It’s fascinating how the foundation of this game evolved, focusing so heavily on its visual style and unique setting. But when it came to crafting the core gameplay and narrative, what was the process like?
Fukushima: When it came down to the central gameplay concept, Acquire’s initial pitch was really impressive, so we began by letting them create a prototype. Their proposal outlined the idea: "A Mario adventure that feels uniquely yours, living and exploring across drifting islands."
Ohashi: The concept of drifting islands was intriguing to me. Discovering new islands, embarking on adventures, and making friends with the locals seemed like it’d be exciting. The idea of linking these islands together and building a team of allies for adventures was particularly compelling.
Otani: I have to admit, it was a novel idea. No one had suggested anything like that during our brainstorming sessions at Nintendo. The thought of gameplay centered on connecting islands was something entirely fresh. (Laughs)
Ohashi: However, it took us a good amount of time to nail down that special "Mario & Luigi-like" vibe, which delayed the testing of this new gameplay element. While we were refining how the drifting island concept could be entertaining, it took a while before we could present concrete ideas to Nintendo, which probably made them a bit uneasy.
Otani: Honestly, I was getting a bit nervous. Fukushima-san and I were wondering when Acquire would finally unveil their ideas. (Laughs)
Fukushima: Nonetheless, Ohashi-san is the type who thoroughly contemplates his decisions and only commits when he’s sure, so we had faith in him. But, internally, we did have quite a few strategy meetings discussing how long we could afford to wait. (Laughs)
Ohashi: In this game, Shipshape Island is the central hub for Mario and his friends’ journey. You sail this island across the ocean, visiting various other islands for adventures. But fleshing out how the island would navigate this vast ocean took some time.
Fukushima: Usually, we lock down the gameplay and narrative direction early in development and then refine the details. But this time, it took longer than we anticipated. Meanwhile, we were busy developing the combat and exploration mechanics without finalizing certain key elements, like the island’s drifting system or the game’s scope, such as the number of islands and their respective themes. It felt like we were constantly chasing after something elusive, putting in a lot of effort.
Otani: There was also a noticeable difference in how each company approached game development. In past iterations, we would typically conceptualize the gameplay mechanics first, and then develop a narrative to breathe life into them, with the director guiding the entire process. But Acquire’s method involved Ohashi-san conceptualizing the drifting islands gameplay, while concurrently, an external story writing team worked on crafting the narrative independently. However, since this is an RPG, the story and gameplay must be intertwined for the game to progress successfully.
Ohashi: The story writing team also faced challenges in capturing that "Mario & Luigi-like" feel. It was difficult for them to pinpoint a suitable narrative.
And finally, you found a solution, didn’t you?
Ohashi: I believe I recall the moment it clicked for us. We were brainstorming the storyline and decided to assign a theme to each sea area—so the first sea was themed around "family," the second around "friends," and so on.
Fukushima: Exactly, and that’s when everything started to align under the theme of "connection." The gameplay revolves around connecting islands, but it also delves into the connections among the people living on those islands.
