It was Star Wars music in MIDI and they called the technology iMuse if I recall correctly.
The problem is that chip tunes made this easier in some ways then having pre-recorded music so it has taken awhile for the technology to catch up with streamed music and mixing that in real time.
Having the Mario Paint music maker back would be so cool
Wow, new music for 2D Mario games. Never saw that coming.
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