Would non-Mario RPGs work?

[Dorayaki]

I think there is a logic hole inside the branding around Mario--- altho Paper Mario or Mario & Luigi has been an ongoing series across various console gens, technically they're not the definite pronoun of "RPGs". We have other longrunning series or characters like Luigi's Mansion or Yoshi series, somehow I think they could also get their RPGs outside their original game genre.

I've mentioned in some other post that, Warioware is definitely the most awkward being for sharing same production team of Paper Mario (and also Fire Emblem, one of the dominant RPG franchise today) yet it never touchs the realm of RPG. I think its diverse cast and world really has huge potential to build its own unique RPG.

The other thing is, Mario-titles RPGs don't have enough freuqency of releases, but too many of them would also kill the stunt. I think making more RPGs surround other Mario characters and brands would be a nice way to fill up the gap and give Mario RPG fans more treat.

As for DKC, not sure if Nintendo keep Banaza project until NS2, assume that Nintendo core team don't make RPGs, I think it could had been planned and release just within NS1 era to fill up the gap of no new DKC titles, so it's kinda disturbing for Nintendo to entirely ignore its potential.

But to my curiosity, does Nintendo's marketing research think non-Mario RPGs wouldn't hit the market? Assume that all of them meet the general quality of Mario RPGs, do you think they have huge potential for sales? Or you think they cannot attract loyal Mario fans and general gamers without Mario?

 

[Carissa]

I would definitely be interested in playing RPGs focusing on Peach, Yoshi, Donkey Kong, Wario, etc. instead of Mario and Luigi. Whether or not they would do well commercially I'm not sure.

 

[Sparks]

But DK and Diddy Kong aren't brothers…


All joking aside, I'd be down for playing RPGs focused on other characters. If Paper Wario was a thing, it'd be funny to have to successfully complete a microgame to perform an action command.

 

[Xiahou Ba]

I still prefer the idea of Mario getting a new type of RPG that focuses on getting a core cast of established characters as your party members and a lesser focus on one-off OCs, so that means I'd prefer if Mario RPGs were prioritized over something like a Donkey Kong or a Peach RPG, and instead have those characters such as Wario, Waluigi, Daisy, etc. used like they're part of a roster traveling the world to thwart Bowser and his minions while also having their own goals and ways they can interact with each other. Mario RPGs as they stand currently have a very limited roster of characters, and so much of them are one-offs (also with very limited dialogue thanks to the nature of Mario being a silent protagonist) that don't even get all that much development anyway.

For example, when Mario Party had character specific moments for the core cast, I really enjoyed it: something like Mario Party 4's present room made you collect memorabilia for each character or each character having their own vision for their party board in the N64 Mario Parties, each character having their own motivation for joining you, and a Mario RPG could do the same thing, while reveal some more interesting tidbits, lore, and backstory about the cast that mainline and kart games can't exactly. Of course, a lot of this requires that Nintendo give the characters actual dialogue, and I'm honestly quite sick and tired of those mouthpiece companion characters like Starlow and Snoutlet who really only serve to siphon the character's mouths and thoughts away for generic quips and what I could describe as attempts at humor.

Luigi getting a playable main role in Mario & Luigi felt special when he was ignored in Paper Mario and Super Mario RPG prior, on top of Baby Mario and Baby Luigi and Bowser eventually becoming your party members really felt great, and I really love how they used Toadette in The Thousand Year Door as well as giving E. Gadd and Toadsworth things to do. I just wish that was expanded on more cast members, especially making them playable and giving them their own set of unique abilities that make them them (imagine Wario as a party member where he's slow, strong, and uses butt stomps and farting moves to help you, you obtain his own weapons). Mario + Rabbids did do this and it was a delight to see someone like Peach getting her own themed weapons. Hell Super Paper Mario's stronger points was the ability to play as Peach, Luigi, and Bowser if anything.

 

[Xiahou Dun]

But to my curiosity, does Nintendo's marketing research think non-Mario RPGs wouldn't hit the market? Assume that all of them meet the general quality of Mario RPGs, do you think they have huge potential for sales? Or you think they cannot attract loyal Mario fans and general gamers without Mario?

