Ask the Developer Volume 15: Mario & Luigi: Brothership – Part 3 | Updates

It sounds like you took a considerable amount of time to nail down the distinctive visuals and setting for this game. Can you share more about how the game’s core gameplay and storyline were developed?

Fukushima: When it came to crafting the core gameplay, Acquire had this incredible initial concept that really stood out. So, we kick-started the process by having them prototype that idea. The proposal was intriguing: "A Mario story that’s uniquely yours. Living and adventuring on drifting islands."

Ohashi: The idea of drifting islands really caught my imagination. The thought of discovering an island, embarking on adventures, and making friends with the locals sounded thrilling. It seemed exciting to keep linking islands and expanding the group of companions you could share adventures with.

Otani: I have to agree; it was quite a novel idea. No one else had thought of something like that during our brainstorming sessions at Nintendo. Connecting distinct islands in the gameplay isn’t the sort of concept that easily comes to mind. (Laughs)

Ohashi: We hit a snag, though, trying to capture that "Mario & Luigi-like" vibe, which meant that prototyping this new concept got delayed. We were so focused on ensuring the drifting island gameplay was engaging that it took some time before we had solid ideas to present to Nintendo, and I suspect that may have made them a bit uneasy.

Otani: Honestly, I did start feeling a bit anxious. Fukushima-san and I were both eager to see when Acquire would be ready to unveil their concepts. (Laughs)

Fukushima: But we trusted Ohashi-san’s thorough and deliberate approach, knowing he’d deliver a well-thought-out plan in his own time. Still, we held numerous internal discussions about how long we could afford to wait. (Laughs)

Ohashi: In the game, Shipshape Island is the hub for Mario and his crew’s adventures. You drift over the ocean, exploring various islands and having adventures. However, developing the mechanics for navigating this vast ocean took more time than expected.

Fukushima: Normally, we set the gameplay and story direction early in development and then refine the details. But this time, it took longer than usual. Simultaneously, we were building the battle systems and exploring actions without certain elements confirmed, like Shipshape Island’s mobility system or the game’s scope, including the number of islands and their themes. It felt like chasing rainbows—it was quite a challenge.

Otani: Plus, there was a noticeable difference in the development methodologies of both companies. In our series’ previous games, the gameplay was designed first and then a plot was crafted to support it, with the director managing everything. But Acquire took a different route, with Ohashi-san focusing on the drifting islands gameplay, while an external company worked parallelly on the story. The challenge was, being an RPG, the story and gameplay needed to tightly mesh to move forward.

Ohashi: The story writing team also found it difficult to capture that "Mario & Luigi-like" essence. They struggled to craft a fitting narrative.

But you did find a solution eventually, didn’t you?

Ohashi: Absolutely, I remember when the breakthrough occurred. We were collaborating on the plot and decided to assign themes to each sea: the first would represent "family," the second "friends," and so on.

Fukushima: That’s right, it was then that the concept of "connection" really began to materialize. The gameplay involves connecting islands, but equally, it’s about the bonds between the island inhabitants.