Super Mario Bros. Wonder sneak peek: the zany new 2D Mario game
9.10.2023
Translation: Patrik Stainbrook
I got to play Super Mario Bros. Wonder before its release on 20 October. I’m already convinced this game could be one of the best 2D Marios of all time.
No less than eleven years have passed since the last 2D game starring Nintendo’s pudgy plumber was released. The last time the jump’n’run icon hopped around a 2D world was 2012’s New Super Mario Bros. U. Super Mario Bros. Wonder now wants to clearly stand out from the stale and formulaic gameplay of the New Super Mario Bros. series with crazy game concepts.
I already spent a few hours with the game before release, fighting my way through several Flower Kingdom levels. I’ll summarise the highlights from my short gaming session and tell you which aspects of the game I’m still concerned about.
My three favourite levels… for now
In the limited playtime I had for this preview, I mainly tested early levels and some sections further into the game. This much in advance: I’m overwhelmed by the abundance of first impressions. I would love to write a separate article about each level, so much tends to happen in such a short time.
For now, I’ve summarised the highlights across three levels. They include all the cool moments, big and small, that I’ve experienced so far in Super Mario Bros. Wonder.
Welcome to the Flower Kingdom: strangely familiar
Before jumping into level one, I select one of twelve characters. It doesn’t really matter who I play, they all control the same. The multicoloured Yoshis and little Nabbit don’t take damage – they’re basically Easy Mode. I go for the classic and decide on Mario. Level one goes for that classic feel, too.
Source: Nintendo
Of course. Every Mario game needs the obligatory opening world with idyllic grassy plains and basic Goomba enemies. Super Mario Bros. Wonder starts just the same, the traditional entry level. I set off, destroying a few brown bricks and Goombas before activating a question mark block that sprouts a 1-up mushroom. So far, so Mario.
What I quickly notice, however, is that the world looks much more… alive. Foliage blows through the air, butterflies fly by, Goombas sleep peacefully and I’m accompanied through the level by talking plants – Talking Flowers, to be exact. Yep, with real voices. It all feels so familiar and yet completely new.
And then comes the moment I’ve been looking forward to since the reveal trailer. I find an elephant power-up. Mario eats the strangely shaped mushroom (or is it an apple?) and turns into the mighty pachyderm creature.
Source: Nintendo
Even though I’m much larger now, I’m not any slower. I’m still moving through the environment at Mario speed. Using my trunk, I bat annoying foes into the stratosphere – it’s insanely hilarious – and water various plants in the area from a nearby well, discovering hidden secrets. After only a few minutes of play, I’m already convinced. The elephant is one of my absolute favourite power-ups.
The next highlight follows quickly thereafter. I find my first Wonder Flower. These luminous plants are hidden across levels, letting anarchy and chaos reign in your game world for a short time. You never know what to expect when you find one. And I really mean never.
In this level, the green pipes start dancing. These otherwise immobile objects suddenly gain eyes and move to the beat of the music. One pipe snakes forward like a drunken earthworm and Elephant Mario proceeds to ride the glorious thing. What a wacky game.
Source: Domagoj Belancic
The insanity lasts until I find a Wonder Seed. These collectibles also unlock new levels later in the game. Great, great, great job, Nintendo. THIS is what an introduction to a Mario game has to look like.
Keep Rollin’: I mess everything up
Further into the game now, and I already mess up a level right from the off. To my left, a crumbling brick wall. To my right, spikey balls are rolling to and fro. I’ve got one more elephant power-up stored and decide to use it. Maybe I can shoot these balls through the wall with my trunk? Hey presto, I can move the balls as Elephant Mario. However, launching them against the weak spot on the wall doesn’t work. I swing my trunk again and again, all for naught.
At this point, the game is probably screaming at me. «Hey, maybe there’s another solution to your problem!» Don’t care plus didn’t ask. Brain off, head down, into the wall. Or to put it another way, ball to the wall. I don’t give up. And indeed, I somehow manage to launch the spiked ball with my trunk in such a way that it flies through the air in a high arc and breaks part of the wall.
I run through the opening, arriving in a huge and completely empty area of the level. Weird. Something’s off here. Eh, whatever, on we trot. In a large chamber, I’m greeted by three Talking Flowers who all scold me. «How did you get in here?» the first flower wants to know. The second one is just passive-aggressive: «You’ve messed everything up now.» And the third reprimands me: «Everything must stay in order here, please».
Source: Domagoj Belancic
Sweet! I broke the game. I don’t really get a reward for this – still, the annoyed flowers are more than enough. I go back to the start and try to figure out what the game actually wants from me. I quickly realise the crumbling wall can be conquered by finding a Wonder Flower. When I use it, I’m suddenly pursued through the level by a giant spiked ball. This knocks out any foe and automatically destroys all obstacles – including the crumbling wall I was struggling with.
