Mario (universe): Difference between revisions
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*'''Party''': Yet another genre the ''Mario'' brand set the standard for for years to come, the first installment in the long-running ''{{iw|mariowiki|Mario Party|series}}'' series was created on the Nintendo 64 in 1999 by developer {{s|mariowiki|Hudson Soft}}, who worked on the series from the [[mariowiki:Mario Party|first]] up until the [[mariowiki:Mario Party 8|eighth]] home console entry. But following Hudson's acquisition and dissolving by [[Konami]] in the early 2010s, the development duties were passed on to the first-party team {{s|mariowiki|Nd Cube}}. In the ''Mario Party'' series, players roll the [[mariowiki:Dice Block|dice block]] to move characters across a board like in a board game, then compete in one of many dozens of available {{s|mariowiki|minigames}} to amass a high currency total and purchase a means of winning, typically {{iw|mariowiki|Star|Mario Party series}}s. The most recent entry is ''{{s|mariowiki|Mario Party Superstars}}'' for the Nintendo Switch, effectively a return to form for the franchise that features game boards and minigames from previous home console entries. | *'''Party''': Yet another genre the ''Mario'' brand set the standard for for years to come, the first installment in the long-running ''{{iw|mariowiki|Mario Party|series}}'' series was created on the Nintendo 64 in 1999 by developer {{s|mariowiki|Hudson Soft}}, who worked on the series from the [[mariowiki:Mario Party|first]] up until the [[mariowiki:Mario Party 8|eighth]] home console entry. But following Hudson's acquisition and dissolving by [[Konami]] in the early 2010s, the development duties were passed on to the first-party team {{s|mariowiki|Nd Cube}}. In the ''Mario Party'' series, players roll the [[mariowiki:Dice Block|dice block]] to move characters across a board like in a board game, then compete in one of many dozens of available {{s|mariowiki|minigames}} to amass a high currency total and purchase a means of winning, typically {{iw|mariowiki|Star|Mario Party series}}s. The most recent entry is ''{{s|mariowiki|Mario Party Superstars}}'' for the Nintendo Switch, effectively a return to form for the franchise that features game boards and minigames from previous home console entries. | ||
*'''RPG''': ''{{s|mariowiki|Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars}}'' was a result of a long-running partnership between Nintendo and [[Square Enix|Squaresoft]], developers of the {{uv|Final Fantasy}} series, grafting the ''Mario'' aesthetic and reflex-based gameplay onto a JRPG format. This was the starting point for what would become a fair number of ''Mario''-centered JRPGs that differentiate themselves from other titles in the genre by incorporating elements of timing and reflex to some of the standard battle options, known as {{s|mariowiki|action command}}s. These are some of the only ''Mario'' games that feature a heaver slant towards storytelling; additionally, almost every game introduces a diverse cast of original characters to rival that of the main ''Mario'' universe. ''Mario'' has since established two entirely separate RPG-based subseries: Intelligent Systems's ''{{iw|mariowiki|Paper Mario|series}}'' and AlphaDream's ''{{iw|mariowiki|Mario & Luigi|series}}''. In ''Paper Mario'', all characters are presented as flat paper-thin illustrations occupying three-dimensional areas. However after its Nintendo 64 debut in 2000, the series began to swerve away from its RPG roots and into the action-adventure genre with the fourth installment, ''{{s|mariowiki|Paper Mario: Sticker Star}}'', which was met with highly polarizing reception for their focus on gameplay and gimmicks rather than story, original characters, exploration, and traditional RPG elements. In ''Mario & Luigi'', the gameplay is centered on cooperative combat and world exploration starring the eponymous brother duo. Unlike its sister franchise, this series is primarily featured on Nintendo's handheld systems and the formula has remained relatively consistent since its Game Boy Advance debut in 2003. Both series crossed over for the first time in 2015 with the release of ''{{s|mariowiki|Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam}}''. While