When Mario & Luigi Brothership was announced this past June, gamers were thrilled that they would finally be able to return to the RPG series that started out on the Game Boy Advance. Nintendo had stated previously that there were no plans to bring the RPG series back, so it was a great surprise to see them do an about-face. One of the key differences in this new title wasn’t just the 3D modeling or the game being on a console, it’s that the game was co-developed by Acquire of Octopath Traveler fame. They were thrilled to be a part of the experience…but they almost took the game in a much different direction and tone.
This reveal came via a special interview with the game’s development team, where Art Director Hitomi Furata (who is from Acquire) noted that at first, the team went for a more “rugged and edgier” version of Mario:
Our challenge was to develop 3D visuals that would bring out the unique appeal of the Mario & Luigi series and differentiate it from other Mario games. I’m ashamed to say it, but we weren’t conscious of that when development started, which led to us making a huge detour. And in our search for a new Mario & Luigi style, at one point we ended up trying to present an edgier, more rugged Mario instead… (Laughs) Then we received feedback from Nintendo that we should aim to make the art direction identifiable by fans as belonging to the Mario & Luigi series.
Want to know what that looks like? Here you go!
It’s a pretty unique look, to be sure, but not exactly what the series is known for. Obviously, Mario & Luigi Brothership ended up going in a more “classic direction,” and the results are ones that many are happy with. Still, we could get a more “rugged” Mario in the future, you never know!
