The Elephant Mario game, as it should have been called instead of Super Mario Bros. Wonder, is nearing its release date. Nintendo is adding features to make this new Mario title easier and more accessible, as it’s been doing in the latest games, but is also including an unexpected mode where you can compete with friends as in a speedrunning race.
Here’s everything about Super Mario Bros. Wonder revealed so far, from its release date to its quirky new power-ups and stage gimmicks.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder release date
Super Mario Bros. Wonder releases on October 20, 2023 on the Nintendo Switch. Buying the digital version will let you pre-load the game’s 3.5 GB so it’s ready to play on release day. If you’re eager to play the game as soon as possible, we recommend buying the digital version as it frees you from the hassle of waiting for your physical order to ship.
Since there’s no difference between both versions, the only plus of the physical one is saving up console space and and having a nice game box.
What’s Bowser up to this time?
Bowser wants to take over the world by literally turning into a giant floating castle. Yes, Bowser merges with Flower Kingdom’s castle and flies as a colossal creature spreading his evil minions around the world.
As usual, your job is to free the kingdom from Bowser’s influence and stop him from taking everything over. That means playing through a series of courses eliminating enemies and saving the people of the Flower Kingdom.
All playable characters in Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Here’s the full list of playable characters in Super Mario Bros. Wonder.
- Mario
- Luigi
- Peach
- Daisy
- Toads (Yellow and Blue)
- Toadette
- Yoshis (Blue, Yellow, Green, and Red)
- Nabbit
Yoshis and Nabbit are special characters that don’t take damage from enemies, making them ideal for beginners. They can still die by falling, though. All other characters offer you the standard Super Mario Bros. experience and work the same, letting you choose whatever character you like the most.
All new power-ups
Super Mario Bros. Wonder will feature three new power-ups: Elephant Fruit, Bubble Flower, and Drill Mushroom. All of them transform your character and give them a new ability, just like in older games with Fire Flower letting you throw fireballs and Super Leaf turning you into Racoon Mario.
Here’s the full list of new items and their effects:
| Power-up | Effect |
 Elephant Fruit | Your character transforms into an elephant. You can use your trunk to attack enemies and deflect projectiles, including those that would otherwise hurt you, like Piranha Plants and Spiny Eggs. You can also destroy and activate blocks with your trunk, break through several blocks at once, and store water in your trunk to sprinkle plants and soil later, giving you access to extra areas. |
 Bubble Flower | Your character can now blow bubbles horizontally. These bubbles beat certain enemies upon contact, even some like Dry Bones that wouldn’t be defeated otherwise. Mario and other characters can also use bubbles as floating platforms to bounce on. |
 Drill Mushroom | Gives your character a drill hat. It lets you burrow on the ground and ceiling, avoiding contact with any enemies on the surface. The drill also lets you pass under walls and other obstacles without having to break them. It protects your character from any hazards coming from above. |
Badges system
Badges in Super Mario Wonder are permanent power-ups you can only equip one of per course. You must unlock and select them before you start each stage to get their effects. Unlike regular power-ups, Badge effects aren’t lost when your character dies or is hit by an enemy.
There are 24 badges in the game but only 12 have been confirmed so far. Here’s the list of all badges revealed and their effects:
| Badge name | Effect |
| Parachute Cap | While in midair, press R or shake the controller to open your hat and float slowly downward. |
| Floating High Jump | Jump higher than usual and momentarily float. |
| Coin Reward | Earn coins for defeating enemies. |
| Grappling Vine | Send a vine in mid-air that sticks to walls and pulls you toward them. |
| Safety Bounce | Automatically bounces you off ground hazards and deadly drops. |
| Coin Magnet | Attract coins to your character by getting close to them. |
| Invisibility | Become fully invisible, both to enemies and yourself. |
| Jet Run | Constantly run while on the ground. |
| Dolphin Kick | When underwater, your character gets a speed boost by quickly performing a dolphin kick. |
| Sensor | A blue pulse appears around your character when there’s an item nearby. |
| Crouching High Jump | Crouch before jumping to perform a high jump. |
| Wall-Climb Jump | Your character can now hang onto walls and jump off of them. |
Wonder Flowers and Wonder Effects explained
The new feature in Super Mario Wonder that gives the game its name are Wonder Flowers. When you grab them in stages, they add a twist to the world that changes how you play it. Some examples shown in trailers are pipes gaining life and moving like worms or the entire stage tilting to one side. Here are all Wonder Effects shown so far:
- Pipes become living creatures and can move.
- A horde of bull-like creatures spawn, forcing you to play on top of them while they move through the stage.
- Several bubbles spawn nonstop and force you to go upward.
- The entire stage, except hazards, is replaced with the outer space with zero gravity.
- Your character transforms into a Goomba.
- Your character now moves through the stage in a 3D top-down view while the entire world behaves in the usual 2D perspective.
- You can only see shadows of objects on the stage. Your character gains the power to stretch vertically, and the world also stretches with them.
- The whole stage tilts to one side, revealing traps.
- You start free falling through the stage.
- Your character becomes a spike ball, being able to break sturdy walls.
- Your character’s body becomes a balloon and they can now float and bounce through the stage.
Activating Wonder Flowers seems like a must if you want to play Super Mario Wonder as a completionist. These effects only end when you collect a Wonder Seed, which seems to be the main collectible item in the game. So to collect all Wonder Seeds, it’s likely that you also have to play through all Wonder Effects.
Super Mario Wonder takes a shot at competitive running
You can race against friends in Super Mario Wonder through some courses, both online and offline. This is the first time in a main series Mario game where a competitive running feature is built into the title, which can make it way more appealing to players who want a challenge bigger than what the base game might offer.
However, it doesn’t look like Wonder will have any kind of online leaderboard feature like Super Mario Maker 2 has. This racing mode is just Nintendo testing the waters of Mario speedrunning rather than going all-in on it.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder game editions differences
There is no difference between buying Super Mario Bros. Wonder physical or digital versions, at least not as a Nintendo initiative. There’s no deluxe or premium version of the game, either. Some retailers may offer pre-order bonuses out of their pockets, but Nintendo hasn’t offered any benefit to early buyers or to people who buy the game physically or digitally. It turns your choice into a simple matter of preference.
