Highlights
- Super Mario Bros. Wonder introduces new power-ups like the Elephant form, Bubble form, and Drill form, which have unique abilities and can be utilized by various characters.
- The game also features familiar power-ups like the Fire Flower, as well as the Item Balloon which allows players to carry an extra power-up.
- In addition to the new power-ups, Super Mario Bros. Wonder offers new online features, a badge system, a captivating story setup, an expansive world map, and more.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder, surprising no one, is going to include some new power-ups. These new forms were announced and/or detailed in the Super Mario Bros. Wonder Direct.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder was first announced in the June 2023 Nintendo Direct and is poised to shake up Mario's 2D outings as we know them, following seven years of New Super Mario Bros. adventures and a 10-year hiatus that followed. The art direction is new, the setting is new, and even Mario's voice is new, following Charles Martinet's recent retirement from the role. Needless to say, it's certainly a game to look out for this Fall, and not just for avid Nintendo fans. As such, Nintendo decided to keep the hype train chugging with a new Nintendo Direct centered exclusively on this title.
In a particular section of the recent 15-minute presentation, the narrator described different power-ups that can be utilized by almost everyone in the expansive playable roster. The Elephant form, briefly introduced in Super Mario Bros. Wonder's announcement trailer, allows the character to use their trunk to swat enemies, break blocks, and store water to spew at foes and flowers alike. They can also dash across wide gaps and even repel projectiles. The Bubble form lets the player spew homing bubbles from their hands that trap and defeat enemies even through walls, and can also function as single-use trampolines. The Drill form lets the characters burrow through floors and ceilings, take out more durable enemies by touching them from below, and break tough blocks with a ground pound.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder Power-Ups List
- Bubble
- Drill
- Elephant
- Fire
In addition, the Fire Flower, a mainstay in most Mario titles, was shown off a little bit more than in the reveal trailer, although its mechanics have not changed since New Super Mario Bros. U. Another tool is the Item Balloon, which lets players carry an extra power-up in case they're in a pinch, or simply swap between it and their current one depending on the scenario. Not exactly a new feature, but the balloon-like stylization is certainly unique.
Of course, these power-ups were far from the only things confirmed for Super Mario Bros. Wonder. New online features were shown off, alongside an ingenious badge system hearkening back to the older Paper Mario entries, the story setup, the expansive and interactive world map, and even more. Combine this title with the Super Mario RPG remake and the billion-grossing Super Mario Bros. Movie, it's pretty clear that 2023 is Mario's year.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder released for Nintendo Switch on October 20, 2023.
