01-14-2018, 11:35 AM
I don't think Mario was ever much more mature, but with the graphical advancements in-game graphics are now able to look much cuter than before, which might make it seem that way. Mario has always been very wacky and lighthearted, with the RPGs getting slightly darker but still remaining cheery.
I still stand by my point regarding Birdo, though. She was not necessarily a terrifying enemy, but she's certainly one of the weirdest Mario creatures and I think Nintendo's attempts to make her into a cute character despite her overall design saying otherwise has made her less interesting.
I don't think it's as much a problem with Nintendo actually changing her design than it is them changing her role. If you look at her original artwork from SMB2, she looks fairly similar to how she does now.
As for Wart being too scary for kids, I disagree. Mario games have pretty consistently introduced weird characters, I'd say up until Mario Sunshine (not counting the RPGs) with the introduction of Petey Piranha, Gooper Blooper, and Bowser Jr. A giant plant that vomits goo and is defeated by being inflated and having its belly button pounded is significantly scarier than a giant burping frog, I'd say. For a while Mario played safely, which spawned the numerous NSMB sequels, but recently the games have been feeling more like new Mario games rather than rehashes. Mario Odyssey introduced some of the wackiest Mario characters we've seen. I'm sure, after fighting the bosses in Odyssey, no kids would have any problem facing off against Wart.
I still stand by my point regarding Birdo, though. She was not necessarily a terrifying enemy, but she's certainly one of the weirdest Mario creatures and I think Nintendo's attempts to make her into a cute character despite her overall design saying otherwise has made her less interesting.
I don't think it's as much a problem with Nintendo actually changing her design than it is them changing her role. If you look at her original artwork from SMB2, she looks fairly similar to how she does now.
As for Wart being too scary for kids, I disagree. Mario games have pretty consistently introduced weird characters, I'd say up until Mario Sunshine (not counting the RPGs) with the introduction of Petey Piranha, Gooper Blooper, and Bowser Jr. A giant plant that vomits goo and is defeated by being inflated and having its belly button pounded is significantly scarier than a giant burping frog, I'd say. For a while Mario played safely, which spawned the numerous NSMB sequels, but recently the games have been feeling more like new Mario games rather than rehashes. Mario Odyssey introduced some of the wackiest Mario characters we've seen. I'm sure, after fighting the bosses in Odyssey, no kids would have any problem facing off against Wart.