Yoshi’s Iconic Egg Tossing Almost Featured in Super Mario Bros. Wonder

Key Highlights:

• In Super Mario Bros. Wonder, Yoshi almost had his egg throwing ability
• This ability originated in Yoshi’s Island and became a signature move
• Wonder director Takashi Tezuka wanted to include it, so they prototyped it
• After testing, the team felt the egg throwing control was too difficult

The recently released Super Mario Bros. Wonder for the Nintendo Switch brings some new twists to the classic Mario gameplay formula. But based on new reveals, one of Yoshi’s most iconic abilities almost made it into Wonder before being scrapped.

In an interview with Famitsu magazine, Wonder’s director Takashi Tezuka disclosed that Yoshi was originally going to have his signature egg throwing mechanic from other Mario games. This ability first appeared in 1995’s Yoshi’s Island for Super Nintendo.

In that beloved title, Yoshi gained the power to swallow enemies and then regurgitate them as projectile eggs to toss at other foes. This fresh attack option helped set Yoshi’s Island apart with all-new platforming gameplay ideas.

The egg throwing proved so popular that it became a staple part of Yoshi’s skillset in most of his future appearances. From Super Smash Bros. to recent games like Yoshi’s Crafted World, lobbing eggs at baddies or objects is a key component of controlling the character.

A Host of Design Challenges

So for Super Mario Bros. Wonder, director Tezuka thought bringing back this tried and true Yoshi move made sense. The team went as far as developing a prototype build that allowed the character to conjure and throw eggs once again in Wonder’s levels.

But after testing out the egg tossing gameplay, Tezuka and the developers found it made controlling Yoshi far too difficult compared to the original Super Mario Bros. framework. The added egg throwing mechanics didn’t mesh well with Wonder’s overall platforming flow.

Most critically, the egg throwing was deemed too challenging for first-time or inexperienced players to grasp. Since Wonder is meant to ease newcomers into Mario with its creative assist options, anything potentially too tricky had to be smoothed out.

The Decision to Scrap the Mechanic

So in the end, the iconic egg throwing ability was scrapped for Yoshi in the latest entry. Instead, he simply retains his power-up free invincibility from other Switch titles like Super Mario 3D World. This lets him plow through enemies without taking damage, but doesn’t introduce any new attack systems.

While the egg tossing would have provided a fun blast from Yoshi’s past, keeping his abilities streamlined for Wonder’s pick-up-and-play design is understandable. Since the levels unfold on a 2D plane like the original entries, any extra inputs could disrupt the tight platforming. The online co-op title has been a massive hit for Nintendo, so it looks like the devs made the right call in the end.

More Super Mario Bros. Wonder Content:

• Smashes Franchise Records in Japan and Europe
• New Ad Shows Bowser Still Loves Elephant Peach
• Villain King Boo Confirmed

Still, Tezuka’s reveal provides an interesting glimpse into what might have been for Yoshi in Wonder. Fans will have to wait and see if everyone’s favourite dinosaur gains back his egg-lobbing powers in a future adventure built around them.

For now, both newcomers and veterans can enjoy dashing and stomping through Wonder’s vibrant worlds with Yoshi in tow, minus the eggy ammunition. His role stays simple and approachable, capturing the essence of Mario magic that spawned a legend over 30 years ago.

Source – NintendoEverything