Takashi Tezuka

It seems like you can hardly go a week nowadays without Takashi Tezuka or Yusuke Oshino - the Producer and Director, respectively - participating in some interview about Super Mario Maker. Not that we're complaining of course, as they almost always reveal more interesting information about upcoming content or some aspect of development. Super Mario Maker really is an unprecedented work in the Mario series, there's naturally lots to talk about.

Bloomberg recently did an article covering Mario's general history, from Donkey Kong to Super Mario Maker, and Tezuka was quoted a few times throughout. Tezuka remarked how Mario was originally created as a character that was versatile and flexible, one that could change with the times:

We thought he should be a character that's free to do anything. Mario has to keep up with the times.

Later on, Tezuka talked about how Super Mario Maker's more freeform approach makes it toy-like in nature, compared to linear games that don't tend to encourage the player's creativity:

Most games tend to be about following a predetermined path to solve puzzles. There aren't a lot where you think and create on your own. I wanted to make something that's more like a toy.

Of course, the interview ended with the obligatory questions about smartphone gaming or the NX and Nintendo's plans surrounding the mystery platform. Tezuka was unsurprisingly tight lipped, choosing instead to end on a cryptic note:

We feel quite strongly about creating things that are in sync with the times.

You can find the full piece here; there's not much here that wasn't already known, but it makes for an interesting refresher of Mario's long past.

What do you think? Do you appreciate games that are 'toy-like' or do you prefer more focused experiences? What do you think a smartphone Mario game might look like? Drop us a comment in the section below.

[source bloomberg.com]