| Super Mario Bros Wonder | |||
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| Release Date | Gameplay & Story | DLC & Pre-Order | Review |
Stop the Castle Browser from invading the Flower Kingdom in Super Mario Bros Wonder. Read on to learn how it plays, what it's about, and everything else we know so far.
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Super Mario Bros Wonder Gameplay
Super Mario Bros. Wonder revitalizes the classic 2D side-scrolling formula by tasking players with navigating the vibrant Flower Kingdom to collect Wonder Seeds and stop a transformed "Castle Bowser." The core gameplay loop focuses on reaching the Goal Pole at the end of each level, notably removing the traditional time limit to encourage thorough exploration and interaction with the environment.
The experience is defined by the unpredictable Wonder Effect, triggered by touching a Wonder Flower, which instantly warps the level’s physics, perspective, or gravity in surreal and imaginative ways. Key features include an expansive roster of playable characters and the introduction of the Badge System, which allows players to equip specific perks like a Parachute Cap or Grappling Vine to customize their movement.
New power-ups like the Elephant Fruit, Bubble Flower, and Drill Mushroom provide fresh combat and traversal options, such as spraying water or burrowing through ceilings. To overcome challenges like high-speed Wiggler Races, hidden Search Party puzzles, and the brutal Special World, players must strategically combine these power-ups and badges to master complex platforming hurdles.
Meetup in Bellabel Park Expansion Updates
The Meetup in Bellabel expansion improves upon the game’s first release, adding new features and technical improvements for Super Mario Bros Wonders’ Nintendo Switch 2 edition.
It introduces Rosalina as a playable character alongside Co-Star Luma, a support ally controlled via the new Mouse Mode
to assist players. The expansion's centerpiece is the Bellabel Park social hub, which features 23 new multiplayer attractions, over 60 challenge missions in Camp Central, and a dedicated side-quest involving Wonder-fied
boss battles against the Koopalings.
Gameplay is further expanded with the Super Flower Pot power-up, a specialized Assist Mode for invincibility, and the ability to use the Badge System within competitive minigames. Technically, the game has been overhauled for the new hardware to support 4K resolution with sharper textures and expanded language localizations.
A new GameShare feature also allows friends to join multiplayer sessions without needing to own the title themselves. This comprehensive update effectively blends new narrative content with significant quality-of-life and visual improvements for the next generation of hardware.
Flower Kingdom Courses
The Flower Kingdom is a new setting surrounded by 6 distinct worlds, adding up to 7 different areas to explore. All of these worlds have their own distinct environment and theme, and each course has its own set of difficulties. The adventure begins in Pipe Rock Plateau, where tubular hills and a menacing-looking enemy ram are featured. SMB Wonder also seems to use smaller courses as a transition between each world.
An icy area was shown and is revealed to be the foot of a frozen mountain that separates Pipe Rock Plateau and Fluff Puff Peaks, making a smooth and fun-filled transition between worlds and providing constant action for players.
The other worlds featured are:
Fluff Puff Peaks, an area with a height theme, making jumping gameplay more thrilling and exciting.
Shining Falls, an area packed with cascading waterfalls and challenges;
The islands of Petal Isles feature water-themed courses for some swimming action, and likewise cave-themed courses for spelunking adventures.
Talking Flowers
Talking Flowers are a new type of character that can be found throughout the courses. You cannot exactly interact with them, but once you get close to one, they’ll talk to you, commenting on the scenery or expressing their surprise and confusion at how you’ve reached a certain part of the course. They’re also able to give you hints and provide direction if you’re stuck somewhere in a course.
Another thing they can give is coins. In the August 2023 Direct presentation, Mario shoots a Talking Flower with water, for which the flower thanked him and dropped coins that were free to collect.
The flowers make for a livelier experience and provide for short, fun interactions as you go through the course. Think of it as though you’ve come across a local in an area who’s not shy in expressing their thoughts to you as you pass through.
Do note that you cannot completely silence the Talking Flowers. Though the game offers you the option to either remove their text boxes or their voices, you won't be allowed to have both at the same time.
Super Mario Bros Wonder New Playable Characters
You’ll be able to play as Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, Yellow Toad, Blue Toad, Toadette, Yoshi, Red Yoshi, Green Yoshi, Yellow Yoshi, Light-Blue Yoshi, and Nabbit. The Direct mentioned that all these characters “all play the same.”
The presentation didn’t go into the specifics, but we assume from what they’ve announced that all characters will have the same abilities and share the same Power Up Transformations, so the experience would pretty much feel like playing one character – just in a different skin.
On one hand, it sounds like the game won’t have the variety that comes with having different unique characters, but on the other hand, it does seem like it’ll create a fair experience overall, as no characters will have an advantage or disadvantage over the other. Also, you won’t feel like you’re missing out on something if you keep playing the same character all throughout.
