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Discussion How should the next 2D Mario look visually? (poll)

What visual style should the next 2D Super Mario game use?

  • 2.5D (New Super Style)

  • Kotabe artstyle

  • Retro (8bit/16-bit throwback)

  • "Upgraded 2.5D" (like the 3D World theme in Super Mario Maker 2)

  • Other (explain)

Results are only viewable after voting.
Nintendo will probably never return to a purely 2D style, if only because of the possibility of reusing models in multiple projects to speed up development.
 
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I think actual 2.5D like Metroid Dread and DKC Tropical Freeze. A 2D Mario that looks like Ori would be my dream too. And of course, Kotabe's style, looking exactly like an animated movie like Cuphead.
 
Even though I voted for it, it doesn't even need to be the Kotabe art style, I just want something new. I feel like the Kotabe art has been kinda like what the black and white Mickey is to Disney currently.
 
TheMindOfThomas said:
I feel like a high-res pixel art game could be really cool if they added some polygonal/early 3D elements in there as well. It could feel like an alternate universe where Nintendo made a 2D Mario game for the N64.
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If one's not intentionally going low resolution for pixel art, wouldn't it just be better accomplished by polygonal models these days? Like WarioWare Get It Together's characters. Being built like NSMB again is fine as long as it doesn't stick with what's become a tired tired look.
 
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I hope they will include weird visual gimmicks like the old school throwbacks in Odyssey which were great. I'd love cool 2D levels that mess with your perception and expectation. That for me would really be the way to go for 2D Mario :)
 
7threst said:
I hope they will include weird visual gimmicks like the old school throwbacks in Odyssey which were great. I'd love cool 2D levels that mess with your perception and expectation. That for me would really be the way to go for 2D Mario :)
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I agree. my thoughts are that having swapping styles as a mechanic throughout the game would be a cool thing to see. kinda like how you can pick the style you use in Mario maker, but it can have a tie-in to the story as to why the style and level design change, Like a multiverse or dimension travel thing, maybe have a weird Warioware section but you're platforming through levels designed after the minigames.
 
CSTLVRD said:
I agree. my thoughts are that having swapping styles as a mechanic throughout the game would be a cool thing to see. kinda like how you can pick the style you use in Mario maker, but it can have a tie-in to the story as to why the style and level design change, Like a multiverse or dimension travel thing, maybe have a weird Warioware section but you're platforming through levels designed after the minigames.
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Exactly! That would be so cool! They could do loads of weird things with that, like a black and white level designed after early 20th century cinema, abstract animation, weird high tech design, all tied together by story and coherent design principles. I definitely know Nintendo could pull something like that off.
 
7threst said:
Exactly! That would be so cool! They could do loads of weird things with that, like a black and white level designed after early 20th century cinema, abstract animation, weird high tech design, all tied together by story and coherent design principles. I definitely know Nintendo could pull something like that off.
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Not only would this give us something better than the generic lava, desert, greenery, cold place levels that we see all the time, but creating something like this could be a huge chance to see some really cool throwbacks and references. On top of that every theme would be a chance to try adding in deeper game mechanic changes than we would normally see, lending to alot of replayability and a good chance for game play to not feel so stale in the later hours.
 
CSTLVRD said:
Not only would this give us something better than the generic lava, desert, greenery, cold place levels that we see all the time, but creating something like this could be a huge chance to see some really cool throwbacks and references. On top of that every theme would be a chance to try adding in deeper game mechanic changes than we would normally see, lending to alot of replayability and a good chance for game play to not feel so stale in the later hours.
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Yep, like a sort of Super Mario Bros. Ultimate. Where there is room for throwbacks and references. And maybe even some cross-over with other Nintendo franchises (even though that should be very limited imo).
 
7threst said:
Yep, like a sort of Super Mario Bros. Ultimate. Where there is room for throwbacks and references. And maybe even some cross-over with other Nintendo franchises (even though that should be very limited imo).
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Agreed. Maybe have a happy medium somewhere between travelling through lesser known mario games, and Kingdom hearts but swapping Disney for Nintendo. You don't want to be too spread thin, but variety is the spice of life.
 
NSMB3_Boxart.png


This will do just fine.

I voted for the Kotabe artstyle but it'd partly also depend on what kind of game they're making. If it's another pure platformer, I'd prefer something in 2D. If it's more exploratory based I think a 2.5D game could add some cool stuff that you cannot achieve in a 2D game with twisting paths, multiple planes etc.
 
I voted for Kotabe but the most important question here... Nintendo please please please compose NEW music already!
 
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TheMindOfThomas said:
Honestly though, if we were to get a new NSMB game wouldn't it be called New Super Mario Bros. Switch? I feel like the "4-player" style woild follow the naming scheme of the home console entries (not that it would matter really lmao).
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Maybe! Afaik Nintendo themselves haven't used the system's name in any new games released for the Switch but I could be mistaken.
 
I really like 2D illustration, but I feel like Kotabe style is really good for stills and doesn’t read as well in animation.

Ideally, I’d like to see something maybe loosely based on Kotabe style but less bold, and more able to integrate into environments and lighting without feeling as out of place.

