Gamecube Why Gamecube games by Nintendo often had a common theme of a small being in a big world?

[Ikagura Ikagura]

It strikes me as odd, after playing Chibi Robo, that several entries featured that theme starting with Pikmin.

I'd even dare saying that Wind Waker has shown us a huge ocean while Toon Link is a small child (compared to enemies and adult characters he's just small) and Mario Sunshine showing other parts of Delphino's Island from any level really makes me feel like it was a pretty big world (whereas Mario 64's levels, while being fairly big, didn't convey the size and scale as well since they were floating blocks over the skybox).

Maybe it's a way to showcase the power of the Gamecube, showing how much they could render and how bigger models can be more detailed.

 

[Jayonnaise6105 Jayonnaise6105]

Now that you mention it, you also have the Pikmin games. Star Fox Assault had some pretty big levels too, if I remember correctly. Made your character/vehicle feel pretty small.

 

[Ikagura Ikagura]

Now that you mention it, you also have the Pikmin games. Star Fox Assault had some pretty big levels too, if I remember correctly. Made your character/vehicle feel pretty small.

Assault's non Arwing levels yeah.

Maybe a tiny bit less of that "small character" but it clearly shows how massive the gap between the N64 and Gamecube was in term of level size.

 

[Tonberry]

While not quite as specific, there was also stuff like Doshin the Giant and Animal Crossing.
It definitely feels like you're on to something, probably displaying how much they could render at any given time etc.
I remember thinking Mario Sunshine had the best looking video game ocean ever until like GTA 5.

 

[qw90700]

Nintendo wanna develop cute childish games -> "cute" is what that is tiny -> to make something tiny everything else around it is big? -> TVs used to be small so make bigger envoirement to see what's around? -> they often thought it would be okay the character is small as long as you notice it moves around? -> who knows lol.

However design choice-wise making character small relative to what you can see around is good for player to play platforming games and thus it can give a sense of exploration and all too. Often for visibility characters are way small like in isometric games too.

 

[Ikagura Ikagura]

While not quite as specific, there was also stuff like Doshin the Giant and Animal Crossing.
It definitely feels like you're on to something, probably displaying how much they could render at any given time etc.
I remember thinking Mario Sunshine had the best looking video game ocean ever until like GTA 5.

I often forget that Doshin was both a 64DD and Gamecube game like how Animal Crossing was a ported game from the previous hardware.

Nintendo still kept a bit of that feeling in subsequent games but not as strongly... It's either a bit of their gimmick or just a very Japanese thing to make.

Mario Sunshine, SA1 on the Dreamcast (not DX), Wind Waker, Kingdom Heart's Destiny Island and FFX' Besaid Island really had gorgeous looking water and I miss it.

 

[G.L.a.D.O.S.]

<OOC>
It also may have been as simple as Nintendo knowing that a core group of the players would be young children, and they often feel like everything is so much larger than themselves. So, being a small character, that is a child overcoming large things, such as adults like teachers or whatever a child would perceive as an obstacle, and by making everything else seem so much larger, gave them a sense of accomplishment and a boost in self-confidence.

Or maybe it was just as you all have stated, showing off the GameCube's render capability.

 

[Tonberry]

I often forget that Doshin was both a 64DD and Gamecube game like how Animal Crossing was a ported game from the previous hardware.

Nintendo still kept a bit of that feeling in subsequent games but not as strongly... It's either a bit of their gimmick or just a very Japanese thing to make.

Mario Sunshine, SA1 on the Dreamcast (not DX), Wind Waker, Kingdom Heart's Destiny Island and FFX' Besaid Island really had gorgeous looking water and I miss it.
View attachment 104401

I've said it before, but I believe 1000% that the Gamecube/GBA era was Nintendo at its peak.

Not every game was a smash hit financially maybe, but there was so much experimentation and showing off neat hardware, and the few devs that made Gamecube-exclusive titles knocked it out of the park.
Resident Evil 4 and the RE1 remake, and Metroid Prime, were easily the best looking games of that generation, fidelity-wise. The only real contender was probably Halo 2 and maybe Final Fantasy 12.

 

[qw90700]

<OOC>
It also may have been as simple as Nintendo knowing that a core group of the players would be young children, and they often feel like everything is so much larger than themselves. So, being a small character, that is a child overcoming large things, such as adults like teachers or whatever a child would perceive as an obstacle, and by making everything else seem so much larger, gave them a sense of accomplishment and a boost in self-confidence.

Makes sense but wouldn't expect Nintendo to think that deep lol.

 

[aquova]

Makes sense but wouldn't expect Nintendo to think that deep lol.

That sort of thinking is exactly what Nintendo is famous for lol

 

[qw90700]

That sort of thinking is exactly what Nintendo is famous for lol

Or is Nintendo cult overestimating their precious international terror organization? lolol

Small character relative to environment is game genre design choice + technical choice + classic "small = cute" choice = nothing "wow" on Nintendo's part. Whatever they do is classic ancient mentality that works for Japanese society + they steal ideas here and there. Their existence is the most overrated shit in existence lol.

 

[Tengu Plant]

Gotcha Force and Custom Robo arguably fit this as well.

 

[Bakuma1997]

Well ,the console was the Kid-friendliest of the gang (A couple of exceptions nonstanding) so i think those were like that to summarize the Gamecube

 

[aquova]

I always thought that Katamari Damacy had the vibe of a Gamecube game. Granted, it's controller would've made it really awkward to play

 

[Deleted member 560402]

I often forget that Doshin was both a 64DD and Gamecube game like how Animal Crossing was a ported game from the previous hardware.

Nintendo still kept a bit of that feeling in subsequent games but not as strongly... It's either a bit of their gimmick or just a very Japanese thing to make.

