Preorder Super Mario Bros. Wonder And Mario RPG For Just $49 Each

The wait is nearly over. Super Mario Bros Wonder is almost here, and fans can’t wait to play it for various reasons. Easily, one of the biggest reasons is that the game is one of the highest-rated titles of 2023, and people want to see how great it is compared to what the critics say. But another reason gamers are excited about it is that players can use numerous new power-ups and abilities and want to try them out in spades. Not surprisingly, one of the ones that players love the most is the ability to turn into an elephant.

Anyone wanting to own a tiny Elephant Mario will be in luck in 2024, as Super Mario Bros. Wonder plushies are on the way. This release window is currently only set for Japan, but international fans will almost certainly be able to purchase their own Proboscidea-style Mario in the future.

Mario is a bit like a video game Jessica Fletcher. Just as murders always conveniently seem to happen around that fictional author, trouble follows Mario wherever he goes, and it’s pretty much always Bowser or Bowser Jr. shaped. That’s exactly what happens in Super Mario Bros. Wonder as Mario and all his Mushroom Kingdom pals decide to wander on over to the nearby Flower Kingdom and pay Prince Florian and the locals a visit. Big ol’ Bowser turns up, zooms in on his Koopa Clown Car, touches the Wonder Seed that everyone’s marvelling at, and promptly turns into an evil castle. Yes, really.

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The Super Mario franchise’s line of 2D mainline platformers hasn’t quite been on the same level as its flagship 3D entries over the last couple of decades, but with the New Super Mario Bros. series firmly in our rearview mirror and the upcoming Super Mario Bros. Wonder making lofty promises, there’s plenty of excitement surrounding the 2D Mario line’s future once again.

The review embargo on Super Mario Bros. Wonder has lifted, which means reviews have gone live for the 2D platformer across a number of outlets ahead of its imminent launch, and the game has seen near-universal acclaim from critics right out the gate.

It’s been made very clear that Super Mario Bros Wonder is meant to be a very different kind of 2D platformer for Mario. We can tell visually that certain things have been changed and upgraded, and the gameplay has numerous new elements that separate it from past titles. But in a trio of special developer interviews with Nintendo, the team behind the game has revealed key insights showing just how far they went to try and buck certain trends and make things better for gamers. For example, they knew that some people felt that the 2D titles were “unforgiving” and that the 3D titles had more “freedom” in them.

By Andrew Webster, an entertainment editor covering streaming, virtual worlds, and every single Pokémon video game. Andrew joined The Verge in 2012, writing over 4,000 stories.

Veteran video game magazine Famitsu has revealed the first review score for Super Mario Bros Wonder, and it’s a doozy.

Reviews for the first 2D Super Mario game in over a decade, Super Mario Bros. Wonder, have just dropped a few days before the game's launch and, unsurprisingly, they seem to be incredibly positive.

The second level of Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a musical. Or, to be precise, it can be a musical. Whether or not a flock of Piranha Plants break into song depends on which words of the title “Super Mario Bros. Wonder” you prefer.

It’s been revealed that during its development, the team behind Super Mario Bros. Wonder generated over 2,000 ideas for the game, including one from its sound director that would have added a huge live-action Mario to the game who said “boing” to himself. Unfortunately, that didn’t make the cut.