As someone who dreams of making video games myself, it’s sometimes very hard to hear all the “horror stories” about what “really happens in the industry” and the terrible choices that lead to many developers’ lives being affected. It’s easy to think that making these titles is “all fun and games,” but we’ve long since left that mindset. Yet, there are some who still hold onto that awe and wonder, and that includes one of the main artists for Super Mario Bros Wonder, Taku Ito.
Nintendo posted a special recruitment post featuring Ito (that Nintendo Everything translated), and he noted that when he was brought onto the game, it filled him with true joy:
I have worked as a graphic designer and made artwork for many projects, but one that really sticks in my heart is that for Super Mario Bros Wonder. This title was a side-scrolling game following on from Super Mario Bros. released in 1985 for the Famicom and is the first brand new title in about eleven years. When I heard that I would be in charge of artwork for a Nintendo flagship title, and for Mario – who I have loved since I was a child – I was filled with happiness from the bottom of my heart.”
Ito went on to note how important his role as a graphic designer is to fleshing out designs and ensuring that the right parts of the art pop:
One of the most important parts of my job as a designer is to bring out the charm of the product. In order to do that I explore all possibilities and make lots of test designs. For example, one plan involved centering on the new Elephant Mario and going for a fresh, strong vibe. Another was to divide the screen in two, one half with the traditional side-scrolling Mario world and the other with the fantastical ‘wonder’-filled world. We really did try and consider lots of different design directions.
It clearly worked, as the game sold better than any 2D Mario game before it at launch and critics (including myself in my review) absolutely loved the game.
