Super Mario Bros. is a foundational game in many ways. Besides creating the basic principles of what a good platformer should be, it has given us iconic characters, incredibly recognizable tunes, and so many games that we can’t even remember them all anymore. None of that means Miyamoto has been able to do everything he wanted in Super Mario. Not until now. Because for years, one of Mario’s enemies hadn’t done what they were supposed to do: bite Mario.
This might sound strange. But let’s put it into context. All of Mario’s enemies have always had a way of hurting us that was consistent with their design. Turtles used their shells. Spiked enemies used their spikes. Hammer Bros threw their tools at us, piranha plants tried to eat us, and Chain Chomps just wanted to know how we tasted. But what about the Goombas? Why did colliding with these basic, brown, oddly shaped enemies hurt us? Well, Super Mario Bros. Wonder has answered this question. They give us a bite.
This is something Masanobu Sato once learned from Miyamoto himself, who said that Mario takes damage after colliding with a Goomba because he is indeed harmed by it. Why haven’t we seen this until now? Initially due to technical limitations, but later out of habit. The original way of representing it was that upon collision, Mario would turn around, seemingly satisfied, implying that after the bite, the Goomba felt satiated.
All of this seemed very interesting to Sato, but not enough for Super Mario Bros. Wonder. That’s why he decided to add a new animation where, when a Goomba collides with our beloved plumber, Mario bites it and then immediately grins from ear to ear. Saito explains this in depth in a hilarious and incredibly interesting interview that will leave you even more eager to get your hands on this potential game of the year.