Mario himself is present and playable in all RPG titles, he is frequently teamed up with other party members as battle partners and/or alternate playable characters, including Luigi, Peach, Bowser, and number of original characters, such as [[Geno]], Mallow, Starlow, and Huey among many others. The most recent ''Mario'' RPG entry is ''{{s|mariowiki|Paper Mario: The Origami King}}'' for the Nintendo Switch, released in July 2020. In October 2019, it was made public that ''Mario & Luigi'' developer AlphaDream had filed for bankruptcy, leaving the future of the ''Mario & Luigi'' series in limbo. | *'''RPG''': ''{{s|mariowiki|Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars}}'' was a result of a long-running partnership between Nintendo and [[Square Enix|Squaresoft]], developers of the {{uv|Final Fantasy}} series, grafting the ''Mario'' aesthetic and reflex-based gameplay onto a JRPG format. This was the starting point for what would become a fair number of ''Mario''-centered JRPGs that differentiate themselves from other titles in the genre by incorporating elements of timing and reflex to some of the standard battle options, known as {{s|mariowiki|action command}}s. These are some of the only ''Mario'' games that feature a heaver slant towards storytelling; additionally, almost every game introduces a diverse cast of original characters to rival that of the main ''Mario'' universe. ''Mario'' has since established two entirely separate RPG-based subseries: Intelligent Systems's ''{{iw|mariowiki|Paper Mario|series}}'' and AlphaDream's ''{{iw|mariowiki|Mario & Luigi|series}}''. In ''Paper Mario'', all characters are presented as flat paper-thin illustrations occupying three-dimensional areas. However after its Nintendo 64 debut in 2000, the series began to swerve away from its RPG roots and into the action-adventure genre with the fourth installment, ''{{s|mariowiki|Paper Mario: Sticker Star}}'', which was met with highly polarizing reception for their focus on gameplay and gimmicks rather than story, original characters, exploration, and traditional RPG elements. In ''Mario & Luigi'', the gameplay is centered on cooperative combat and world exploration starring the eponymous brother duo. Unlike its sister franchise, this series is primarily featured on Nintendo's handheld systems and the formula has remained relatively consistent since its Game Boy Advance debut in 2003. Both series crossed over for the first time in 2015 with the release of ''{{s|mariowiki|Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam}}''. While Mario himself is present and playable in all RPG titles, he is frequently teamed up with other party members as battle partners and/or alternate playable characters, including Luigi, Peach, Bowser, and a number of original characters, such as [[Geno]], Mallow, Starlow, and Huey among many others. The most recent ''Mario'' RPG entry is ''{{s|mariowiki|Paper Mario: The Origami King}}'' for the Nintendo Switch, released in July 2020. In October 2019, it was made public that ''Mario & Luigi'' developer AlphaDream had filed for bankruptcy, leaving the future of the ''Mario & Luigi'' series in limbo. | ||
*'''Puzzle''': ''{{s|mariowiki|Dr. Mario}}'' was a ''Tetris''-style puzzle game for NES that starred [[Dr. Mario|Mario in a doctor's costume]] throwing pills to combat differently colored viruses. There have been some occasional puzzle games following this, but an official puzzle-based subseries entitled ''{{iw|mariowiki|Mario vs. Donkey Kong|series}}'' began on Game Boy Advance, which pays homage to Mario's original rivalry with Donkey Kong. The most recent puzzle release is ''{{s|mariowiki|Dr. Mario World}}'' for mobile devices. | *'''Puzzle''': ''{{s|mariowiki|Dr. Mario}}'' was a ''Tetris''-style puzzle game for NES that starred [[Dr. Mario|Mario in a doctor's costume]] throwing pills to combat differently colored viruses. There have been some occasional puzzle games following this, but an official puzzle-based subseries entitled ''{{iw|mariowiki|Mario vs. Donkey Kong|series}}'' began on Game Boy Advance, which pays homage to Mario's original rivalry with Donkey Kong. The most recent puzzle release is ''{{s|mariowiki|Dr. Mario World}}'' for mobile devices. | ||