Nintendo Needs To Diversify Its Pool Of Villains

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Nintendo Needs To Diversify Its Pool Of Villains

Nintendo goes back to the well with its antagonists far too often. It's time for some fresh blood in Nintendo games. The villain is often the most interesting aspect of a story. It's typically the villain who forces the protagonist to face his/her fears and save the day. There have been many iconic video game villains from throughout the years, from Dr. Wily to Flowey the flower. Nintendo is no stranger to colorful villains in its games. Coming up at the end of this month is , which pits Luigi against the terrifying King Boo once again. Though King Boo is a fun character, some fans are probably wondering if he's been overused as the antagonist of the series. After all, he appeared in the first two games. His big return in Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon made sense, but fans are likely curious why Nintendo didn't make an original ghostly antagonist for the third installment. This is something that ties into a bigger problem Nintendo has displayed over the years: relying too much on a familiar pattern. THEGAMER VIDEO OF THE DAY

Overused Villains

Via mariowiki.com The most famous video game antagonist is undoubtedly Bowser. He is Mario's arch-nemesis, constantly invading the Mushroom Kingdom and kidnapping Princess Peach. Bowser has been the main villain in almost every main game. It makes sense Nintendo would reuse Bowser a number of times, but the company has far too much reliance on him. Why did Nintendo bring him back for Super Mario Galaxy 2 instead of creating a new antagonist? The biggest insult is the New Super Mario Bros. series, which had Bowser as the final boss in four different games. The older Mario RPG spin-offs had no problem introducing new villains and storylines. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is remembered in part for the Shadow Queen, and no one could forget the tragic storyline of Count Bleck in Super Paper Mario. However, Nintendo began to apply its formulaic story patterns to the RPG titles as well. The most recent RPG games, Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, Paper Mario: Sticker Star and Paper Mario: Color Splash, all featured Bowser as the final antagonist. Nintendo is either averse to creating a new main antagonist for the Mario series, or wrongly believes fans want to keep fighting Bowser every time. To an extent, is guilty of this as well. Ganon has been featured in most main Zelda titles. However, there are games where he does not appear, or where he's mostly in the shadows and another villain takes center stage for awhile. Majora's Mask did not even mention Ganon, and Skyward Sword did something interesting with having something of a precursor to Ganon. Ganon is still overused, but not to the extent of Bowser. The Mushroom Kingdom is vast; it's time Nintendo explored it.

Not Every Nintendo Franchise Is Guilty

Via kirby.fandom.com Super Mario isn't the only series with an overused Bowser. The Yoshi series has used Baby Bowser/Bowser in every main game. This year saw the release of , and of course Baby Bowser returned. Once again, the point is that Nintendo relies too much on patterns and the past with certain things. This isn't the case with all its franchises, however. is a great example of moving past its original villain, King Dedede. After Kirby's Dreamland, Dedede seldom returned as the final boss. Instead, almost every Kirby installment has featured a new powerful threat, from Nightmare to Void Termina. Dedede is usually around, but rarely as the driving antagonistic force. It would become dull if he returned as the main villain over and over. Even the series has taken a break from King K. Rool. Yes, K. Rool is its most iconic villain, but that doesn't mean he can't step away to introduce new characters. Donkey Kong Country Returns and Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze had new antagonists with memorable designs. Plus, taking a break from King K. Rool will make his return more powerful than if he had been used in the previous two titles.

It s Time For More Original Villains

Via zelda.gamepedia.com, mariowiki.com Nintendo needs to take more chances in creating villains, especially with the Mario series. Bowser at this point is a joke; few take him seriously as a villain. Nintendo may not care too much since the Mario series tends to be more lighthearted, but that's no excuse for pattern overuse. It's time Nintendo put some time into crafting more original villains than tell the same story in different ways.