Alright, let’s dive into this one. So, when the crew behind Mario Kart World was knee-deep in creating the game, they hit this bizarre crossroad. I mean, do Mario and Luigi gobble up those mushrooms? Or is there some kind of magic by just touching them? Seriously, think about it.
Apparently, everyone just assumes the answer is clear. But Shintaro Jikumaru, a guy who’s been with Nintendo for like 20 years, wasn’t so sure. You’d think he’d know, right? Nope. He and the producer, Kosuke Yabuki, had to solve this mushy mystery, so they turned to the big guy, Takashi Tezuka. Tezuka’s been around since the dawn of Mario time, so if anyone’s got answers, it’s him.
This whole thing started because Jikumaru had this wild idea to throw burgers into the mix. Imagine that, Mario scarfing down fast food as he races! They needed some munching animations pronto.
Yabuki thought up this wacky drive-thru concept. “Hey, why not make them eat and change outfits while racing?” he said. I mean, it sounds ridiculous, but I’m kind of here for it.
So now, burgers and other culinary delights are part of the deal, and the team had to come to terms with Mario-verse rules. An interview spilled the beans:
Yabuki goes, “So, does Mario eat mushrooms?” with a chuckle.
Jikumaru jumps in, “Mid-development, we had to ask Tezuka-san, ‘Is Mario munching these mushrooms?’”
Yabuki goes, “Yep, and Tezuka-san answered, ‘Yeah, he is.’”
Die-hard Mario fans might jump in with things like how the Mario & Luigi games show them eating power-ups. Or maybe they’d mention that movie where Mario’s all about the mushroom munching to power up, but the Fire Flowers? Those just need a touch. But you gotta admit the Mario Kart developers wanted everything to line up nicely, even though the Mario universe can be all over the place. Like in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Mario’s not shown eating the Super Mushroom; it’s like his kart gets the boost instead. Sort of like a NOS shot for those who get the reference.
But really, which power-ups are eaten and which are just poked at? It might just be endless debate material. And there’s so much we still don’t know. Picture this:
If I ever snag a chat with Tezuka, as unlikely as that sounds now, I’m lining up about a million questions for him. That poor guy won’t know what hit him!