I’m curious whether I’ll find more secrets and Sequence Breaks in later levels as well.
Source: Domagoj Belancic
Hungry, hungry Maw-Maws: now the roles are reversed
Another level further into the game. I start off seeing a Goomba being eaten by a weird critter with a huge mouth – a Maw-Maw. A Talking Flower comments on the tragedy: «Aaah! Glad I’m not a Goomba.» I couldn’t agree more. Luckily, Luigi can easily handle Maw-Maws – two stomps on the head and they’re done for.
So I casually jump through the level, knocking out Maw-Maws and Goombas, fun times for all. And then… then I find the Wonder Flower. And guess what it does? Well? Yep, you’re on the money. It transforms me into a gormless Goomba. I can’t even jump any more! I have to sneak through the level (yes, sneak!) and dodge hungry Maw-Maws to get to my dearly desired Wonder Seed. What a creative level idea! I hope that later on I’ll be able to play as Goomba again.
Source: Domagoj Belancic
Other things I noticed
These particular levels aside, I got to let off steam in a few other locales. Here’s what caught my eye.
Excellent facial animation for characters
Every playable character has an incredibly expressive face. Their face changes realistically with every action I take. Sometimes Mario looks around happily, sometimes concentrated, sometimes panicked – a massive difference compared to the New Super Mario Bros. games. Enemies also react to my actions with their faces. Just look at those Goombas when they realise they’re about to be flattened by a 20-tonne elephant Toadette. Glorious!
Source: Domagoj Belancic
The sound effects… Chef’s Kiss
The soundscape in Super Mario Bros. Wonder is beautifully realised. Every action – be it enemies or your character – is accompanied by a matching sound effect. I especially enjoy the drum roll when my character goes for a cannon ball, as well as the subsequent hi-hat hit when he lands. «Ba-dum Tss,» in a way.
The online features have potential
Super Mario Bros. Wonder offers an astonishing number of online features for a Nintendo game. These aren’t segregated in a separate mode, but integrated into the main game. For example, I see the ghosts of other players in levels. They’re either playing at the same time as me or data from earlier runs.
I particularly like that these ghosts keep giving me clues to hidden secrets throughout their journey. Another nice side effect is that when I die, I turn into a floating phantom. As a phantom, if I touch a ghost within five seconds, I don’t lose any lives and can continue playing seamlessly.
Source: YouTube/Nintendo
I can’t yet judge how useful or fun the online features are – there aren’t enough players online yet. But this integration definitely has potential. If you don’t like ghostly gamers, you can turn the feature off. Besides this passive feature, there are also dedicated online modes I can play with friends. I haven’t tried those yet.
The other power-ups are also quite funny
In addition to the elephant power-up, I also tried the new soap and drill power-ups. With the former, I summon soap bubbles at the touch of a button to trap enemies and turn them into gold coins. I can also use the bubbles as platforms to hop off.
With the drill, my character can bury himself in the ground and drill through crystals and blocks. Both items are well implemented and give me new mobility options. They don’t quite come close to my new favourite power-up, though.
Source: Domagoj Belancic
What still worries me
Super Mario Bros. Wonder includes a perk system for the first time. Before starting a level, I choose a badge for my character. It has an influence on gameplay – sometimes more, sometimes less.
There are badges that allow my character to be controlled differently. I can leap higher and longer with the Floating High Jump. Other badges, on the other hand, are passive and affect how many gold coins I receive, for example. And again other badges are just ridiculous. For example, the Invisibility badge makes my character completely translucent.
Source: Screenshot: Domagoj Belancic
A decent concept, but I have two problems with the system so far. First, the badges take away some functionality standard to other Mario games, such as the Crouching High Jump (when I crouch, Mario hops higher). A shame, and it limits me instead of providing additional freedom.
Second, the game so far doesn’t motivate me to try all the badges. I have my two to three favourites that I rotate between and I never touch the other badges. Why should I – I’m not forced to experiment in the levels. At least not yet. I’d like to see a bit more pressure to use all the badges in the rest of the game. However, this is only a small blemish, and it hasn’t dampened my enjoyment of the game too much. Super Mario Bros. Wonder has potential to be one of the best 2D Marios of all time.
Got any questions about the game? Write a comment and I’ll try to answer your questions in the detailed review I’m about to write.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder will be released on 20 October for Nintendo Switch. Nintendo kindly gave me a copy of the game to try. A detailed review of the full game will follow next week.
Domagoj Belancic
Senior Editor
Domagoj.Belancic@digitecgalaxus.chMy love of video games was unleashed at the tender age of five by the original Gameboy. Over the years, it's grown in leaps and bounds.
