Highlights

  • Super Mario Bros. Wonder has the potential to resurrect a gimmick from Paper Mario titles, adding a creative and unexpected twist to the game.
  • The Wonder Flower power-up, with its reality-altering effects, steals the show and could bring a new level design experience to traditional 2D Mario platformers.
  • Super Mario Bros. Wonder could introduce levels with different perspectives, providing unique challenges and adding variety to the game, similar to the mine cart stages in Donkey Kong Country.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder could be in a prime position to resurrect a gimmick from one of the classic Paper Mario titles. For what looks to be one of the most creative Super Mario adventures in years, Super Mario Bros. Wonder has a lot of opportunities to do things that are outside the box. Its reveal trailer alone did a good job of characterizing the game as a weird and wild adventure for Nintendo's most famous hero. Even so, a game full of unexpected twists can be served well with a few bursts of nostalgia here and there.

It's already clear that Super Mario Bros. Wonder is breaking conventions, being a return to the 2D Super Mario platformers that turned Mario into a household name in the first place. At the same time, it seems destined to pave a path all its own with the new features that were shown off at its initial announcement. Daisy is joining the brothers and Peach on an adventure for the first time, and a few new power-ups have been unveiled as well that will surely see plenty of use. Most notable among them would be the Wonder Flower, whose reality-altering effects easily stole the show.

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Super Paper Mario's Dimensions Could Influence Super Mario Bros. Wonder

Paper Mario on a 3D path

Although it may not be as popular as fan favorite Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Super Paper Mario introduced an idea that could see good use in Super Mario Bros. Wonder. In Super Paper Mario, Mario had the ability to flip between dimensions at the press of a button. This would often transform levels, revealing paths or secrets that wouldn't have been accessible to Mario in the usual 2D perspective. Even though the game jettisoned a lot of the Paper Mario series' traditional mechanics, the dimension-flipping proved to be a good gimmick for the game, making for a highly entertaining adventure.

Super Paper Mario's 2D and 3D perspectives could find a surprisingly fitting place among the new features of Super Mario Bros. Wonder. The Wonder Flower's powers can warp levels in unexpected ways, from summoning a stampede of Reznors to bringing pipes to life. Compared to those effects, flipping the perspective of a level may not be as out of place as one may expect. The Wonder Flower's effects are all about bringing drastic changes to the game, and few changes would be as great as flipping the level's dimensions. It could bring a sort of level design that hasn't been tried in traditional 2D Mario platformers before.

A few levels that make players play from a different perspective could bring a unique challenge to the game. Super Mario Bros. Wonder will be difficult in addition to quirky, and it's safe to assume that the antics of the Wonder Flower will play a role in its challenges. Similar to the mine cart stages from Donkey Kong Country, adding a level that players have to approach differently from the others every once in a while adds a healthy dose of variety to the game. It keeps the game interesting while giving players new challenges to adapt to, a concept that Super Mario Bros. Wonder is perfectly suited for.

Mario's next adventure has already hinted that players will have a lot to look forward to. While the confirmed information on Super Mario Bros. Wonder promises players a wild ride, Super Paper Mario's signature mechanic could help put the game over the top. The Paper Mario and Super Mario titles virtually never overlap, but this could be a perfect opportunity to bridge a gap between those worlds. Super Paper Mario could be a fantastic inspiration for part of Super Mario Bros. Wonder's greatest gimmick if Nintendo desires.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder will be released on October 20, 2023.

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