TheSuper Mariofranchise really has a staggering amount of spinoffs. There’s everything fromMario PartytoMario KarttoMario Sportsfor fans to choose from when they’d like a different genre of game starring Mario and his friends. If that wasn’t enough, theDr. Mariofranchise has offered fans aSuper Mariopuzzle series since 1990. Nintendo’s latest entry in the franchise wasDr. Mario World,which was a part of Nintendo’s greater foray into mobile games. Sadly,Dr. Mario Worldis now offline, but odds are that theDr. Mariospinoff series will return on a Nintendo console someday.
If Nintendo does makeanotherDr. Mariogamesomeday soon, it should useDr. Mario Worldas a reference point. AlthoughDr. Mario Worldgot mixed reviews and received some criticism for its monetization, other aspects of the game were very clever and built on theDr. Mariogame formula well. A newDr. Mariogame on a console could build on these ideas, making them more complex while polishing other aspects ofDr. Mario Worldthat were too simplistic or frustrating. From solid multiplayer to a wide roster of multiplayer characters,Dr. Mario Worldhas a lot to offer the franchise.
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Dr. Mario World’s Potential Contributions
Dr. Mario Worlddiffered greatly from previousDr. Mariogames in that it had an extremely long list of playable characters. While some games in the series have allowed fans to play as Wario or Luigi, those games pale in comparison toDr. Mario World’s staggering 45 playable characters. Featuring a colorful cast ranging from Dr. Bowser to Dr. Waluigi to Dr. Goomba Tower, all of whom had unique statistics and abilities,Dr. Mario Worldoffered fans a lot of options in determining their own playstyle when solving puzzles. It’d be great to see the nextDr. Mariogame feature a cast even half as large and diverse asDr. Mario World’s roster, rather than limiting fans to Mario alone.
The multiplayer component ofDr. Mario Worlddeserves some praise too. Some critics credited the multiplayer as one ofDr. Mario World’s strongest aspects, with each character’s attack and defense stats outlining new layers of strategy; players had to factor each other’s character choices in as they charged up attacks and buried each other in viruses.The nextDr. Mariogamedeserves similarly complex multiplayer, with attack and defense stats affecting each player’s performance and special abilities turning the tide of competition.
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Dr. Mario Has Room to Improve
Perhaps the most important place whereDr. Mariocan improve onDr. Mario Worldis simply the role of microtransactions and loot drops in the game. WhileDr. Mario’s simple puzzle gameplay made it perfect for a mobile adaptation, players responded negatively to Diamonds, the in-game currency bought with real money. Diamonds could help players get past difficult levels, and they also served as a way to get random new doctors through the Staffing menu.Dr. Mario Worldplayers disliked both the influence of Diamonds on the game design and the fact that playable characters could only be collected through random chance. It’d be better if the nextDr. Mariogame sets clear objectives that unlock characters,rather than using a gacha system.
Dr. Mario Worldmay be gone, but the franchise probably isn’t going anywhere. Nintendo has released a fair few differentDr. Marioprojects in the last several years, suggesting that it’s interested in exploring this particular subseries ofSuper Mariotitles. For all fans down, Nintendo decided to shut downDr. Mario Worldpartially because it’s working on the next incarnation of the series, meaning it would rather dedicate more resources toDr. Mario’s future. BetweenMario Party SuperstarsandMario Golf: Super Rush,Super Mariospinoffs are going strong right now. Odds are thatDr. Mariowill join these games again someday soon.
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