Super Mario Bros. Wonder devs on Rolla Koopas origins

The developers behind Super Mario Bros. Wonder have opened up about the origins of the Rolla Koopas. This comes from Nintendo’s new interview that went out today.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder features a number of new enemies, and Rolla Koopas are a new take on the classic foe. Koichi Hayashida, one of the main game designers, mentioned how during the making of Super Mario World, the developers talked about changing up the look of the Koopa Troopas. That’s something the current Super Mario Bros. Wonder team tried again. Art director Masanobu Sato said “one of the designers came up with the idea of making the Koopa Troopas roll around on roller skates” – and you can check out some concept art above. 

Here’s the relevant excerpt:

Hayashida: Speaking of evolution, you’ll see new foes called Rolla Koopas in this game. (Laughs) The first course in Super Mario World (13) for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (Super NES) featured Unshelled Koopas going down a slope and then later you see them flying around with capes. With the transition from NES to Super NES, developers apparently discussed how the look of the Koopa Troopas would evolve, and that was the end result. (Laughs)

(13) A Super NES game released in August 1991 in North America. In this side-scrolling 2D platformer, the adventure unfolds in Dinosaur Land.

Sato: With this anecdote in mind, we were brainstorming during the idea-sharing session how we should express the evolution of this well-known enemy in this game, and one of the designers came up with the idea of making the Koopa Troopas roll around on roller skates. (Laughs)

Super Mario Bros. Wonder will be out for Switch on October 20, 2023.

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