Super Mario Bros. Wonder

Super Mario Bros. Wonder is an upcoming side-scrolling platform game in the Super Mario series for the Nintendo Switch. It was first announced during the June 2023 Nintendo Direct, and is set to be released worldwide on October 20, 2023. It is the first new full-fledged 2D Super Mario game since New Super Mario Bros. U released almost 11 years prior and also the first game in the franchise to feature the succeeding voice actor(s) for Charles Martinet.

A dedicated Nintendo Direct for the game titled the "Super Mario Bros. Wonder Direct" broadcasted on August 31, 2023 at 7:00 a.m. PT / 10:00 a.m. ET.

Overview
Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a -style platformer that supports both single-player and simultaneous multiplayer modes. Its art direction is reminiscent of the New Super Mario Bros. series of games, incorporating changes such as updated character designs and new sets of animations.

Alongside Mario and Luigi, several other characters are also playable, including Princess Peach, Princess Daisy, Yellow Toad, Blue Toad, Toadette, Yoshis of four different colors, and Nabbit. Their moveset features standard abilities, for instance the Wall Jump and the Ground Pound. The Yoshis retain their Flutter Jump, ability to use their tongue, and can also be used as a mount, and they and Nabbit do not take any damage from enemies. The players can receive new abilities by consuming power-ups, both returning and brand new ones, such as an elephant-themed fruit.

The signature feature of the game is the Wonder Flower, a power-up that changes the world around Mario and friends in unique and strange ways, examples including bringing Warp Pipes to life and causing themselves and elements of the stage to stretch upward. Also revolving around the "Wonder" theme are the Wonder Seeds and purple coins, prominent collectibles. Another notable addition are Talking Flowers, non-playable characters that populate the levels and comment on the events and gimmicks nearby.

The game takes place in a location distinct from its predecessors, and foregoes some of their established elements while featuring new level themes, such as autumnal forests and savannas. The hub consists of a contiguous world map, similar to that of New Super Mario Bros. U, where each level is represented by a 3D modeled icon, as in Super Mario 3D World. Also similar to both games, levels have unique names. Each one is also assigned a difficulty rating in-game, a feature only found previously in Super Mario Maker 2's Story Mode.

Plot
The game's plot focuses on Mario and company being invited to the Flower Kingdom, ruled by Prince Florian, when Bowser suddenly appears, along with Kamek and Bowser Jr. Bowser then takes hold of the Wonder Flower, merging himself, his Koopa Clown Car, and Prince Florian's castle to become a flying fortress, wreaking havoc across the land and trapping the Poplins in their homes. Mario and the gang (including Prince Florian, the Yoshis, and Nabbit) must then set off on a journey to defeat Bowser and save the Flower Kingdom.

Playable characters
Counting the colored Toads and Yoshis separately, Super Mario Bros. Wonder features a total of 12 playable characters, the most playable characters in a mainline Super Mario game. Among them, Daisy and the Yoshis are playable for the first time in a home console Super Mario game after being previously playable in Super Mario Run. Much like Nabbit in New Super Luigi U, the Yoshis and Nabbit are invincible to enemy attacks, but also cannot obtain power-ups. Additionally, the Yoshis retain their abilities to Flutter Jump, use their tongues, and allow other characters to ride them.

All descriptions are from the Super Mario Bros. Wonder page on the Nintendo website.

Levels
The game is set in the Flower Kingdom, and has six different worlds, as well as a central area to which all of them connect, Petal Isles. Each level contains at least two Wonder Seeds, one of which is obtained by finding the level's Wonder Flower and reaching the end of the Wonder Effect section, and the other obtained by reaching the end of the level and grabbing the Goal Pole. Some levels also have a hidden third Wonder Seed which is obtained by finding a secret exit. Additionally, every level hides three 10-flower coins, which behave similarly to the Star Coins from the New Super Mario Bros. series, the Star Medals from Super Mario 3D Land, and the Green Stars from Super Mario 3D World.

In addition to the main levels, there are also smaller, bonus levels, all of which have one Wonder Seed, obtained by completing the level:
 * Break Time! levels are short levels with a specific objective in order to obtain the Wonder Seed.
 * Badge Challenge levels involve using the abilities of a particular badge in order to reach the goal. The player is also rewarded with the badge upon completing the level. Despite their short length, they still hold three 10-flower coins in them.
 * Wiggler Race levels involve racing a Wiggler wearing roller skates to the goal.

Each location of the Flower Kingdom has a corresponding color for its Wonder Flowers, Wonder Seeds, and interactable tulip-like flowers.

