Super Mario Bros. Wonder Developers Reveal Scrapped Live Commentary Feature

Super Mario Bros. Wonder almost had multiple live commentary options!

By Marc Deschamps

Super Mario Bros. Wonder takes place in a new location known as the Flower Kingdom. Throughout the Flower Kingdom, players will encounter Talking Flowers, which are new characters that provide a lot more dialogue than any previous Mario game. The characters often commentate on what's happening in each course, often reacting to the player's actions. In a new interview posted to Nintendo's official website, the developers on Super Mario Bros. Wonder revealed that the Talking Flowers evolved from a concept pitched by producer Takashi Tezuka, who requested that the game feature live commentary for the player's actions! 

According to game designer Koichi Hayashida, the team "spent about six months seriously developing live commentary" but "something about it just didn't feel right." Director Shiro Mouri noted that there would have been two different voice options; the first would have been "very generic, like a newscaster," but the second option was a "Tsundere commentary," starting out harsh and hard on the player before growing more affectionate over time. Apparently, the latter version proved much more popular with the developers, but Tezuka notes that "just the process of creating voice variations alone would've involved a tremendous amount of work. So, unfortunately, we had to let it go." 

Mouri goes on to note that it was around this time that the game's setting began to take shape, and the live commentary concept would end up evolving into the Talking Flowers! Mouri views the Talking Flowers as "a version of live commentary that fits the world of Mario." 

Super Mario Bros. Wonder's Flower Kingdom

The Flower Kingdom is a brand-new location in the Mario universe. The area is filled with unique new characters, including the Talking Flowers and Poplins. The Flower Kingdom is ruled over by Prince Florian, a new character that joins Mario and his friends on their journey in the game. It will be interesting to see how players react to these new characters when the game releases, and whether they return in any future games. There have been very few one-off characters introduced in the Mario series, with the vast majority returning via spin-offs, merchandise, and even the movie. If the inhabitants of the Flower Kingdom prove popular enough, it's a safe bet we'll see them again! 

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Super Mario Bros. Wonder Release Date

Super Mario Bros. Wonder is set to release October 20th, exclusively on Nintendo Switch. So far, the game has received universal praise from critics, with many calling it the best 2D Mario game in decades. ComicBook.com's official review for the game was published today, awarding the game a score of 5 out of 5 stars. Readers interested in checking out that review for themselves can do so right here. 

Are you planning to check out Super Mario Bros. Wonder this week? Are you surprised the game nearly had commentary features? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!

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