2023 has been an incredible year for gaming so far—and there’s still plenty of fun in store. Nintendo recently shared its upcoming lineup for the rest of this year. And while games like Detective Pikachu Returns, WarioWare: Move It!, and Super Mario RPG all look impressive, the real star of the show is Super Mario Bros. Wonder.
Between the recent Super Mario Bros. Wonder Direct showcase, an in-depth Nintendo Treehouse: Live presentation, and other gameplay sneak peeks, 2D Mario fans have plenty of morsels to chomp on. Thankfully, we don’t have to wait much longer until the highly anticipated platformer comes to Nintendo Switch on October 20.
Need reasons to look forward to Mario’s latest adventure? Here are six new features in Super Mario Bros. Wonder I can’t wait to experience:
1. Explore a Whole New Kingdom
Goodbye, Mushroom Kingdom, and hello, Flower Kingdom!
The Flower Kingdom consists of the kingdom itself, located within the Petal Isles, along with six surrounding worlds for a total of seven areas to explore on your quest to defeat Bowser. With stunning backdrops like Pipe-Rock Plateau, Fluff-Puff Peaks, and Shining Falls, our favorite Italian plumber will run, hop, and soar about in style.
While the worlds are slightly reminiscent of older 2D Mario worlds, it’s easy to notice the love and attention brought to these new environments. When exploring each world, you can play courses in any order you choose, as levels have varying difficulties. As someone who loves charting my own path, I feel seen. I can’t wait to get lost exploring the Flower Kingdom!
2. Princess Daisy Is Now a Playable Character
While I’m more of a Princess Peach gal myself, I am thrilled to see a new character added to the roster. The hype for Daisy is understandably high—and the story behind why she was added to the game is even better. Super Mario Bros. Wonder director Shiro Mouri stated in an interview that he added the underappreciated princess to the game to dissolve fights in his household. As the father of two daughters who play other co-op Mario titles, Mouri decided to add Daisy to the game so his daughters wouldn’t fight about who gets to play Princess Peach. How adorable!
If you’re not a fan of Daisy, no worries! You can play as Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, two different Toads, Toadette, Yoshi, and Nabbit. All characters play the same, with the exception of Yoshi and Nabbit, which prevent you from taking damage for an easier gameplay experience.
3. Take on New Enemies
You can’t have new worlds to explore without new enemies to defeat. Super Mario Bros. Wonder features a plethora of fresh foes, including Hoppycats, which copy Mario’s movements; Melon Piranha Plants, which spit seeds at you; and Condarts, which dive at you from afar. There are also old favorites, like Goombas, Koopa Troopas, Boos, and Lakitus.
I’m particularly looking forward to Maw-Maws, which chase you with their wide open mouths and try to eat anything in sight—including you!
4. Collect Exciting Power-Ups
We need to address the elephant in the room—Mario and his friends can turn into ELEPHANTS, now? And they can defeat enemies and break blocks with their TRUNK? Are you excited? Because I am.
You can now also capture and defeat enemies by using the Bubble powerup. With this, Mario’s hat turns bubblegum pink and he blows bubbles in his enemies’ way. Even through walls, you can take bad guys down with one simple blow. You can also do a Cappy-esque move by blowing a bubble, then hopping on it like a platform. Oh, how this move makes me wish we had a sequel to Super Mario Odyssey!
The Drill powerup lets you burrow underground (or even into the ceiling) to navigate levels and get past enemies. Each character wears the drill on their head, letting you jump to hit enemies, ground pound to drill down, and more. Also, if you haven’t seen Peach’s drill dress, you should—it’s très chic.
5. Discover Game-Changing Wonder Effects
As the Direct suggests, Bowser is after a mysterious power that the Flower Kingdom possesses. Where is that mysterious power being stored? In a Wonder Flower.
When you touch a Wonder Flower, the powers will release something called a Wonder Effect, and the course becomes this trippy scene unlike anything we have seen in previous Mario platformers. Pipes move, enemies stampede, the course tilts, gravity ceases to exist, and so much more. It’s so wacky, so unexpected, and I am so ready for this wild ride. Throughout these trips, you can even collect Wonder Seeds which return the course back to normal and can be used to unlock new courses.
6. Outfit Mario With Helpful Badges
In-game badges can be unlocked throughout your playthrough, each of which provides you with a unique special ability. There are 20+ badges in total, including the Parachute Cap, which lets you glide and extend your jump; the Dolphin Kick, which increases your speed and power underwater; and the Grappling Vine, which lets you grapple and stick to walls. These badges look incredible and will hopefully add layers of charm to your experience.
Final Thoughts
Overall, Super Mario Bros. Wonder seems like a delightful new addition to the beloved Nintendo franchise. The features I listed above are just the tip of the iceberg, as there is bound to be so much more to discover. This game isn’t even out yet, and I am mentally preparing myself for multiple playthroughs. Moreover, with local co-op and online play, this will be a wonderful (pun-intended) addition to your Nintendo Switch collection to play for years to come.
What features from the Super Mario Bros. Wonder Direct have you most excited? Let us know in the comments below!
