Super Mario Bros. Wonder release date, gameplay, and everything we know
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The Super Mario Bros. Wonder release date has been revealed, and it's set to arrive later this year, marking the first new addition to the Super Mario Bros franchise in over a decade.
With a new addition to such a well-loved franchise, there’s a lot for the game to prove to make it a worthy addition. That said, it’s not particularly easy to make a judgment on the game yet as we’ve only seen one trailer, but there’s still a reasonable amount of information to unpack within it.
For a fan of the Mario franchise, there are already some good reasons why Super Mario Bros. Wonder is worth keeping on your radar of upcoming Switch games, but we’ve pulled together everything we know about the title so far so both old and new Mario players can get excited for the upcoming title.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder - cut to the chase
What is it? The next mainline Super Mario Bros. title
When can I play it? October 20, 2023
What can I play it on? Nintendo Switch
Who makes it? Nintendo
Super Mario Bros. Wonder release date and platforms
The Super Mario Bros. Wonder release date is October 20, 2023. This marks two years since Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury launched on Nintendo Switch, and 11 years since the last all-new 2D Super Mario Bros video game on Wii U.
Due to how long it has been since the last all-new Super Mario Bros game launched, there’s a good reason why it’s becoming so anticipated among players. In addition to being the first new Super Mario Bros game in 11 years, it’s the first all-new Super Mario Bros game to launch on Nintendo Switch, which is the only platform on which the game will launch.
As a Nintendo Switch exclusive, the short insight into gameplay we have received appears to plan on utilizing the vibrant colors of the Nintendo Switch OLED to offer the best experience imaginable visually, alongside its smooth graphics when exploring the newest version of the Mushroom Kingdom.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder trailers
Despite how highly anticipated the title is, we’ve only received a single Super Mario Bros. Wonder trailer so far, shown as part of the Nintendo Direct on June 21. Within the short two-and-a-half-minute trailer, we get the first glimpse at which levels we can expect to explore throughout the game, alongside a number of enemies we can expect to encounter and a few familiar powerups we’ve seen in older games.
We also get to witness a brand new power-up triggered by a new item called a Wonder Flower, which appears to bring life to levels and showcase spectacular moments you just have to see to believe. At the end of the trailer, we receive the release date for the game, October 20, and a final look at one of Mario’s newest abilities, Elephant Mario.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder story and setting
The story of Super Mario Bros. Wonder is still a bit of a mystery, and it isn’t covered in great detail within the single trailer we have received for the game. That said since it follows a traditional 2D Mario game appearance, we can generally expect a similar storyline to follow in protecting the Mushroom Kingdom from any evil forces that may be attempting to destroy the peace.
We do see Bowser Jr. with some sort of enhancement within the reveal trailer, so it’s safe to assume that the family of King Koopa is set to make another appearance - but then again, it wouldn’t quite be Mario without them.
That said, even though the general formula of a traditional 2D Mario title is replicated through the appearance and in-game mechanics, that doesn’t mean the entirely new installment to the franchise won’t feature a few twists or turns.
Since we still have a reasonable amount of time before the game is set to release, there’s more than enough time for a more in-depth insight into which storyline the game follows as we get closer to release.
However, we do know that characters outside of the titular Mario are available to play, such as Yoshi, Luigi, Toad, Princess Peach, and Princess Daisy. Whether or not more protagonists will join the roster is currently unclear, and which abilities and how you’ll be able to play as other characters is currently unknown, but alongside the story we expect more information to come to surface about the playability of other characters in due course.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder gameplay
If you’ve been a long-time fan of 2D Mario titles, the Super Mario Bros gameplay loop will look familiar after the reveal trailer alone. At the start of the reveal trailer, aside from a more polished look and more emotive animation, things generally look as they would in any previous side-scrolling 2D Mario game, however, once Mario has started running through the new environments, the new world starts to open up to us.
While there’s still a huge emphasis on the traditional side-scrolling platforming elements of a Mario game, Super Mario Bros. Wonder does offer a number of new elements to keep its in-game content exciting for both new and older players. Between your standard mushroom, fire flower, and tanuki Mario power-ups, Wonder introduces an entirely new power-up that alters the entire environment around you.
The Wonder Flower adopts a similar appearance to items such as the Ice and Fire Flower but emits an almost galactic glow rather than a solid color. In addition, it doesn’t appear to be produced from '?' Blocks in the same way other Mario items are, and instead appears out of thin air when you find yourself in a somewhat emptier environment, going off its debut in the reveal trailer.
When activated, the Wonder Flower is said to trigger spectacular moments within the game's intricately designed environments which you wouldn’t be able to experience otherwise. These environmental enhancements can take the form of anything from bringing tubes to life to granting Mario the ability to transform into other objects such as a giant spikey ball which helps clear the path.
The full extent of Wonder abilities, or Wonder Events, is still yet to be discovered. In addition to the Wonder Flower, an item called the Wonder Seed is introduced within the reveal trailer, but what exactly these are used for is unclear. We speculate that they may be a collectible item to use later down the line, potentially by growing a Wonder Flower from seed and using that.
But the Wonder Flower isn’t the only new power-up we’ve seen within this title, too. Elephant Mario stole the show toward the end of the trailer. Interestingly, the only thing we see this ability do is send oncoming enemies flying without jumping on their heads, and we don’t actually see Elephant Mario jump. The details of this ability are among the questions left unanswered, but hopefully, we will receive a spotlight soon.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder news
Super Mario Bros. Wonder was announced at Nintendo Direct on June 21
Super Mario Bros. Wonder received its first official announcement trailer as part of the Nintendo Direct on June 21, offering the first look at the newest installment to the Super Mario Bros franchise. As the first all-new entry to the well-esteemed series in 11 years and the first installment on Nintendo Switch, there’s a lot of expectation around this title. However, the bright visuals and exciting new mechanics introduced through the trailer already make it a Mario title worth keeping an eye on before its release on October 20.
If you're on the hunt for more otherworldly adventures this year, it's worth checking out the Prince of Persia The Lost Crown release date and everything we know, alongside the Clockwork Revolution release date and everything we know page so you can be clued up on all the most anticipated upcoming games.