My ideal has a sense of depth similar to a mix of more recent Paper Marios (Color Splash and Origami King) and maybe a bit of Hollow Knight — obviously more vibrant, but with a lot of depth of place that I feel has been missing in NSMB. I felt this depth was implied more in older Marios (due to the limitations of pixel art) and did not translate forward.

though I do have another cursed desire:

Super Mario Metroidvania

possibly even taking tenets of 3D Marios (doing weird shit to get six stars in an area and open up doors, etc)

another cursed take:

Yoshi’s Island made locations feel really solid and distinct, and I think every modern Nintendo game could use a little more of that influence

final cursed take:

overreliance on 3D really has made shit less interesting, and Paper Mario is where I’ve seen some of the best art direction and scene design in Mario-related things for a while.

(I voted for 3D World 2D style like in Mario Maker but obviously as a fallback)
 
Suswave said:
I really like 2D illustration, but I feel like Kotabe style is really good for stills and doesn’t read as well in animation.
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This is how I feel as well. Whenever I try to actually imagine the Kotabe artstyle in a 2D Mario, the movement always feels off.
 
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Kotabe artstyle is an ideal, whether it works in an exact style or requires some tweaks. It's a classic style associated with the franchise, even if never used for any of the games themselves, and remains connected as such today.

If pulled off, the game's look would be, essentially, timeless. Even if such style were deemed unusable for whatever reason, the basic principle remains. A style in similar vein would be incredible, even if vastly different.

Honestly, something like this sounds like a workable translation, though I figure it should still remain bold:
Suswave said:
Ideally, I’d like to see something maybe loosely based on Kotabe style but less bold, and more able to integrate into environments and lighting without feeling as out of place.

My ideal has a sense of depth similar to a mix of more recent Paper Marios (Color Splash and Origami King) and maybe a bit of Hollow Knight — obviously more vibrant, but with a lot of depth of place that I feel has been missing in NSMB. I felt this depth was implied more in older Marios (due to the limitations of pixel art) and did not translate forward.
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Of course, the work for such an endeavor would be immense, and the outcome, perhaps, too bold. Mario, however, has good fortune in that it lends itself to any number of styles.


That claymation referenced earlier in the thread, for instance:
Clix said:
Other: claymation style like on the cover of Nintendo Power/Kirby Curse
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Clov said:
Clay!

0NP-First-Issue1.jpg


Mario should also be wearing blue by default, like this cover.
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Harpoon said:
Anything that isn't NSMB would be a drastic improvement, but Kotabe or claymation would be best.
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I'd be all for this -- or, really, most any well-done aesthetic that would add more Mario to Nintendo's Crafted Universe, as the franchise fits such endeavors in tone. This particular style could also allow for brief blink-and-you-miss-it body horror-esque power up transformations, which are probably much better suited for Kirby, who already has found his way into the realm of clay.

Styles like these would be at the top of my preferences, but they do strike me as unlikely. Some form of 2.5D computer modeled style seems most likely.

Skipper93653 said:
At this rate, we aren't going to get a brand new retail release from Nintendo which will be sprite based or hand-drawn, if their making a 2D game... it's basically guaranteed to be 2.5D.
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It really is a shame, though; however, this could theoretically be used for a stylized, artsy aesthetic. Really, I guess, that's what I'm looking for. I want something interesting, something with flair, where you can tell the people making it tried to be artful.

Of course, the most likely outcome is a game derived from the standard Mario aesthetic. It's about fitting into the brand.

My listing for this post: Kotabe (or similar), to crafty (such as the aforementioned claymation), to some other form of artful 2.5D. Cool pixel art it's in there somewhere, but seems the absolute least likely. I'd be good with anything like this, if done well.

BooDestroyer said:
First off, it's Shigehisa Nakaue, not Kotabe.
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While Nakaue is maintaining the general style at this time, the art was initially created by Yōichi Kotabe; if referring to the style as a whole, it would be more correct to attach it to him. That's not to say Nakaue should be ignored -- it makes sense to reference him as the current artist -- but it's definitely not wrong to refer to it as Kotabe's style.

Suswave said:
Super Mario Metroidvania
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An interesting proposition. The series already provides a number of power upside. Clearly it would be different from other such games in how it functions, and platforming would be a very major element.
Suswave said:
overreliance on 3D really has made shit less interesting, and Paper Mario is where I’ve seen some of the best art direction and scene design in Mario-related things for a while.
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I've seen a share of complaints regarding the direction of Paper Mario's art, but I have to say, it really does some neat things. I appreciate how it went in on that visually.
 
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Hentz said:
Nintendo is never going to make a Kotabe style 2D Mario because it would sell half of the copies a 2.5D Mario would sell. We all know it.
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I'm not sure that's true anymore, side scrolling games with traditional 2D art can sell very well if marketed correctly (like Spiritfarer and Hollow Knight) and the NSMB games have sold fewer and fewer copies with each entry, suggesting people might be tired of it.
 
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I will sign up for anything that isn't the generic New Super Mario Bros. look.

I love some of those games. The Wii U one in particular is right up there with SMB3 and SMW for me. However, the art style is too bland through most of the game.
 
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I misread it as what will it use and voted the enhanced 2.5D option. I'd love a handdrawn or retro sprite based style, part of the reason I liked Sonic Mania so much is that they enhanced the original sprites and added some really great looking new animations to the characters.
 
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Something gritty and realistic that respects the fact the Mario fanbase is grown up!
 
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