by Here's some more info from questions that have been answered over E3.
A portion of a Game Informer interview with director Kenta Motokura and producer Yoshiaki Koizumi...
GI: Mario's new has is named Cappy, but where does he come from? He looks like a ghost or something, is that correct? Is he like a hat-spirit?
Koizumi: We're not ready to reveal a lot of Cappy's backstory or secrets about that character, but he is going to be Mario's companion as he travels around all these different kingdoms in this title.
GI: We also ran across Captain Toad in New Donk City, and it was fun to see him. It seems like you guys have a fondness for him as well. Do you hope to do more with him in the future as well?
Motokura: Well I'd certainly be happy if you were looking forward to the possibility of a future Captain Toad game, but none we can mention just yet. But, Captain Toad is also an adventurer, so he will be wandering about in different kingdoms of Super Mario Odyssey.
GI: Why does Mario want to stop the wedding between Peach and Bowser. Is he interested in Peach romantically, or does he have some other motives?
Koizumi: I've always thought that Mario carries a bit of a torch for Peach. I think that's true even back in the 2D Mario games. If not, he wouldn't be wasting his time rescuing her over and over again.
GI: Do you think Princess Peach feels the same way?
Koizumi: The heart of a woman is a mystery.
GI: In Super Mario Galaxy 2, there was a throwback Galaxy level that was a remake of a Nintendo 64 level. Will there be any throwback levels in Super Mario Odyssey?
Motokura: We don't have any levels that are taken, let's say, specifically from something like Super Mario 64, but we do have elements in the game that will make the folks who played Super Mario 64 happy when they encounter them.
When asked about the biggest challenge making Super Mario Odyssey, Koizume-san said the following.
Biggest challenge has been that since it's 15 years since the last time we made a sandbox style Mario game, it felt completely different and new to come up with ideas that would work there. We had a lot of debate to decide if people would accept this kind of playstyle again. That was probably the biggest challenge for us.
There was also a little insight into HD Rumble and amiibo functionality.
We're working on lots of different HD Rumble integration, but on the showfloor players can feel the scooters rumble when you're driving that.
Everytime you tap an amiibo you'll receive a costume and in-game assistance.
Pauline was also a popular topic in her role as a musical mayor of New Donk City.
As we were developing Pauline more as a character, we know that she was going to be interested in jazz. It was interesting for us to have the first song in a Mario game with vocals. Have you guys been finding yourself singing it?
When we were deciding which Kingdoms to have in the game, we knew we wanted the city environment, and we wanted something that would have resonance with players. We knew that players know Pauline so we of course wanted to make her the mayor of New Donk City.
It's important to note that thought they are called Kingdoms, they do not necessarily have royalty, and that's why she's the mayor.
Koizume-san did also share a few personal insights, some more serious than others. For example he talked about his interest in high quality coffee.
I'm very particular about my coffee. I buy my beans, I grind them. I weigh the grounds and measures the volume of water. The water cannot be too hot unless the coffee will become bitter, so I like to pour over using a long stemmed pouring kettle. It has to have a long, narrow pouring spout or too much water will come out at once.
The whole thing has become a ritual for me, I really enjoy the good smell of the coffee as I make it.
Then the big question - "Mr Koizumi, would you rather fight 1 horse sized duck or 100 duck sized horses?" - to which he replied...
Horse sized duck. It looks really cute, and maybe if I feed it, it will let me ride it.
Nice to know that Captain Toad will be showing up in the other Kingdoms as while and I really do like how they brought back Pauline as a callback to the first Donkey Kong game.
A portion of a Game Informer interview with director Kenta Motokura and producer Yoshiaki Koizumi...
GI: Mario's new has is named Cappy, but where does he come from? He looks like a ghost or something, is that correct? Is he like a hat-spirit?
Koizumi: We're not ready to reveal a lot of Cappy's backstory or secrets about that character, but he is going to be Mario's companion as he travels around all these different kingdoms in this title.
GI: We also ran across Captain Toad in New Donk City, and it was fun to see him. It seems like you guys have a fondness for him as well. Do you hope to do more with him in the future as well?
Motokura: Well I'd certainly be happy if you were looking forward to the possibility of a future Captain Toad game, but none we can mention just yet. But, Captain Toad is also an adventurer, so he will be wandering about in different kingdoms of Super Mario Odyssey.
GI: Why does Mario want to stop the wedding between Peach and Bowser. Is he interested in Peach romantically, or does he have some other motives?
Koizumi: I've always thought that Mario carries a bit of a torch for Peach. I think that's true even back in the 2D Mario games. If not, he wouldn't be wasting his time rescuing her over and over again.
GI: Do you think Princess Peach feels the same way?
Koizumi: The heart of a woman is a mystery.
GI: In Super Mario Galaxy 2, there was a throwback Galaxy level that was a remake of a Nintendo 64 level. Will there be any throwback levels in Super Mario Odyssey?
Motokura: We don't have any levels that are taken, let's say, specifically from something like Super Mario 64, but we do have elements in the game that will make the folks who played Super Mario 64 happy when they encounter them.
When asked about the biggest challenge making Super Mario Odyssey, Koizume-san said the following.
Biggest challenge has been that since it's 15 years since the last time we made a sandbox style Mario game, it felt completely different and new to come up with ideas that would work there. We had a lot of debate to decide if people would accept this kind of playstyle again. That was probably the biggest challenge for us.
There was also a little insight into HD Rumble and amiibo functionality.
We're working on lots of different HD Rumble integration, but on the showfloor players can feel the scooters rumble when you're driving that.
Everytime you tap an amiibo you'll receive a costume and in-game assistance.
Pauline was also a popular topic in her role as a musical mayor of New Donk City.
As we were developing Pauline more as a character, we know that she was going to be interested in jazz. It was interesting for us to have the first song in a Mario game with vocals. Have you guys been finding yourself singing it?
When we were deciding which Kingdoms to have in the game, we knew we wanted the city environment, and we wanted something that would have resonance with players. We knew that players know Pauline so we of course wanted to make her the mayor of New Donk City.
It's important to note that thought they are called Kingdoms, they do not necessarily have royalty, and that's why she's the mayor.
Koizume-san did also share a few personal insights, some more serious than others. For example he talked about his interest in high quality coffee.
I'm very particular about my coffee. I buy my beans, I grind them. I weigh the grounds and measures the volume of water. The water cannot be too hot unless the coffee will become bitter, so I like to pour over using a long stemmed pouring kettle. It has to have a long, narrow pouring spout or too much water will come out at once.
The whole thing has become a ritual for me, I really enjoy the good smell of the coffee as I make it.
Then the big question - "Mr Koizumi, would you rather fight 1 horse sized duck or 100 duck sized horses?" - to which he replied...
Horse sized duck. It looks really cute, and maybe if I feed it, it will let me ride it.
Nice to know that Captain Toad will be showing up in the other Kingdoms as while and I really do like how they brought back Pauline as a callback to the first Donkey Kong game.
