MarioWiki:BJAODN/April Fool's 2013

Mario is an upcoming first-person shooter set for release on the Wii U, in development by High Voltage Software, makers of The Conduit  and Tournament of Legends. The first mainline Mario game not directly developed by Nintendo or one of its subsidiaries, it serves as a reboot of the series.

Storyline
The story stars Mario Mario, a mercenary and former marine whose PMC has been contracted to help counter an insurgency in a national hotspot nicknamed the "Mushroom Kingdom" due to its role in the international drug market. However, as the squad's transport chopper approach the operation arena, it is shot down, separating Mario and Luigi from the rest of their team.

Protagonists

 * Mario Mario: A former marine who was convicted for insubordination after assaulting a commanding officer who ordered him to shell a civilian building. He is a silent protagonist.
 * Luigi Mario: The younger brother of Mario, he appears as the second player in co-op mode and has no role in the storyline.
 * Daisy Rosetta: Mario's commanding officer, she is sarcastically referred to as "Lady Peach" due to her serious, no-nonsense attitude. She is kidnapped by the insurgents late in the game.

Supporting cast

 * Roger Johnson: Codenamed "Lakitu", he is the squad's AWAC, providing the team with updates on the tactical situation.
 * Stanley "Bugman" Jones: A squadmate of Mario who joined the PMC in order to support his family. He dies in an ambush after showing Mario a picture of his daughter and revealing that he had only two weeks left before discharge.

Antagonists

 * Kerog: "A local warlord who's rumoured to have made a mock throne out of the skulls of fallen enemies. He uses a powerful suit of scale-like armour. He funds the insurgency war effort by selling a popular variety of the local psychotropic mushrooms that give the region its name."
 * Wario Scapelli: The CEO of an influential corporation in the entertainment sector. He covers his arm dealing with philanthropic efforts, and secretly funded the insurgency in order to boost his stocks.

Gameplay
The game is entirely played through a first-person perspective, occasionally shifting to a third-person perspective during rail shooters sequences where Mario mans a helicopter chaingun. The player can attack enemies either by using their currently equipped gun (of which two can be carried), meleing or throwing grenades. Health automatically regenerates when the player is not under fire, with the damage level being indicated by the screen becoming increasingly saturated and bloodied as the player takes damage.

The game features a cover system, which allows the player to stand behind flat surfaces, and peak, lean, blindfire or vault over cover. Players may be occasionally instructed to perform quick time events, pressing the button indicated on screen in order to win scripted melee combat sequences. Failure results in death.

Progression is divided in several linear levels, where the player is instructed to follow allies in-between firefights and occasionally accomplishing objectives, such as detonating enemy anti-aircraft emplacements with C4 charges.

Multiplayer is included. It features a large variety of modes, such as Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, and Expert Team Deathmatch. It features an experience point-based progression system, where the players progress in rank and is awarded with new weapons and customisation options for killing enemy players, assisting allies and completing objectives. High Voltage intends to support the multiplayer with extensive paid DLC. The first DLC, the "Bloodlust pack", includes the Desert Eagle pistol and two new Deathmatch maps, "Toad Town" (a swamp) and "Kalimari Boot Camp", costs 10$ and is set for release on "day one".

Development
High Voltage Software was approached by Nintendo due to their experience making FPSes on Nintendo consoles.

In interviews, High Voltage Software stressed that the game is authentic and faithful to the Mario series, stating that "It's in the real word, so you don't eat the mushrooms, but it's still all the character you know and love." The developers also defended their decision to make a reboot, stating that "platformers were great, but it's time to move on" and that the Mario series needs a "total badass edge" in order to stay relevant in the modern Western market. High Voltage also expressed their desire to reach "the Call of Duty audience", stating that "It worked really well for Dragon Age 2".