While Microsoft continues to feel pressure from the BDS Movement, and Sony counts its winnings from the successful launch of Sucket Punch’s Ghost of Yotei, Nintendo is content to confuse the s**t out of its fanbase with its new ‘Close to You’ short film. Posted earlier today, ‘Close to You’ is a four-minute animated video featuring a blonde-haired baby chasing their pacifier around a toy-crowded room, with the sucker seemingly being moved by magic or invisible creatures.
Nintendo provided no explanation or context for the video, which contributed to the frustration of online sleuths as they combed through the footage for clues. With no concrete information to springboard from, people have started speculating wildly about what the video could be. While some people believe ‘Close to You’ could be a tease for the upcoming animated Super Mario Galaxy film, others think it could be a pricey promotion for the anticipated video game Pikmin 5.
Why do people think it’s a promo for The Super Mario Galaxy Movie? Well, the baby bears an uncanny resemblance to Rosalina, a key character associated with Super Mario Galaxy. Are invisible Lumas (star-shaped mischief makers) moving the pacifier around? Could it be a new breed of Pikmin? Is that Baby Samus? Metroid Prime 4 is coming to the Nintendo Switch consoles in December. Or, are these theories nothing but wishful thinking?
It’s worth noting that Nintendo plans to make strides in introducing products for younger audiences, much younger, in fact. Could ‘Close to You’ be an elaborate introduction to infant and toddler-related apps, games, and other media? I could see Nintendo developing a fun “Chase the pacifier” game for children to play on tablets.
A frustrating aspect of the video is that it contains zero credits. It would be another story if the Illumination Studios logo popped up at the end, but no dice. I also question the actions of the mother in the video. Who leaves their child alone like this? Four minutes is more than enough time for a child to put one of those toys in their mouth or fall after climbing atop a shelf or crib side. It’s madness, I tell you. Madness!
What do you think Nintendo’s ‘Close to You’ short refers to? How long will it take the video game developer to provide us with more information? Can we expect more videos like this one? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.