Items and objects
New items and objects are indicated by an asterisk (*).

Badges
A new element in this game are badges. Obtained either by completing a Badge Challenge or buying them with flower coins in a Poplin Shop, the player can equip their character with a badge before starting a level or after losing a life. There are a total of 24 badges, including nine Action Badges, which add new abilities to the characters, nine Boost Badges, which assist the player during gameplay, and six Expert Badges, which grant an advanced skill to the characters.

Staff
Super Mario Bros. Wonder was produced by Takashi Tezuka and directed by Shiro Mouri, who previously served as the programming director for New Super Mario Bros. U and director for New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe.

Promotion
By pre-ordering the game through 's website, customers receive a trading card pack containing ten cards along with the game. 1,000 holofoil cards depicting Elephant Mario will be distributed in the card packs. By pre-ordering the game through the My Nintendo Store in Europe, customers receive an Elephant Fruit stress ball and pins depicting an Elephant Fruit, Talking Flower, and Wonder Flower. A bundle containing the game, a Talking Flower resin figure, 2D diorama, and magnets using the game's promotional artwork is also available in Europe. In Australia, customers who pre-order the game through also receive the Elephant Fruit stress ball.

Descriptions

 * Nintendo Australia website: Classic Mario side-scrolling gameplay is turned on its head with the addition of Wonder Flowers! These game-changing items trigger spectacular moments you have to see to believe. Witness pipes coming alive, wreak havoc as a giant spiky ball, and see even more unexpected events called Wonder Effects.

References to other media

 * Mario Bros.: An arrangement of the phase start tune (for Phase 2 onwards) can be heard at the beginning of one song, which was used during the Mario Red Edition Nintendo Switch – OLED Model's introduction in the Super Mario Bros. Wonder Direct.
 * Super Mario Bros.: Mario's jumping animation closely resembles the he makes on the Japanese box art from this game. Several notes from the ending fanfare are played at the beginning of the intro cutscene.
 * Super Mario Bros. 2: The Power Squat Jump move reappears as the Crouching High Jump badge, and Luigi's high jump and Scuttle return as the Floating High Jump badge. Peach's Floating Jump is also stated to return as another equipable badge.
 * Super Mario Bros. 3: Boos are redesigned with smaller eyes and highly-raised eyebrows like in this game's artwork. The Enemy Course theme is reused in the Trottin' Piranha Plants minigame.
 * Super Mario World: Several of Mario's animations are similar to the ones in this game. The digging sound when using the Drill powerup resembles the sound effect for when a block is broken from this game. The player can throw shells upward. One of the Wonder Effects is the playable character inflating like a balloon. Lil Sparkies and Hotheads return. The Add ! Blocks badge functions similarly to this game's Switch Palaces.
 * Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island: The 1-Up jingle sounds very similar to how it did in this game. Melon Piranha Plants spit seeds similar to Yoshi and Ukikis with a watermelon.
 * New Super Mario Bros. series: The "Super Mario Bros." part of the series' logo is used in this game's logo, with the design being based on its more three-dimensional appearance in New Super Mario Bros. 2 and New Super Mario Bros. U.
 * New Super Mario Bros. Wii: Invincible Mario's artwork is reused from this game. The Goomba artwork is an updated version of one from this game. The last eight notes of the Super Mario Bros. 3 Enemy Course theme are played when all enemies are defeated in the Trottin' Piranha Plants minigame, like in this game's Enemy Courses.
 * Mario Party 9: Yellow Yoshi's artwork uses the same pose as an updated version of Yoshi's artwork from this game.
 * New Super Mario Bros. U: Bubble Mario can shoot bubbles that function similarly to those of Bubble Baby Yoshis in this game.
 * Super Mario 3D World: Certain sections of maps can be freely roamed and zoomed out of like the worlds of this game. Fire Mario's artwork is reused from this game.
 * Super Mario Maker series: After a Yoshi eats a Dry Bones, it can spit out three bones that act as projectiles, like in this series' Super Mario World and New Super Mario Bros. U styles. Lakitu's Cloud can appear out of pipes like in this series if one is inserted into a pipe in editing mode.
 * Super Mario Run: The playable character roster from this game returns, albeit with some color variations, Toad is replaced by Yellow Toad and Blue Toad and some Yoshi colors differ as well.
 * New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe: Peachette's ability of bouncing back out of bottomless pits, lava and poison returns as the Safety Bounce badge.
 * Mario Kart Tour: Daisy's artwork uses the same pointing pose as the from the London Tour.