Super Mario Bros. Wonder: How to Reach the Final-Final Test Badge Marathon

Super Mario Bros. Wonder's Badge Marathon is a well-hidden secret.

By Marc Deschamps

In Super Mario Bros. Wonder, players that want to 100% complete the game will find some heavy challenges after the credits have rolled. The biggest of these are two levels found in Special World. The first one is titled "The Final Test: Wonder Gauntlet." While that name would seem to suggest that it's the final area in the game, the truth is that there's a secret course that comes after, known as "The Final-Final Test: Badge Marathon." These two courses are more difficult than anything else in Super Mario Bros. Wonder, and players that want to take them on might want to stock up on lives ahead of time!

How to Reach The Final Test: Wonder Gauntlet

Reaching The Final Test: Wonder Gauntlet in Super Mario Bros. Wonder requires completing every course in Special World. Every world in Super Mario Bros. Wonder features its own hidden entrance to Special World, and some are hidden better than others. The courses can be played in any order, but each one can only be accessed initially from its entrance. Upon completing the first course in Special World, players that try to advance will come upon The Semifinal Test: Piranha Plant Reprise, which is located in the middle of the world. This level is locked and can only be accessed once the player has obtained the 14 Wonder Seeds spread through all seven Special World stages. After that stage has been completed, a path to The Final Test: Wonder Gauntlet will open up. 

As its name suggests, The Final Test: Wonder Gauntlet puts players through a gauntlet of Wonder Effects spread throughout a single course. Given the game's major focus on Wonder Effects, this would seem like a smart place to wrap things up, and the difficulty level is tough, but not insurmountable once players have figured it out. However, there's a much more difficult finale looming. 

The Final-Final Test: Badge Marathon

While The Final Test: Wonder Gauntlet is revealed right away to players, The Final-Final Test: Badge Marathon is hidden. The level doesn't actually open up until players have basically unlocked everything in all worlds: that means all Wonder Seeds, all 10-flower coins, and a "wonderful" rating on every flag pole. If players are unsure if they've pulled this off, they can check to make sure that each world has a green check next to its name at the top of the course select screen. Once players have done all that, the level will open up, revealing the game's very last challenge. 

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In the Final-Final Test: Badge Marathon, players will go through an endurance run focused on the game's various Badges. As difficult as Wonder Gauntlet is, Badge Marathon is the greatest test of skill in Super Mario Bros. Wonder, and possibly the Mario series as a whole. This one is not for the faint of heart, and will frustrate even the most skilled players! 

Do you think you can take on the two toughest stages in Super Mario Bros. Wonder? Will you be taking on this post-game content? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!

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