Everything We Learned From Today's Super Mario Bros. Wonder Direct

31.08.2023 - 15:33 / gameinformer.com / Flower Kingdom / Mario

Super Mario Bros. Wonder is right around the corner, but outside of the initial reveal trailer, we didn't know much about Nintendo's latest 2D platformer. However, today's showcase was packed to the brim with gameplay reveals and new details, and now we've got a much clearer picture of what this game will look like. Wonder no longer: here's everything we learned from the Super Mario Bros. Wonder Direct.

The game starts when Prince Florian, ruler of the Flower Kingdom, has his castle stolen by Bowser. After fusing with a Wonder Flower, the king of the Koopas is able to fly over this new land, populating it with his chaotic cronies. As always, it's up to Mario and friends to save the day, but this time around, he's got more buddies than usual. In addition to Luigi, Peach, and a pair of Toads, Toadette and Daisy are also along for the ride. Unlike some past games, each character here plays the same, meaning Peach has no built-in floating ability and Luigi jumps just as high as Mario.

For younger or less-skilled players, you can also play as Yoshi or Nabbit, the latter of which is returning from his debut in New Super Luigi U. Neither of these characters takes damage from enemies, so they're useful for people who want to play the game with less of a challenge. The Yoshis also retain their signature flutter jump and swallowing abilities, and they can even be ridden by other players.

The Flower Kingdom is made up of seven worlds: Pipe Rock Plateau, Fluff Puff Peaks, Shining Falls, The Petal Isles, and three more that have yet to be named. The map is traversed like a standard Mario overworld, locking you to certain paths on your way to a set order of courses, but there are also sections where you can move around freely and tackle courses in any order. There will also be a course menu you can use to easily access courses, in case you don't feel like walking there every time. 

Once you enter one of the courses, there are a few new power-ups to make use of. The Elephant power allows you to use your trunk as a weapon, smash bricks more easily, run across large gaps, and store water for later use. We also saw a Bubble power that allows you to summon bubbles for offense or platforming, along with a drill powerup that can damage enemies above you and allow you to burrow into the ground or ceiling.

Other than traditional power-ups, there are other ways to give your characters new abilities. The flashiest examples of this are Wonder Flowers, which trigger dramatic visual and artistic stage transformations. As examples, we saw warp pipes jump to life, hordes of enemies spawning, and characters transforming into balloons or spike balls. Once you collect a Wonder Seed, the stage will return to normal. These seeds can