Peach was about to be a playable character in New Super Mario Bros, but Nintendo encountered a problem

In the vast universe of Mario, the famous plumber has been the undisputed protagonist of most platform video games. However, a little-known aspect of his story is Nintendo’s decision not to include Princess Peach as a playable character in certain titles, such as the acclaimed New Super Mario Bros. Wii. This game, released for the Wii console, allowed up to four players to control Mario, Luigi, and two Toads, but left Peach out of active gameplay.

Peach was not designed for the capabilities of that console

Shigeru Miyamoto, the renowned creator of Mario, revealed in an interview over 16 years ago that he had considered including Peach as a playable character. Nintendo saw this decision as an opportunity for the princess to showcase her bravery, aligning with the evolution of female characters in video games. However, this idea was ultimately discarded due to complications in animation design. Peach’s dress, which is an iconic aspect of her character, significantly complicated the creation of smooth and effective animations.

Thus, instead of choosing Peach as one of the four playable characters, Nintendo opted for the Toads, whose appearance similar to Mario made the animation work easier. The real reason behind Peach’s exclusion is due to the technical challenges posed by her dress, which led the company to choose a simpler option. However, this limitation has been overcome in later titles such as Super Mario 3D World and Super Mario Bros. Wonder, where the princess was finally able to play an active role.

The story of Peach in video games is a clear reflection of the evolution of character design in the industry, where technology and the perception of gender roles have changed significantly over the years.

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