Today August 31, Nintendo showcased extended gameplay of Super Mario Bros. Wonder at their Direct focused on the game.
This is the first traditional side-scrolling game in the Super Mario Bros. title since New Super Mario Bros. U.
This also means that this is the first brand-new side-scrolling Mario game on the Nintendo Switch. It only took them six years.
New Playable Characters
Now it’s time to cover everything that was shown at the direct. This game will have more than just Mario and Luigi as characters to play as. You’ll be able to choose from Peach, Daisy, Multiple Yoshis, Nabbit, Toads and Toadette.
Related: Nintendo’s Super Mario Bros. Wonder Direct Date Announcement Revealed
As you can see in the image above, Yoshis and Nabbit will not be able to take damage but as a counter to that, they also won’t be able to transform with the power-ups. Those two are the perfect characters to pick if you want an easy and chill time when playing the game.
New Kingdom, New Map
After being invited to the Flower Kingdom but Prince Florian, Bowser interrupts and interacts with the Wonder Flower. By doing so, he merges with Prince Florian’s castle and gains new power which he uses to spread chaos across the land.
It’s Mario and friends’ job to stop Bowser and save the Flower Kingdom. The game might not take place in the Mushroom Kingdom but things are still similar.
There are six worlds that circle the Petal Isles, giving you seven areas that you can explore. Courses will be waiting for you in each world and you’ll be given the opportunity to walk freely through open areas once you discover them on the world map.
Power-Up Galore
Like any Mario game, Power-Ups make a return. While we have some returning ones like the firepower that everyone knows so well, we have some new ones that fit the weirdness of this game.
The first Power-Up is the Elephant form which we saw in the announcement trailer. It allows you to swing your trunk to attack enemies, destroy blocks and dash across large gaps.
The next Power-Up is the Bubble form which gives you the ability to blow floating bubbles which can be used to capture enemies from a distance.
Related: ‘The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’ First Impression Review
The final new Power-Up showcased is my favourite and that’s the Drill form. With this, you can now deal with those pesky spikey or hard-headed enemies without any worry.
It’ll also allow you to burrow and move through the ground to get to places or hidden items that were unreachable before.
Badges
Another new addition to Super Mario Bros. Wonder is the Badges system. As you progress in your journey, you’ll be able to earn a variety of in-game badges, which each have their own special ability. When playing in local multiplayer, each group of players will be using the same badge. Here are 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
Multiplayer
When it comes to the multiplayer in this game, you’ll have the chance to play with up to four people locally on one Nintendo Switch.
If a player gets defeated then they’ll begin to float around the course as a ghost. You’ll have until the time runs out to reach them and bring them right back into the action so that you don’t lose a life.
In terms of Online play, you can now create a room to get together with friends, in this room, you can see which courses your friends are playing.
Even if you’re playing solo, if you’re connected online, you’ll be able to see other players from around the world in courses and on the world map in real-time playing alongside you as live player shadows.
You will have the chance to assist online players by placing a standee that they can use to revive ghosts.
Wrap Up
That’s everything that was shown at the Super Mario Bros. Wonder Direct. The game is only two months away from release and I’m sure Nintendo will have more to show before the game drops.
If you want to keep up with Super Mario Bros. Wonder then make sure to follow CoveredGeekly’s socials and keep an eye on the website where we’ll keep you updated on all the news.
