Super Mario Bros. Wonder almost had a commentary track
Like other 2D Mario games, the upcoming Super Mario Bros. Wonder features online multiplayer. But it also introduces a new feature to the series that would allow solo players to feel like they were interacting with others, which the team dubbed "casual connection."
In the developer's new pair of blogs, the Wonder team described it as such: if two solo players are playing the same course at the same time, they can connect and play together. The other player is represented as a shadow, and they can interact with each other, exchange items, and help progress through the course.
This form of asynchronous multiplayer is already common in games like Death Stranding or Devil May Cry 5. It's a less stressful form of cooperation that fits with previous 2D Mario games like New Super Mario Bros. U and allows some online protection for Mario's kid-focused audience.
Director Shiro Mouri acknowledged how online games can often lead to inappropriate behavior, and wanted to "create fun online gameplay free from those sorts of worries." Sound designer Koji Kondo called the casual connection feature "the most significant innovation we've made for this title."
"I’m no good at competing, so I’ve mainly been playing NES games that don't involve online matches," Kondo admitted. "With this casual connection, I feel more comfortable stepping into the world of online this time."
The Wonder staff said they had numerous mechanics to make the game more challenging (or fun) to play, either solo or with others. But one idea they eventually had to scrap was live commentary similar to real-life sports commentators, or in Street Fighter 6 from this past summer.
Designer Koichi Hayashida revealed the team spent "about six months" genuinely working on
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