Game Idea: Open world Mario?

[terror55]

Seeing as how every game and it's dick is going open world recently, I had an idea about an open world style Mario game.

The mushroom Kingdom would be fully open to exploration, from Peaches castle to Bowsers Realm. Mario can get around the kingdom using his basic moves, but find or unlock new powers and suits, so Mario can fly around using the Tanooki suit, explore underwater areas using the frog suit, break down walls to hidden areas using the boulder suit etc. These could be upgraded to increase their power and usefulness. Karts and yoshis would also be involved each with their own powerups and upgrades. There can be a large story (involving Bowser or something, I haven't though much about story but it's Mario, what do you want?) but multiple side missions would be available. These would involve minor quests for Toads and other minor characters but would also involve stopping villains such as Wart, Dementio, Fawful ect from their own schemes, similar to Batman: Arkham City. Mario could earn experience or new items and unlockables from minigames like Kart racing, football, tennis ect based on other Mario titles.
Other Mario characters can become available such as getting Luigi to complete a haunted mansion esque mission, Wario for a treasure hunt ect. Coins would be scattered around the world and would be used to buy items and upgrades.

What do you think? Does this sound plausible or the ravings of a lunatic?

 

[Maximum Bert]

The good Mario games have always relied on tight level design and great controls I am not sure an open world game would allow the level design to flourish especially as in levels they tend to twist things every once in a while especially in galaxy every place was somewhere different with new rules.

Also I am not a fan of open world games in general I like the Elder Scroll series but most others like GTA fall flat imo as most of the time you are just wandering about a vast expanse of nothingness to get to the actual level or fun part.

I cant see an open world Mario working anyway I think it would dilute the fundamentals of a Mario game (platformer mario game) but if anyone could make it work Nintendo could and Mario is the master of re-invention its just I cant see it happening or being something most people would even want.

 

[Hero of Lime]

In a way, Mario 64 was pretty open world when you think about it. Sure it still demanded that you get a certain amount of stars to continue to other levels, yet you have the freedom to get any star regardless of whether or not it is the one you choose to pursue. It had restrictions, but much more freedom than any Mario game since.

I could see an open world Mario game working, but I would prefer that the developers focusing on making each level as fun and little as possible to cram all the cool stuff into a small world, or obstacle course. I think the Paper Mario games, specifically the first two are very similar to your ideas, although those are turn based RPGs, not the platformer you want. I do like some of your ideas though, you never know what Nintendo could do with Mario, I hope they take him out of the rut he's in at the moment soon.

 

[Angelous Wang]

Zelda is Nintendo's traditional open world game, I don't see them changing this, ever.

 

[Racecarlock]

Sans the suits, you pretty much just described super mario 64. And now that I think on it, galaxy had a lot of suits.

I mean, avoid the final level and you can pretty much do whatever.

 

[V8 Ninja]

The thing that has separated Mario games from most other platformers is the tightness in level design. Open-world games don't have good or even any level design because of the nature of their open worlds. In an objective sense, Mario games and open-world games are at odds with each other.

 

[hexFrank202]

The biggest dilemma on the Mario Series' desk right this moment is--as people like Yahtzee have been keen to point out--where do we GO from here?

If this were Megaman or a fighting series, the answer would be simple: make little expansions on the same concept over and over again.

If this were Sonic, the answer would be: listen to what most fans are complaining/asking about, then add some random thing and see how it works.

If this were Final Fantasy, the answer would be: just keep doing whatever it is you think you're doing.

But this is Mario, the series whose reputation is steeped in being a pioneer in gameplay innovation; a leader that everyone in its wake are sure to follow. It's also a platforming game.

So once you pretty much perfected the platform genre in both two dimensions (1990) AND three dimensions (2007), and then you realize there aren't any more dimensions to go to, you find yourself in a SERIOUS bind.

And I've thought for a while that Bathesda-esque open world could probably be the best direction to go. Because what is one big, hugely popular genre of games that still has a long, long way to anywhere near perfection? Bathesda-esque open world games, that's what!

In Skyrim, I really never cared to fight anything, and I never gave a crap about a single solitary character (except Cicero), I just wanted to enjoy the landscape and run and jump around. If someone could just make one, big, fat Mario 64 level, it could be an instant classic. If Nintendo were to bring their distinct Nintendo quality to the very loose and unfocused open world/sandbox genre, history would be made.

Hoooooowwever, that's pretty much the problem: Nintendo probably won't be making a sandbox game any time soon, because they don't seem to want to make something that rough and all over the place. They're probably not presently equipped to make a game like that either.

 

[NoPants2win]

Sounds good. Mario 64 was excellent and I would definitely play a newer version. What to call it though? Mario 128? MarioONE?

They could even use the little tablet as a map, and everyone would love it.

Get to work Nintendo.

P.S. I just checked on metacritic to make sure I'm not the only one who liked Mario 64 and it rated a 94.

 

[Some_weirdGuy]

when you said open world i mistakenly thought MMO.... and it acctually sounded kinda cool, picking a race and running around on an adventure, not as the big M, or any of his usual A or even B-list pals. Instead bring out the C-listers.(from both the good and bad side, i wanna play a bob-omb ).

I dunno, bowser kidnapps things, maybe he pulled his finger out and decided to start by kidnapping *mario* and all his main-character friends, so it's time for the C-listers to get some spotlight and rescue the rescuers(or, if you're a bad guy, assuming they made it two factions, stop these new would-be marios )

 

[Casual Shinji]

Open worlds are at their best with action adventures, not platformers.

The Mario universe and its inhabitants just aren't terribly interesting. Certainly not enough to warrent an exploration mechanic.

 

[Ishal]

Nope, platformers aren't interesting enough to jive with an open world. What would you do? Jump... jump... jump some more.

There needs to be quests/tasks/objectives whatever you want to call them, and there isn't that much to do in the Mario universe to lend itself to an open world environment. I would love to visit some locations though, possibly from a first person perspective even though that is heresy in regards to Mario. Peach and Bowser's Castles, Yoshi Island, Rainbow Road, all the places in the paintings in 64 and the tons of other places. It would be cool, the problem is finding stuff to do.

 

[Lunar Templar]

As others have said, no, not unless they go the Mario 64 path with it. Mario games NEEDS platforming to be a Mario game and an open world doesn't lend it self to that in a way that'd be good for a Mario game.

 

[TelHybrid]

I vote nay. I don't like open world in my platformers. The Station Square/Mystic Ruins bits in Sonic Adventure were so tedious for me.