Gears 5 is one of the best Xbox One exclusives of all time, but even the most unique and inspiring titles have to draw from their predecessors. Surprisingly, Gears 5 devs have admitted that one source of their inspiration was none other than the iconic Nintendo title, Super Mario Galaxy.
The 2007 Wii classic is often recognised as being one of the best games of all time, but it’s (literally) worlds away from the dark, gritty and tension-filled world of Gears 5. So how did it serve as inspiration?
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According to Rod Fergusson, Studio Head at Gears’ studio The Coalition, Super Mario Galaxy had a direct impact on the character of Jack, the robotic assist character in Gears 5.
Speaking about accessibility in gaming at the Montreal International Game Summit, Fergusson explained: “As we thought about how we would deal with [accessibility] from a beginner’s perspective, we realized that the best way to deal with things as a beginner is to do everything sort of counter to what is the core of Gears,
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“So we purposely created this character whose abilities and movement were the exact opposite of what the main game is like, so that it would have a different way of playing.”
Fergusson credited Super Mario Galaxy for Gears’ Jack, who can be used in the game’s three-player co-op modes as a support. Jack can offer cloaking abilities, lay down mines and show enemy locations amongst other things. His role in the game is similar to the second player in Super Mario Galaxy, the one who’s likely to be your younger brother or sister, who assist by collecting stars with the Wii remote.
![](https://www.gamebyte.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/supermariogalaxy-700x350.jpg)
The aim of both Mario Galaxy’s player two, and Jack in Gears 5, is to teach a less-familiar player the ins and outs of the game in a way that includes everyone.
Three cheers for accessibility in gaming!
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Featured Image Credit: Nintendo