Rayman Origins creative director Michel Ancel has told Gamasutra that while he has respect for Shigeru Miyamoto and is a fan of the Zelda franchise, he just can’t get into the Mario games.
“I will tell you something terrible — I don’t really enjoy playing Mario games. I don’t like gliding, I don’t like its inertia, and I don’t like not being able to give some slaps! It’s a fabulous series, and I understand that people love it, but it’s not my cup of tea.”
“I used to prefer Ghosts n’ Goblins, Heart of Darkness, Another World – games with a focus on the narrative side. Beyond that, I find Mario‘s controls very interesting, but I don’t buy it. I can’t help but seeing the ropes of the game, even if it works.”
Michel Ancel has been referred to as ”the French Miyamoto” which is something he says he’s deeply honoured by, but he admits he’s very different from Nintendo’s legendary games designer.
“I’m very different from Miyamoto.”
“I really loved the idea of introducing artistic features in games — that is to say the storytelling, the artwork, music — and to get everything together in the best possible alchemy. We have two different approaches, two different tracks.”
