WARNING: Super Mario Bros. Wonder Spoilers ahead. Proceed at your own risk.Super Mario Bros. Wonder introduces new and unique concepts to the series' classic 2D formula. Brand-new power-ups, such as the Elephant Fruit, provide a hilarious and powerful new ability for Mario and friends to utilize. Also, badges allow fans to ease or intensify their journey through Wonder's various courses. At the core of Super Mario Bros. Wonder is the Wonder Flower, and the unpredictable effects it can have on characters and their environment. Fans experience these reality-bending effects in a number of ways, each making their respective course or confrontation unique and memorable. However, no feature encapsulates the concept of Wonder Effects more effectively than Super Mario Bros. Wonder's mini-boss battles, which stand above nearly every effect seen throughout the title's many courses, including those utilized by Wonder's final boss.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder is the first new 2D Mario game since 2012 and transports Mario and his pals to the Flower Kingdom, a neighbor of the Mushroom Kingdom. The Flower Kingdom is home to items called Wonder Flowers which, when put in contact with the title's characters, cause wacky and reality-bending effects to occur. Bowser, hoping to use Wonder Effects to conquer the Flower Kingdom, fuses himself with the Koopa Clown Car and Prince Florian's Castle to become Castle Bowser, and he uses Wonder Effects to corrupt and distort the Kingdom's various lands. Mario, Luigi, Daisy, Peach, and Yoshi join the Flower Kingdom's ruler, Prince Florian, in an effort to reverse Bowser's wonder effects and stop the villain before he can enact the ultimate wonder.
How Mario Wonder's Mini-boss Fights Best Encapsulate Its Reality-Bending Concepts
Many of Super Mario Bros. Wonder's worlds end with a palace boss fight, ending in a confrontation with Bowser Jr. Each begins in a manner similar to the character's previous appearances, as Bowser Jr. slips into his shell and slides around the stage's floor, before becoming vulnerable to bop on the head. Once Mario and his friends strike the first blow, however, Bowser Jr. utilizes his Wonder Power to turn the tides. It's at these points that Wonder utilizes its central concept to the greatest effect.
Fans cross paths with Bowser Jr. four times on their journey through Super Mario Bros. Wonder, and each meeting leaves a lasting impression. Following the first strike in each battle, Bowser Jr. will alter the player's character, himself, the environment, or all three each time he is successfully hit. Examples of the Koopa Kid's powers include shrinking and enlarging characters, bringing the environment to life, plunging the stage into darkness, and filling the top half of a level with water, resulting in an upside-down underwater boss fight. Each fight with Bowser Jr. provides an unexpected and showstopping challenge. However, their greatest contribution is in encapsulating the concept of Wonder Power with a breadth and purpose that far exceeds the brief Wonder Flower segments of Super Mario Bros.Wonder's general courses.
Bowser Jr.'s Wonder Powers Threaten to Upstage Mario Wonder's Climax
Super Mario Bros. Wonder's Bowser Jr. demonstrates such dramatic and unique Wonder Powers that fans likely expect the title's single Bowser fight to follow suit. However, that is not the case, as Bowser's ultimate wonder simply injects the world with heavy-metal music. What results is a relatively easy battle, in which players must jump to the beat to both avoid damage and strike a large pink button on Bowser's face. Like Bowser Jr., Castle Bowser will alter himself or the stage after taking significant damage, changing the timing of the beat and throwing additional projectiles at the player. Once enough damage has been done, Bowser's Rage Stage will provide fans with various platforms, from which they can strike the final blow to the top of Bowser's head.
In the end, Bowser Jr.'s utilization of Wonder Power stands as Super Mario Bros. Wonder's most effective demonstration of its core concept. The Wonder Effects showcased by Bowser Jr. demonstrate the breadth of the Wonder Flower's power, cementing it as a cataclysmic force. That being said, the rest of Wonder also boasts a variety of truly fantastic Wonder Effects, which showcase the lighter side of this concept. Together, the light and dark sides of the Wonder Flower make Super Mario Bros. Wonder one of the plumber's most memorable adventures to date.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder is available now, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.