While each character plays the same role, there are some characters with a difference. Yoshis and Nabbit won’t take damage, but they won’t transform with power-ups. The game sounds like it puts a lot of emphasis on balance. While Yoshis and Nabbit are somewhat OP, like an indestructible turret, you run into the challenge of not being able to take advantage of power-ups. The Yoshis and Nabbit are a great choice for an easygoing experience and for those players who may be less skilled and need a leg up to finish the courses.
Super Mario Bros Wonder Enemies
There are various new enemies being introduced in the game. This includes Hoppycats, Melon Piranha plants, Condarts, Konks, Mumsies, Maw-Maws, and the classic Goombas and Koopa Troopas. These enemies also have different skills that will hinder Mario and his friends in saving the Flower Kingdom from Bowser.
Open Areas and Course Menu
Open Areas allow Mario to freely walk through different areas, choose courses, and play them in the order they want. This means players can replay courses to their hearts’ content, doing away with the linear path that the previous titles were set on.
Each course has its own varying difficulties, so if you’re not quite ready yet to take on the challenge, you can simply go to the course menu and choose the course you’re ready to take on. Or alternatively, you can move around in each of the 6 new worlds via an overworld to select a course.
Super Mario Bros Wonder Power-Ups
Super Form
The ever-reliable Super form characters can take after obtaining a Super Mushroom is back, allowing them to survive one hit without getting incapacitated, break brick blocks, etc.
Elephant Form
All characters, apart from the Yoshis and Nabbit, can transform into an elephant. While in their elephant form, players can use their size and trunk to plow through enemies. Brick blocks can be quickly destroyed using the trunk, making it easier to get through obstacles and to collect items. The elephant form also allows players to store water in the trunk, which can be used to spray water on Talking Flowers and withered flowers, and potentially for other uses.
Bubble Form
In Bubble Form, Mario and friends have the ability to blow bubbles. You can trap enemies in bubbles and turn them into coins inside the bubble. You can also blow 2 bubbles at once, which helps with crowd control, as well as use them as platforms.
Drill Form
Each character will sport a drilling headpiece in the Drill Form. Being a literal human drill will make it easier to deal with enemies that are spiky and hard while also allowing you to drill down and burrow your way through courses. If you are overwhelmed with the sheer number of enemies on the course, you may use evasion tactics by burrowing underneath the ground or even into the ceiling, then popping up to the surface once it’s safe.
Fire Form
The classic Fire Form returns, which allows you to shoot rapid balls of fire and take out multiple enemies at once.
Wonder Flower
The Wonder Flower, which this game seems centered around, is a power-up native to the Flower Kingdom and causes the “Wonder Effect” that changes the course unexpectedly. Courses can transform into a living animation, and things like pipes begin to wriggle like a worm or form waves.
The Wonder Effect affects all the worlds, but it doesn’t seem they are randomized; each Wonder Effect seems to adhere to each world’s design and is unique to each stage. You might expect a “sky freefall” Wonder Effect to only be present in space-theme courses or in a world like Fluff Puff Peaks.
Your character can also transform using the Wonder Flower. You might turn into anything between a spike ball and a goomba, the possibilities can be endless. These effects can be cancelled by using the Wonder Seed, which also functions as a collectible.
Badges with Abilities
Badges are new in-game items that give players special abilities. There are a variety of badges, such as the Parachute Cap, Wall-Climb Jump, Dolphin Kick, Crouching High Jump, Grappling Vine, Safety Bounce, Sensor, Coin Magnet, Invisibility, and Jet Run. These badges help the players to complete a course with ease, depending on the obstacle presented.
Players can only equip one badge per course. There are a total of 24 badges in the game, which include nine Action Badges that endow new abilities to the characters, nine Boost Badges that have a wide variety of utilities, and six Expert Badges, which grant even stronger abilities than the Action Badges. Players can get badges by completing the new Badge Challenges. They’ll also be available for purchase at the shop.
Super Mario Bros Wonder Multiplayer
Local Co-op
Local Co-op is supported by up to 4 players. Online play is also supported. Players will be able to see the “shadows” of other players in the course, showing other people who are playing in real-time. They’ll be able to share game items and place standees in a course to help other players.
Online Multiplayer
With online play, players can create rooms with friends and invite them to join. They can race against friends or complete an objective to win. Something called Heart Points can also be collected when a player helps other players online. It’s unclear whether you’ll be able to use those Heart points for something, or if it’s just there to show off what a good, helpful person you are.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder Story Plot
Mario and friends are invited to the Flower Kingdom by Prince Florian. However, Bowser, the King of the Koopas, interrupts their visit to steal the power of the Wonder Flower. By obtaining the power of the Wonder Flower, Bowser fuses with Prince Florian's castle and wreaks havoc on the Flower Kingdom. It is up to Mario and friends to save the Flower Kingdom from Bowser.
Following suit from all the older Mario games, it's no surprise that the villain for Super Mario Bros Wonder will be Bowser.
Super Mario Bros Wonder Similar Games
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