Super Mario Bros. Wonder Shows Off Cut Stage Featuring Wild Unused Wonder Effect

In Super Mario Bros. Wonder, the game's Wonder Effects play a critical role, drastically changing gameplay in strange and unique ways. During the development process, there were apparently a number of effects that were left on the cutting room floor, including some that got pretty far along before getting dropped. At Game Developers Conference this week, Super Mario Bros. Wonder director Shiro Mouri and producer Takashi Tezuka appeared onstage to discuss the game, and they revealed several elements that did not make the final cut. Interestingly enough, they even shared a video of a Wonder Effect that appeared in a prototype level. 

In the level, the effect that takes place when a Wonder Flower has been snagged causes the character's head to grow massive, and take on an 8-bit style. The goal would have been to steer the character past a bunch of enemies that are slowly chomping away at the pixels. Video of the Wonder Effect was shared on Twitter by Chris Kohler of Digital Eclipse, and can be found in the Tweet embedded below. 

Prototype level cut from Mario Wonder: pic.twitter.com/MfxTs70HQE

— Chris Kohler says PLAY LLAMASOFT! (@kobunheat) March 20, 2024

Wonder Effects in Super Mario Bros. Wonder

As can be heard from the video, the unused Wonder Effect drew a lot of laughs from the audience! It's hard to say exactly why this got cut, but there were apparently a lot of Wonder Effects that didn't make it. Perhaps if the game gets a sequel or DLC, we could see some unused concepts fleshed out, but for now, fans will just have to enjoy the game as is. 

One of the biggest complaints that surrounded 2D Mario games over the last two decades is that they felt too similar to what had come before. By comparison, Super Mario Bros. Wonder was a breath of fresh air, throwing out a constant stream of new ideas, with each level feeling significantly different from the last. A big part of that can be attributed to the Wonder Effects, and the creativity they showcased. It's weird to see ones that didn't make the final cut, but the ones that did make it into the game proved to be a lot of fun. 

Super Mario Bros. Wonder Spirits in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Over the last few months, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate players have been treated to some Spirit events inspired by more recent Nintendo Switch games. Starting on Friday, players will be able to unlock Spirits based on elements from Super Mario Bros. Wonder. At this time, we don't know what Spirits are going to be added, but the promotional art for the event features Elephant Mario as well as one of the Talking Flowers from the game. The event will kick off on Friday, March 22nd and will run through the 27th. 

Are you disappointed this Wonder Effect got cut? What did you think of the Wonder Effects in Super Mario Bros. Wonder? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!

[H/T: Nintendo Life]