As a huge Nintendo fan, the months preceding the release of a Smash title are always exciting. With new characters, stages, and music showcased on a regular basis, that period of time is a veritable smorgasbord of nostalgia, and the tradition continued as we eagerly awaited the release of Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS.
Between updates heralding the return of veteran fighters like Mario, Link, and Samus Aran, the developers made sure to throw fans bones here and there with announcements for brand new characters. From relatively mundane reveals like Wii Fit Trainer and Charizard to surprising additions like Animal Crossing’s Villager and Duck Hunt’s infamous dog partner, the fourth installment of Nintendo’s crossover franchise had something for just about everyone to enjoy.
One character in particular, however, nearly had to look for space on the cutting room floor alongside Popo and Nana.
While the aforementioned ice climbing veterans were left out of the games due to handheld limitations, Bowser Jr. was almost passed over because of normal developmental woes. Director Masahiro Sakurai divulged this information when asked about the process of creating each game’s cast during an interview with Japanese magazine Nintendo Dream, stating that the son of Mario’s most iconic rival stayed put due to a late push by his staff.
“On our side, we are re-creating characters from the previous title, and keep on adding more, so the word ‘reduce’ is not appropriate. There are cases where we simply couldn’t make it in the end, but on the whole we did a good job I think and the people at Bandai Namco Games did a great job,” Sakurai explained. “We had discussions on giving up on something many, many times; Bowser Jr. was on the brink of being cut but the staff said, ‘We’ll do our best!’ and we made it.”
Not only was Bowser Jr.’s butt saved by this turn of events, but so were the ever-popular Koopalings due to their status as mere alternate costumes instead of separate characters.
Sakurai also spent time discussing his own work on the series, most notably his process between installments. While he typically can never see himself developing another Smash title after release, he works incredibly fast after setting his mind to it. In fact, he worked out Greninja’s moveset all by himself in one night after receiving early concept art, even before a proper name had been decided on by Pokémon developers.
More details have been compiled by SmashBoards, so be sure to visit their post for further information from Sakurai’s interview with Nintendo Dream.
Source: Nintendo Dream via NeoGAF and SmashBoards
