Super Mario Bros. Wonder Direct Reveals New Gameplay

Written by Brandon Hofer on August 31, 2023

News: This new Mario is just under two months away but you can get a look now at what we can expect upon release.

In today’s Super Mario Bros. Wonder Direct video presentation, Nintendo showed nearly 15 minutes of footage featuring new gameplay, new power-ups and transformative Wonder effects from the upcoming Nintendo Switch game, which launches on Oct. 20.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder is the next evolution in Mario 2D side scrolling. There is a new Flower Kingdom to explore and a varied roster of playable characters heading your way. With a new kingdom comes a new item, called Wonder Flowers. These items will completely change things up with surprising effects that you won’t believe.

Just ahead of Mario’s new adventure, a Mario-themed Nintendo Switch – OLED Model: Mario Red Edition will be available in stores on Oct. 6 at a suggested retail price of $349.99. The system, along with its two Joy-Con controllers and Nintendo Switch dock, all sport the iconic Mario Red color. A silhouette design of Mario jumps into action on the back of the dock.

In Super Mario Bros. Wonder, the benevolent Prince Florian invites Mario and his friends to the Flower Kingdom – a not-so-distant land just beyond the Mushroom Kingdom. But Bowser, the King of the Koopas, has other plans. With just a single touch of the mysterious Wonder Flower, Bowser merges with Prince Florian’s castle. Thanks to his newfound power, chaos spreads across the land. Now it’s up to Mario and pals to stop Bowser and save the Flower Kingdom.

Here are just a handful of the features and highlights that players can experience on this adventure:

A Kingdom Teeming with Variety: The Flower Kingdom is made up of six distinct worlds that circle the Petal Isles, giving you a total of seven areas to explore. Traverse multiple islands, dive into the sea and spelunk through caves. A rich variety of courses await in each world, and you can even walk freely through open areas you find on the world map.

Wondering About Wonder Effects? Expect the unexpected: Wonder Flowers thrive off this world’s mysterious power and release it when in bloom. When you touch a Wonder Flower in a course, a Wonder effect will trigger, causing dramatic changes. Pipes might start moving, the terrain may tilt, your perspective can change or you might float through space. There are even Wonders that can transform your character into a Goomba or a Spike-Ball.

Charismatic Characters at Your Command: Besides Mario, you can also play as Luigi, Peach, Daisy, Blue Toad or Yellow Toad, and even Toadette. They all play the same, so go with your favorite or mix it up with someone different. Yoshis and Nabbit won’t take damage, so they’re a smart choice if you’re looking for a more easygoing experience.

Plenty of Power-ups: Super Mario Bros. Wonder features the debut of new power-ups such as the Elephant Fruit, which allows Mario and some of his friends to transform into Elephant form. Throw around your weight – and your nose – as you swing your trunk to attack enemies, destroy blocks and dash across large gaps. The Bubble form allows you to blow floating bubbles that can be used to capture enemies from a distance. The Drill form makes dealing with spiky or hard-headed enemies a breeze. It also allows you to burrow and move through the ground.

Don’t Let Your Enemies Get the Best of You: When it comes to enemies, you’ll encounter new treacherous ones while traipsing through the Flower Kingdom. Hoppycats will copy you and jump when you jump. Melon Piranha Plants spit seeds from their mouths. Condarts will fly at you and stick their beaks into your business. Maw-Maws will eat anything that comes too close to their gaping mouths. There are many new enemies for you to discover.

Equip a Badge to Mix It Up: As your adventure progresses, you’ll be able to earn a variety of different in-game badges, each with its own special ability. In local multiplayer, each group of players will use the same badge. Check out some of the fun options available:

- Enhance your wall-jumping abilities with the Wall-Climb Jump badge.
- Equip the Dolphin Kick badge to unleash an underwater burst of speed.
- Charge up a bounding leap with the Crouching High Jump badge.
- Shoot vines in mid-air and stick to walls with the Grappling Vine badge.
- For a double-edged sword and an additional challenge, become invisible to your enemies (and yourself) with the Invisibility badge.

Multiply the Fun with Local Multiplayer: Up to four people can play locally on the same Nintendo Switch system. If a player is defeated in local co-op**, their character will float around the course as a ghost. If another player reaches them before time runs out, they’ll jump right back into action, and the group won’t lose any lives. If someone is playing as a Yoshi, you can jump on their back and ride them around the course. Giddy-up!

Jump into Online Play: While playing online, you have the option of creating a room to get together with friends. In a shared room, you can see which courses your friends are playing, play the same one together and even turn most courses into a friendly race. Even when playing solo, if you connect online, you can see other players from around the world in courses and on the world map enjoying the game in real time, appearing as live player shadows. You can come back to life by bumping into a live player shadow here too. Plus, you can assist fellow online players by placing a standee that they can use to revive ghosts. Place them creatively in challenging areas to really help someone out. The game will even display how many people have used your standee assist.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder launches at select retailers, in Nintendo eShop on Nintendo Switch and in the My Nintendo Store on Nintendo.com on Oct. 20 at a suggested retail price of $59.99. For players who are ready to hop into the Flower Kingdom as soon as the game launches, pre-orders are now available.