Nintendo 3DS

Did you decide on the title pretty easily this time?

Because of the focus on coins, we considered including "Gold" in the title.

New Super Mario Bros. Gold?

Yeah. But it has more stages than the Wii and Nintendo DS games, and a lot of new elements, so it holds plenty of fun as orthodox Super Mario.

In other words, you can enjoy it to the utmost the way you could with other Super Mario games so far.

Right. There are quite a few hidden stages, with special content, so it has the volume of classic Super Mario.

There's plenty there even without Coin Rush mode.

Right, right! Plenty!

So we affixed a "2" to it.

But when we first started making it, we were unsure about whether we could really make a classic Super Mario game. Super Mario 3D Land came out first, which put immense pressure on us.

Super Mario 3D Land also has a lot of classic Super Mario elements in it.

We were like, "We can't be shown up!"

And afterward, the Wii U game will come out, so we're caught in between!

(laughs)

I really thought, "What should we do?!" (laughs)

We wanted to make a solid, classic Super Mario game, so first we reconstructed the Super Mario stage elements, and then made 80 stages—no, more than that—and added in a bunch of the coin elements mentioned by Tezuka-san, and reconstructed the stages yet again…and I think it turned out to be a game that is fun to play.

It feels rewarding because multiple ideas came together, bringing the game to a place that each idea on its own never could have reached.

Yes. This time, I think we reached a higher point than ever before.

You have your own take on it, but did it all go according to plan from your perspective, Tezuka-san?

Perfectly!

(laughs)

Okay, I'd like to finish by asking each of you to recommend something to the fans.

Raccoon Mario shows up this time. We had to show him in 3D, so we had to apply ourselves to all kinds of things like form and animation. I hope people will pay attention to that.

When Mario changes into Raccoon Mario, he can fly.

Yeah. That can help you clear difficult spots, so beginners can rest easy as they play.

I think it's great that we made collecting coins the theme this time, because in Super Mario so far, you focused on clearing the stages, meaning that if you failed on World 1-3, then nothing you did there was left over.

What remained wasn't data but the invisible value of experience accrued in your fingertips.

This time, however, even if you miss, your coins remain.

Even if you miss, your steady effort piles up in the visible form of coins.

Yes. And this time, in addition to the downloadable courses, a downloadable version¹⁷ of the full game, that's the same, full game like the package version, is also available for purchase. If you buy that, you can save the full game on an SD Card and always have it in your Nintendo 3DS. 17. In North America beginning August 19, 2012, New Super Mario Bros. 2 will become available for purchase in its retail package, and a full version of the game will be available as a digital download. You can purchase the digital download version of the full game by purchasing a download card at your participating local retailer or a download code from a participating online retailer and download the game on the Nintendo eShop, accessible on your Nintendo 3DS. The game can also be directly purchased on the Nintendo eShop. Click here for more details regarding how to purchase the downloadable version of the game.

You won't have to switch Game Cards.

And since it's for a handheld, I hope people will always carry around their 3DS and play Super Mario whenever they want, as much as they want, for a long time.

And last, Tezuka-san.

All right. Super Mario is a game that all kinds of people play—everyone can enjoy them, from people who don't play video games very much to advanced players—and that is the eternal theme of the series. In that respect, I do have a conviction that this time it went very well. For example, even if you aren't that great at video games, if you use White Raccoon Mario, which also appeared in Super Mario 3D Land, you can manage to clear it by yourself.

If you miss five times, you can use White Raccoon Mario.

Right. It makes you invincible, so even beginners will be able to plough ahead. Along the lines of collecting coins, we really deepened the immersive aspect of the game, so it's also a game that skilled players can play for a long time. That makes me think we've come one step closer to the eternal theme. I hope lots of people will play it.

Now that we've made this game on the heels of Super Mario 3D Land, I feel like the Nintendo 3DS allows a richer Super Mario experience than any handheld ever before.

When Super Mario appeared before for handheld systems, even if they were amazingly polished, it seemed like home consoles were always leading in new innovations, so I believe that many gamers had the impression that home console Super Mario games were the most important.

But in the age of the Nintendo 3DS, and especially with regard to Coin Rush mode, now that you can actually carry the game around with you, I too feel a conviction that many players will realize what it's like to carry Super Mario around in a portable device.

That's right. I hope people will carry it around.

I hope that people will play Coin Rush mode wherever they like in their free time, and, just when they think they've played it out, download some new stages to continue enjoying it even more.

Yes. I hope people will enjoy it for a long time. But I think we raised the bar with this one. I wonder how we'll manage next time!

We'll have to make the Wii U game even better!

Right.

That's your job, too.

Yeah. Just leave it to me.

Amano-san, you guys have to make the additional stages so you still have a lot to do, but as a mean to put a close to this phase of development - good work so far!

Thanks!