Super Mario Bros Wonder's Dark Souls-style multiplayer was ironically inspired by a push to make the game easier after some devs struggled
Nintendo's soon-to-be-released Super Mario Bros. Wonder is looking to be a wild step forward for the traditional style of 2D Mario games. Along with its bold, new visual style, it also features some intriguing changes to the conventional style of 2D Mario platforming action.
While Super Mario Bros.
Wonder looks like a raucous time for a group of players, the game also features a new "live player shadow" feature for those who prefer to play solo. In the vein of Dark Souls, these shadows are real-time players who can join you in your trek to the finish in a more laid-back manner.
In a recent Ask the Developer post on Nintendo's official site, game director Shiro Mouri spoke about the creation of the player shadow system, which allows solo players to sync up with other active players spontaneously in the stage - much like the player summons from Dark Souls. According to the developer, it grew from the idea of giving players "a casual connection" with others and offering an extra boost to make it to the goal.
"Basically, you can enjoy the game as if you're playing solo, you don't have to be on standby while you're matched up with other players; matching takes place automatically behind the scenes during single player, so there's no waiting around," said the game director.
"If someone in the world is playing the same course as you at the same time, you can connect and play online together. And so, we came up with ideas to form this casual connection with players worldwide. We call other online players 'live player shadows,' and if you greet them, they might greet you back, give you an extra item if they have one, or even help you when you make a mistake.
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