Mario Sunshine, SA1 on the Dreamcast (not DX), Wind Waker, Kingdom Heart's Destiny Island and FFX' Besaid Island really had gorgeous looking water and I miss it.
View attachment 104401

more of a Sega thing first, but yeah. The second they could animate water properly, it was everywhere.

 

[KrazyKoen]

Miyamoto created Pikmin and basically singlehandedly revived Chibi-Robo's development after it was put on hold indefinitely, so I think for those two it's just a matter of Miyamoto really liking the concept of being a little guy exploring a big world. He also was a producer on Windwaker, obviously.

 

[solnK!]

TLOZ The Minish Cap was the literal definition of small dude on a huge world.

 

[RETRO-VETRO RETRO-VETRO]

That recurring theme of small protagonists in vast environments feels almost like a design philosophy, maybe a metaphor for exploration, vulnerability, or even childhood wonder. It’s not just technical flexing; it’s emotional scale. Chibi-Robo cleaning up a house, Pikmin surviving in a backyard, Toon Link sailing an endless ocean… they all make the player feel tiny but capable.

 

[grifoXD]

I think is the aesthetic they wanted the console to have, per example if we take the PlayStation 2, its library had a more mature, realistic and edgy tone, even thought the Game cube hardware was better, I may be wrong, but it might be a type of branding where you want your console to cater to a certain demographic, as consoles are a product with an end goal of maximizing profit, and if the company thinks that demographics is more promising to buy it, then they would end up pushing games with an aesthetic that demographic engage more to boost more sales of both consoles and game titles

 

[Ikagura Ikagura]

Miyamoto created Pikmin and basically singlehandedly revived Chibi-Robo's development after it was put on hold indefinitely, so I think for those two it's just a matter of Miyamoto really liking the concept of being a little guy exploring a big world. He also was a producer on Windwaker, obviously.

I didn't know that. Thanks for telling.

That recurring theme of small protagonists in vast environments feels almost like a design philosophy, maybe a metaphor for exploration, vulnerability, or even childhood wonder. It’s not just technical flexing; it’s emotional scale. Chibi-Robo cleaning up a house, Pikmin surviving in a backyard, Toon Link sailing an endless ocean… they all make the player feel tiny but capable.

I almost find it cute but sadly they have left it a bit since the Wii era. Even if Zelda BotW showed a massive world and that Bananza had DK climbing mountains it didn't convey that feeling as well despite the more powerful console.

I think is the aesthetic they wanted the console to have, per example if we take the PlayStation 2, its library had a more mature, realistic and edgy tone, even thought the Game cube hardware was better, I may be wrong, but it might be a type of branding where you want your console to cater to a certain demographic, as consoles are a product with an end goal of maximizing profit, and if the company thinks that demographics is more promising to buy it, then they would end up pushing games with an aesthetic that demographic engage more to boost more sales of both consoles and game titles

The PS2 also liked that "cyberfuturistic" and "VR" feeling since the jump from the PS1 was huge.

Even the original Xbox had an alien spaceship look for the bios menu.

 

[grifoXD]

That recurring theme of small protagonists in vast environments feels almost like a design philosophy, maybe a metaphor for exploration, vulnerability, or even childhood wonder. It’s not just technical flexing; it’s emotional scale. Chibi-Robo cleaning up a house, Pikmin surviving in a backyard, Toon Link sailing an endless ocean… they all make the player feel tiny but capable.

That makes sense as this is a common mottif of Nintendo Games is exploration and discovery, you can see that as core in most of their franchises like Zelda and Pokémon, but even some traces in more linear games like Mario and Kirby with secret zones, items and npcs dialogues

 

[Ikagura Ikagura]

That makes sense as this is a common mottif of Nintendo Games is exploration and discovery, you can see that as core in most of their franchises like Zelda and Pokémon, but even some traces in more linear games like Mario and Kirby with secret zones, items and npcs dialogues

I wish they could give it back since Kirby is canonically tiny (Dreamland/Popstarians are smaller than humans after all).

At least Forgotten Land kinda had that sense of wonder and discovery of a new world but Kirby was basically the same size as a kid (you can easily see that with the mall level):

 

[AJC46]

I've said it before, but I believe 1000% that the Gamecube/GBA era was Nintendo at its peak.

i'm still impressed by how good F-Zero GX looks even though it's nearly a launch title from 2002

but then again the gamecube actually had one of higher system specs of the generation it's from but too bad choices by nintendo drove 3rd parties away from the system.

 

[koenigmj94]

To build off other peoples Aesthetics arguments I think Nintendo for a long time has cultivated this toy-like design that's really appealing to younger audiences but also holds up really well over time.

Look at any Gamecube game outside things like sports games and movie tie-ins and you have these games which look like you're controlling dolls are action figures like Custom Robo, Animal Crossing, Pikmin, and even some games like Tales of Symphonia despite the graphical quality the models still have this softness and flexibility to them that I'd describe as toylike.

If we look back even further, like I said previously I think its been kind of standard design for Nintendo for awhile, the models for games like Mario 64 and Kirby 64 especially look like dolls. I think they even kinda reference this with Smash Brothers opening how the models do start out as literal dolls.

 

[DreamCPS]

I think this theme is a metaphor for Nintendo's own trajectory. Like… Nintendo has always been a giant, but when they released the N64, they went through a moment when their popularity declined, and they lost their lead in the largest gaming market (the U.S.).

Nintendo, once a giant dominating the market, had “shrunk.”

With the GameCube, they started trying to find their way again, seeking their roots and the level of popularity they once had. Because of recent past events, Nintendo felt “diminished” amidst a market and competitors that were growing ever larger.