Originally revealed in June, Super Mario Bros. Wonder had its own Direct event today, showcasing about 15 minutes of gameplay and giving us an in-depth look at the first 2D side-scrolling Super Mario Bros. game in more than 10 years. Set to launch October 20 on the Nintendo Switch, Super Mario Bros. Wonder will have players exploring a new Flower Kingdom with a varied roster of playable characters including Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, Blue Toad, Yellow Toad, Toadette, Yoshi, and Nabbit. For players looking for a more easygoing experience can choose to play as a Yoshi or Nabbit, and they won’t take any damage.
One of the biggest features heading to the game is Wonder Flowers, which are game-changing items that will create surprising effects. We got a tease of these in the announcement trailer, but today, we learned more about the Wonder Flowers and some of the effects they cause. From pipes moving to tilting terrain, players may even transform into a Goomba or Spike-Ball.
Setting the stage for the story, Mario and his friends are invited to the Flower Kingdom by Prince Florian. The Flower Kingdom is a not-so-distant land just beyond the Mushroom Kingdom, and of course, Bowser makes an appearance. After touching a Wonder Flower, Bowser merges with Prince Florian’s castle and chaos begins to spread across the land. It’s, once again, up to Mario and company to stop Bowser and this time, save the Flower Kingdom. Players can explore seven areas in the Flower Kingdom, with the ability to walk freely through open areas they unlock on the world map.
It wouldn’t be a Super Mario Bros. game if it wasn’t full of power-ups. The Elephant Fruit caused quite the stir in June, and now we know that it will transform any of Mario and his friends into Elephant form. This gives players the ability to throw around their weight and trunk. There’s also Bubble form, that allows players to blow floating bubbles to capture enemies from a distance. Nintendo also revealed the Drill form, which makes it easier to deal with spiky or hard-headed enemies. Players are also able to burrow and move through the ground in Drill form.
The Super Mario Bros. Wonder Direct also revealed different in-game badges, each of which has its own special ability. Some of the ones that were revealed today include the Wall-Climb Jump badge, which enhances wall-jumping abilities. There was also the Dolphin Kick badge, that unleashes an underwater burst of speed, and the Crouching high Jump badge that allows players to charge up a bounding leap. Two more badges that were shown include the Grappling Vine badge that allows players to shoot vines in mid-air and stick to walls, and the Invisibility badge, which does as the name suggests, making players invisible to enemies and themselves.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder will offer up to four-player local co-op. If a player is defeated in local co-op, their character will float around as a ghost. If another player is able to reach them before time runs out, they’ll respawn back into action and the group won’t lose any lives. If one player is playing as Yoshi, who is objectively the best character in the Mario universe, other players can jump on Yoshi’s back and ride them around the course. Yes, including Elephant Mario. Poor Yoshi.
The game will also feature online play, allowing players to create rooms to join friends. In the shared room, players can see what courses their friends are playing, and play the same one together and even turn most stages into a friendly race. Even playing solo has its perks by connecting online. Players can see other players from around the world in courses and on the world map, appearing as live player shadows. By bumping into a live player’s shadow, players can come back to life. They can also assist fellow online players by placing a standee that they can use to revive ghosts.
All in all, Super Mario Bros. Wonder looks set to continue the longstanding tradition of 2D platforming fun. We can’t wait for its release in October.
Don’t own a Switch? Nintendo also unveiled a new Switch OLED Mario Red Edition today.
