The “Toad-only” Paper Mario game- is it actually doable?
Aug 1, 2016 1:59:16 GMT -5
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Post by TyrorexDMZ on Aug 1, 2016 1:59:16 GMT -5
As many people know, I really like the original Paper Mario games- a lot of people do.
As many people also know, when the new development team was given the order to only use main series characters, they... did not poke the roof of this restriction at all. In fact, they performed worse than expected. For some odd reason, the staff was under the bizarre impression that Toads were the only allies Mario had from the main series.
Only male adult Toads. In 6 colors (with the only "guideline" being red-cap, blue jacket Toad being generic citizens, according to the USGamer interview). When there were Piantas, Nokis, Yoshis and other goodies around.
Many have called out the producers on their laziness (especially as it grew more aggressive in light of Color Splash). Even I find it utterly ridiculous how these people were trusted with Paper Mario.
...That said, one thing recently came to mind- is a Toad-only Paper Mario series possible? Or rather, is a competent Toad-only Paper Mario series possible?
To answer part of the question...no. There is no way this-
-can be engaging for a single game, let alone a series. Even with certain writing ideologies removed (the bizarre way Toads remind Mario who they are, as well as the paper jokes that make the world fake), a "male adult-only" game has far too much stacked against it that restricts use of Toad beyond belief.
So then the next possibility- would a Toad-only game be possible, PROVIDED the restriction was "massaged" to allow females and kids? That would quadruple the cast alone.
So, I did a little "visual test". I sorted out a possible Toad population according to the eight world structure of NSMB. (Yeah, I know…) Here was my result.
It looks... half decent. However, this still isn’t engaging enough. Without any outfits of any kind, it can still prove too hard to tell them apart.
So then, I decided on one more test for more Toad models. On top of the different ages and genders, I decided to see what it would be like if specific individuals from the series were included. In addition, I decided to apply the colorations and the suits of NSMB and Super Mario 3D World on the Toads. After all, those designs are canon to the platformers, and therefore are unable to be refused under a main series guideline.
The result can be seen in this image. I wish I could have drawn new models for some of the special Toads. Nevertheless, the image’s point should still get across.
That was the best result I believe anyone could get from a main series only, Toad-only game. My hypothesis? This could work... for one game, and only one game. The Paper Mario series as a whole, however, simply cannot be done with just Toads en masse. (Especially as evident with World 5’s row. Talk about desperate!) Other species are needed equally in bulk for any Paper Mario- free or restricted- character ensemble to work.
Do you agree with my hypothesis and images? Anything to add? Is there anything you’ve wanted to say about the Toad situation in the Tanabe era of Paper Mario?
As many people also know, when the new development team was given the order to only use main series characters, they... did not poke the roof of this restriction at all. In fact, they performed worse than expected. For some odd reason, the staff was under the bizarre impression that Toads were the only allies Mario had from the main series.
Only male adult Toads. In 6 colors (with the only "guideline" being red-cap, blue jacket Toad being generic citizens, according to the USGamer interview). When there were Piantas, Nokis, Yoshis and other goodies around.
Many have called out the producers on their laziness (especially as it grew more aggressive in light of Color Splash). Even I find it utterly ridiculous how these people were trusted with Paper Mario.
...That said, one thing recently came to mind- is a Toad-only Paper Mario series possible? Or rather, is a competent Toad-only Paper Mario series possible?
To answer part of the question...no. There is no way this-
-can be engaging for a single game, let alone a series. Even with certain writing ideologies removed (the bizarre way Toads remind Mario who they are, as well as the paper jokes that make the world fake), a "male adult-only" game has far too much stacked against it that restricts use of Toad beyond belief.
So then the next possibility- would a Toad-only game be possible, PROVIDED the restriction was "massaged" to allow females and kids? That would quadruple the cast alone.
So, I did a little "visual test". I sorted out a possible Toad population according to the eight world structure of NSMB. (Yeah, I know…) Here was my result.
It looks... half decent. However, this still isn’t engaging enough. Without any outfits of any kind, it can still prove too hard to tell them apart.
So then, I decided on one more test for more Toad models. On top of the different ages and genders, I decided to see what it would be like if specific individuals from the series were included. In addition, I decided to apply the colorations and the suits of NSMB and Super Mario 3D World on the Toads. After all, those designs are canon to the platformers, and therefore are unable to be refused under a main series guideline.
The result can be seen in this image. I wish I could have drawn new models for some of the special Toads. Nevertheless, the image’s point should still get across.
That was the best result I believe anyone could get from a main series only, Toad-only game. My hypothesis? This could work... for one game, and only one game. The Paper Mario series as a whole, however, simply cannot be done with just Toads en masse. (Especially as evident with World 5’s row. Talk about desperate!) Other species are needed equally in bulk for any Paper Mario- free or restricted- character ensemble to work.
Do you agree with my hypothesis and images? Anything to add? Is there anything you’ve wanted to say about the Toad situation in the Tanabe era of Paper Mario?
