Baby Steps designer says Super Mario Sunshine shaped his movement design

Bennett Foddy, the independent designer behind QWOP and Getting Over It and one of the leads on Baby Steps, says Super Mario Sunshine was a major inspiration for his work. Known for making notoriously tricky games with wonky movement, he singled out Sunshine for its combination of movement systems and atmosphere.

Foddy first encountered the game in 2002 after it arrived in Australia and remembers being struck by its sense of heat: tropical sunlight, towering clouds and sudden downpours that make everything feel wet and roasted in turn. He credits the visuals—heat haze, blue shadows and a generally darkened palette that brightens as you play—for conveying that summer feeling in a way most games do not.

He praises the water aesthetics and the technical artistry behind them: fountains, canals and different kinds of water that suggest texture and refreshment rather than photorealism. Rendering those effects on weak hardware impressed him and informed his appreciation for tactile, expressive visuals in games.

Australia

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