Just when gamers thought Summer Game Fest and reveal season was done, Nintendo reared its head with a surprisingly lengthy Nintendo Direct. Though the Nintendo Direct was filled with announcements from both first and third-party developers, it was Super Mario fans that were the real winners of the presentation. Fans got confirmation of not only a Super Mario RPG remake, but a brand-new Princess Peach game, a remaster of Luigi's Mansion 2, some new Mario Kart 8 Deluxe DLC, and a new WarioWare game. But by far the biggest and best announcement was Super Mario Bros. Wonder.
Held for the Nintendo Direct's "one more thing" announcement, Super Mario Bros. Wonder is the return to 2D side-scrollers that fans of the franchise have been patiently waiting on for years. And while Super Mario Bros. Wonder does look fairly similar to its modern-day predecessors, it has a few new tricks up its sleeve, with one of the biggest being a brand new power-up.
Every New Power-Up Confirmed for Super Mario Bros. Wonder So Far
Every modern-day Mario game needs a gimmick, whether it's 2D or 3D. New Super Mario Bros. for the Nintendo DS had the Mega Mushroom, turning Mario into a screen-filling version of himself, Super Mario Odyssey gave players the ability to possess objects and creatures, and Super Mario 3D Land centered itself around the 3DS' core gimmick. Super Mario Bros. Wonder doesn't seem to be any different.
Emphasized throughout its gameplay trailer, Super Mario Bros. Wonder's central gimmick is the new Wonder Flower power-up. These Wonder Flowers seem to appear at specific intervals during a stage, and jumping into one will transform the gameplay in a pretty significant way. During the trailer, fans got to see the Wonder Flower affect the stage itself in two unique ways. In one instance, the Wonder Flower made the stage's green pipes start to move, which then made them both obstacles to get past, and tools to help Mario reach higher platforms. At the end of the trailer, the Wonder Flower creates a stampede of sheep-like animals, carrying Mario to the end of the stage.
But that's not the only thing Super Mario Bros. Wonder's Wonder Flowers can do. During the trailer, the Wonder Flower was also seen turning Mario into different forms. One of these forms turns him into a nightmare-inducing long version of himself, stretching vertically in time with the trees in the background. A few seconds later, a Wonder Flower turns Mario into a spiked ball, giving him the ability to smash through blocks.
Aside from the Wonder Flower, one more brand new power-up was revealed during Super Mario Bros. Wonder's announcement trailer. Right at the end of the trailer, Mario hits a question block, and out pops a fruit in the shape of an elephant's head. Mario picks it up, and transforms into an elephant, complete with dungarees, hat, and mustache. Mario then takes a few lumbering steps forward and uses his trunk to fling a Goomba into the air. It seems likely that this new elephant form will allow Mario to stomp his way through blocks and flick enemies away with his trunk. Throughout the trailer, fans can also spot a few franchise staple power-ups appear. The beginning of the trailer shows the classic Super Mushroom, making Mario big upon consumption, and a Fire Flower can be spotted later on, once again granting the usual ranged attack it always has. Players will also be able to glide through the air using Mario and Peach's hats.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder launches on October 20, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.
