Fukushima: When it came to creating the heart of the gameplay, Acquire really hit the nail on the head with their initial concept, so we got them to start prototyping it right away. Their proposal was something like: “Imagine your own unique Mario story, living and adventuring on these drifting islands.”
Ohashi: I was intrigued by the idea of drifting islands. Discovering a new island, going on an adventure, meeting new people—it sounded like a blast to connect more and more islands, bringing together various allies for your journey.
Otani: I must admit, it was a brilliant concept. None of us at Nintendo had thought of anything like it during our brainstorming sessions. The idea of linking different islands wasn’t something you’d typically think of. (Laughs)
Ohashi: That said, capturing that “Mario & Luigi” vibe took a bit of a backseat at first. We focused so much on making the drifting islands gameplay engaging that it took a while before we could pitch concrete ideas to Nintendo, and I’m sure they were getting a bit antsy.
Otani: You bet I was nervous. Fukushima and I kept wondering when Acquire would be ready to share their thoughts with us. (Laughs)
Fukushima: But, Ohashi-san is someone who really contemplates and delivers answers only when he’s confident, so we had faith in him. Nonetheless, we had numerous internal meetings to figure out how long we could afford to wait. (Laughs)
Ohashi: In this game, Shipshape Island acts as home base for Mario and friends’ adventures. You cruise across the ocean, visiting different islands along the way. It took some time to nail down how the mechanics for this worked, like how the island navigates the vast ocean.
Fukushima: Normally, we pin down the game’s core story and gameplay pretty quickly during development, sorting out the details as we go. But this time, it took longer than expected. Meanwhile, we were piecing together battles and actions without everything having fully formed yet. Elements like Shipshape Island’s drifting system, the number of islands, and their themes were all up in the air. It felt like we were constantly chasing after more.
Otani: Another challenge was how we approached development. Previously, we developed gameplay first, and then crafted a plot to support it. The director would oversee all aspects. But with Acquire, Ohashi-san focused on the gameplay, while separately, an external company worked on the plot. Because it’s an RPG, gameplay and story needed to meld seamlessly to push development forward.
Ohashi: The story team also had a tough time capturing that signature “Mario & Luigi” flair. They struggled to pin down the right narrative.
Ohashi: But we eventually hit a breakthrough, right?
Fukushima: Yes, when we began brainstorming story elements together and decided each sea would have its own theme—like the first focusing on “family” and the second on “friends”—that’s when things started to come together, centered around “connection.” The gameplay connects islands, while the story connects the people living on them.
