When it comes to 3D platformers, the genre is impossible to talk about without mentioning Mario, whose first 3D outing back on the N64 set a high bar that other contenders have fallen short on. That doesn't stop developers from trying, such as the upcoming Demon Tides. But when Chris Wade started the prototype for Big Hops nearly seven years ago, it followed Super Mario Odyssey, a game he describes as "perfect" and "the last word on 3D platformers".
It was, however, not the only Nintendo game that was on his mind when he spent the first two and a half years of development by himself.
