Super Mario Bros. Wonder Hands-On Preview: A Wonderful Change

When New Super Mario Bros. released in 2006, it was Mario's first new 2D sidescroller in 15 years. The game immediately felt familiar but also fresh, offering something Mario fans of all ages could appreciate. However, in the years since, the New Super Mario Bros. games began to feel stagnant, and fans began to feel the series had gotten too safe. Nintendo seems to be addressing those criticisms with Super Mario Bros. Wonder, a new 2D Mario game that draws from classics like Super Mario Bros. 3, while also blazing a new path. ComicBook.com had an opportunity to go hands-on with the Nintendo Switch game, where we got to experience several new levels and locations.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder's Playable Characters

When Super Mario Bros. Wonder begins, Mario and friends find themselves in a new location known as the Flower Kingdom. Unfortunately, their arrival coincides with an attack by Bowser. After the Koopa King merges himself with the Flower Castle, Mario sets off on a new adventure to save the day. Mario won't be alone in the journey, as players will have 12 different playable characters from the start; Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, Toadette, Blue Toad, and Yellow Toad all offer traditional controls, while Yoshi, Red Yoshi, Yellow Yoshi, Light-Blue Yoshi, and Nabbit have been included for less experienced players. The latter five characters don't take any damage, but the trade-off is that they don't get to use power-ups.

Before starting each stage, players are prompted to select one of the game's new Badges. Badges are separated into at least two types: Action Badges and Boost Badges. Action Badges change the character's abilities. For example, using the Parachute Cap Action Badge allows the character to use their hat to descend slowly during jumps. Meanwhile, the Floating High Jump Badge allows players to jump higher and momentarily float. Boost Badges, on the other hand, are more like rewards. For example, when activating the Coin Reward Badge, players earn coins for defeating enemies. Players will have to unlock badges as they progress through the game.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder Courses and Enemies

The game's first world is Pipe-Rock Plateau, and the first course is appropriately named "Welcome to the Flower Kingdom." The stage wastes no time introducing players to some of the new features of the game, including the new Elephant Power-Up and the Wonder Flower. Elephant Mario gains a much bulkier form, with a trunk that can be swung at enemies, or used to suck up water that can then be sprayed at enemies and objects in the environment. Meanwhile, Wonder Flowers make some drastic changes to the level. In the case of the first course, all of the Warp Pipes in the levels began to move in different ways. In one case, a row of normally unmoving Warp Pipes began to move in a wave pattern, allowing me to reach a previously unreachable Wonder Coin once I got the timing right. In another case, one Warp Pipe moved like a snake, once again offering access to items.

The third level in the game's first world is titled "Scram, Skedaddlers!" In the level, players find themselves chasing down a new enemy type that looks something like a squirrel or woodchuck. The enemies fire nuts from their mouth at players, in a manner somewhat similar to Birdo from Super Mario Bros. 2. The major difference is that these new enemies are quite fast, and run from players while firing. Sometimes, they'll even have an item in hand that players will have to track down, like a Wonder Flower. After obtaining the Wonder Flower in this stage, Super Stars began raining from the sky, offering temporary invincibility as long as I could keep grabbing more.

Another stage I got a chance to play was "Bulrush Coming Through!," which focuses on a new bull-like enemy that charges at players. By tricking the enemies into smashing through areas, I could gain access to items that were previously sealed off. Grabbing the level's Wonder Flower resulted in a Bulrush stampede, which I had to ride on top of. The enemies actually knocked down the end of level flag, though I found a much, much taller one later in the level.

Does Super Mario Bros. Wonder Have Multiplayer?

In addition to single-player stages, our session included a chance to try out the game's multiplayer options, as well. Super Mario Bros. Wonder includes competitive races in the form of Badge Challenges. The Wall-Cilmb Jump Badge Challenge had me competing with another player online (who was in the same room on a different Nintendo Switch). As its name implies, the Wall-Climb Jump Action Badge allows you to jump against a wall and then jump straight up in the air once. The two of us had to race to the end of a course that featured a big platforming focus, using the Action Badge's abilities to get to the finish line.

After my victory in the race, Nintendo gathered a few players to try out some cooperative multiplayer. Like the New Super Mario Bros. games, Super Mario Bros. Wonder allows players to tackle the game solo or with others. I stuck to using Toad in these stages, while one of the other players chose Yoshi. During these stages, I realized that Yoshi actually has a neat feature in multiplayer: they act as both playable characters and potential steeds. When playing multiplayer mode, if one player picks one of the traditional characters while another picks Yoshi, the traditional character can jump on Yoshi for a ride. It's a neat little callback to Super Mario World, and I can see parents and kids taking advantage of the option.

Mario's New Voice and Animations

The presentation in Super Mario Bros. Wonder feels like a major upgrade from previous Mario 2D games. After spending some time with the upcoming game, I found that character models from New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe felt a lot stiffer and less exciting by comparison. While the character movements and overall world aren't directly inspired by The Super Mario Bros. Movie, it almost feels like Nintendo EPD saw the movie as a challenge: if Illumination was going to make an animated Mario, so would they! As a result, everything in the game's world feels livelier and more dynamic than it has in the past. Characters show a much wider range of emotions, and even simple animations have been given an overhaul. When Mario takes a trip down a Warp Pipe now, he doesn't just stand still and go down, opting instead to stylishly jump into the air before heading down, offering a pose that looks like something Spider-Man would do.

Shortly before the preview, Nintendo announced that Mario voice actor Charles Martinet will not be reprising his role in Super Mario Bros. Wonder, or in future Mario games. While the actor has moved into a new role with Nintendo, his impact is still felt: Mario and friends still sound just like they did before. We did not find out who is voicing Mario in the game, but players should not expect a voice similar to the one used by Chris Pratt in The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Speaking of voice acting, the flowers of the Flower Kingdom often provided a good bit of comic relief, shouting words of encouragement, or offering commentary throughout each level; their role as hype men reminded me a lot of Keegan-Michael Key's movie take on Toad.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder Release Date

In my brief time with Super Mario Bros. Wonder, I walked away very impressed. Like the original New Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. Wonder immediately feels familiar, but also fresh. In the levels I played, there were new power-ups, new enemies, and new animations, all of which contributed to a feeling that the 2D series is getting a much-needed breath of fresh air. One thing I loved about Super Mario 3D World is that the game seemed to constantly throw new ideas and concepts at the player. Super Mario Bros. Wonder seems to be going for that exact approach, and I hope that the final results will be just as positive. Thankfully, we won't have much longer to wait, as Super Mario Bros. Wonder will be releasing October 20th on Nintendo Switch.

Are you looking forward to Super Mario Bros. Wonder? Are you excited to try any of these new additions to the series? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!

Super Mario Bros. Wonder was played during a hands-on preview event hosted by Nintendo with travel expenses paid for by the publisher.