Super Mario Odyssey director talks nostalgia, says Mario is human, Luigi could appear, Mario is still a plumber

A portion of a Vice interview with Super Mario Odyssey director Kenta Motokura...

V: For the first time Mario evolves in a world where there are humans, and we see that Mario is really different from other people in New Donk City for example, is Mario human?

KM: Mario is human.

V: Really? Why is he so different?

KM: In the world, there are many different types of people, you know.

V: In the gameplay that we saw at E3, we see that there are a lot of things hidden in the world, including references to the first Super Mario Bros. Did you in some way create this game for the old-core gamers like me that got to know Mario in the 80s and 90s?

KM: Yes, we definitely thought about nostalgia for players who have previously played other Mario games. This world consists of 3D and 2D and we wanted to mix things up. Therefore, we implemented the 2D aspect as well.

V: Will Luigi come back in this game? Will you offer a multiplayer mode?

KM: We are considering putting in many characters, and Luigi may appear, I don't know. And, as you know with the Switch, you can share Joy-Cons, so there may be multiplayer.

V: Finally, as we don't see many pipes in the game, is Mario still a plumber?

KM: In the January promotion that we saw Mario jumps out of a manhole so I think he is still doing his job.