The established Mario RPG games already are only relatively modest successes, so in terms of selling products I don't think Mario RPGs starring other characters are going to do much better. Not that Nintendo doesn't or shouldn't experiment with the RPG format: they made Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition as the most oddball RPG there, but the goal here is probably going to be experimental mid/low budget side project like Princess Peach Showtime.

 

[winstein]

Perhaps if the new RPG stars a character that didn't already have their own series, then it's worth going for this idea. This means that because Peach, Donkey Kong, and Wario already have their own games or series, they didn't need an RPG. Wario especially, given how his home series is already comparatively niche to the others. So like if Waluigi gets an RPG with him as the main character? This would help the game stand out because there's no Waluigi game before, and helps to establish his character further.

I would like to echo that a Mario RPG with the main Mario stars is far more preferable to any Mario RPG that uses mainly new party members only to keep them there. It's fine that they exist, but if they intend to give major roles to only the big four (Mario, Luigi, Peach, Bowser) yet again? It certainly would still do well, but giving other major Mario characters a substantial role builds them up further. A few of them are already accused of having no personality just because they are only in spinoffs (which is a flimsy argument anyway, since spinoffs showcase their personality better than a Super Mario platformer), so it logical that it benefits the recurring cast a lot more than a one-off character.

Mario + Rabbids did do this and it was a delight to see someone like Peach getting her own themed weapons.

It's worth noting that this series also makes Yoshi a prominent member. Yes, Yoshi! No other Mario RPG makes Yoshi a major playable presence even though he's one of the major Mario characters, not even Super Mario RPG (which is only confined to one island, effectively restricting him to a minigame).

Thank you for reading.

 

[Salmancer]

I feel like if there is a Wario-brand RPG it would avoid being WarioWare branded. Wouldn't stop the WarioWare cast from being in it, but I think "WarioWare the RPG" sets expectations that a conventional RPG definitionally cannot meet. The games have great characters, and the specific brand of humor can be incorporated but the appeal of the gameplay is in its madcap pacing and the rush of always being on the cusp of defeat because of the speed increases. RPGs are the exact opposite, because of transitions into and out of the battling state, lengthy battles, and inventory management keeping the player well out of range of a Game Over. The obvious answer is something like Mario & Luigi but even more crazy, but Mario & Luigi is still too stop and go-y. Swapping action commands for microgames isn't going to work. Not counting out an extremely unconventional WarioWare RPG, but at that point it becomes harder to gauge if it hypothetically would or wouldn't work.

Aside from this, I fear the fun of Wario as a character might actually wear out if he has to speak all across the course of a several day long RPG. He's a riot to have in videos and manuals, but those are small doses compared to outright being the viewpoint character of a game which has diologue trees. And the alternative answer of "add a different character who does all the speaking" will annoy all the people who like Wario's tone.

 

[Fawfulthegreat64]

As long as they don't create yet another arbitrary bubble from which nothing created for it can escape from, fine.

I'd also like to see the opposite though: non-RPG Mario games that specifically use the RPGs' take on the world and characters. We've seen hints of it, early Mario Party games existed in a world that felt closer to the RPG takes than usual. But as for a new RPG subseries starring someone other than Mario, what if we gave that to a character who doesn't yet have their own starring role, like Waluigi. The plot could be something like this: Waluigi wakes up one day to find that everybody is gone. Turns out a villain has captured them all and infected them with parasites to take over the world. But they left Waluigi because he was that unremarkable to them and they didn't see him as useful or a threat. So he sets out to prove them wrong in his own weird Waluigi way. The miniboss lineup could consist of forgotten or underestimated Marioverse characters to match with the theme of this being the underdog's story, while the main cast serve as major chapter bosses who are freed as you defeat them. Of course this plot doesn't NEED to be an RPG to work, but it being an RPG would develop it more.

 

[Dorayaki]

I still prefer the idea of Mario getting a new type of RPG that focuses on getting a core cast of established characters as your party members and a lesser focus on one-off OCs,

Yeah, I totally get this idea and I think fans would not think about focusing on other individuals if this is what we get in the official lineup.

But the question also regards to DKC and Warioware, the seperate brands that have their respective focus so I think they can easily start their own unique RPGs.

 

[Lily]

I would play a donkey kong rpg