When it came to sculpting the core of the game—its gameplay and story—Fukushima shed some light on the process: Acquire kicked things off with a compelling concept, and from there, they began prototyping. The initial proposal really grabbed attention with its tagline: “A Mario story that’s uniquely yours. Living and adventuring on drifting islands.”
Ohashi jumped in, sharing his initial excitement about the idea. “The concept of drifting islands sounded like a blast. Imagine discovering an island, embarking on adventures, and making new friends along the way. The prospect of connecting these islands to form a network of allies was really intriguing.”
Otani chimed in with a bit of nostalgia, admitting, “It was a clever idea, no doubt. Connecting islands wasn’t something that usually pops up in our brainstorming sessions at Nintendo.” He laughed, reflecting on the novelty of it.
However, Ohashi noted a challenge: they struggled with capturing that “Mario & Luigi-like” vibe, meaning some elements were put on the back burner. “While we toyed with making the drifting island concept engaging, it took a longer than anticipated to present solid ideas to Nintendo. I imagine that might have stirred some concern.”
Otani agreed, admitting, “Truth be told, it did make me a bit uneasy. Fukushima and I were itching to see what Acquire would bring to the table.” He chuckled, recalling the waiting game they played.
But Fukushima assured, “We had faith in Ohashi. He’s the kind of guy who thinks things through and provides firm answers once he’s sure of them. Although, I won’t lie, we had several internal meetings plotting out how long we could afford to wait.”
Ohashi explained that in this adventure, Shipshape Island serves as Mario and his friends’ launch pad. It’s not just a stationary hub; it drifts across the ocean, inviting new island explorations and adventures. However, perfecting the mechanics to facilitate this island-hopping adventure took some time.
According to Fukushima, outlining gameplay and story elements is typically a swift process at the beginning of development, allowing the team to fine-tune things afterward. Unfortunately, this time around, it took longer than planned. While they were refining the battles and exploration actions they wanted to include, some components weren’t set in stone—like how Shipshape Island would navigate the ocean, as well as the game’s overall scale regarding the number and themes of the islands. It was like trying to catch a rainbow—plenty of effort involved.
Otani explained that the teams worked differently, too. Previously, gameplay would take precedence, and the plot would follow to bring it alive, with the director steering progress. But Acquire’s method involved Ohashi conceptualizing first and having a story writing company separately working in parallel on the narrative. Given that it’s an RPG, story and gameplay needed to progress hand-in-hand.
According to Ohashi, the narrative team also wrestled with getting that quintessential “Mario & Luigi-like” essence. They had difficulty nailing down a story that fit.
But eventually, a breakthrough came. Ohashi recalled, “I remember the turning point being when we brainstormed plot ideas and decided to assign thematic elements to each sea: the first sea was ‘family,’ the second ‘friends,’ and so on.”
Fukushima concurred, noting how this thematic approach helped align everything. “That’s right, it began to make sense within the main theme of ‘connection.’ The gameplay focused on linking islands, but it also underscored the bonds between the islanders themselves.”
