Summary
Super Mario Bros. Wonderis the latest 2D adventure featuring Mario and his friends and transports them to a nearby neighbor of the Mushroom Kingdom. This new land, the Flower Kingdom, features a reality-bending item calledthe Wonder Flower, which can be used to alter the people and places with which it makes contact.Wonder’s many courses utilize the Wonder Flower in a variety of ways, filling the title with surprise challenges and highly memorable set-pieces. WithSuper Mario Bros. Wonderlabeled as the final Mario adventure on the Switch, rumors have been circulating that a major 3D title will launch alongside the Switch 2. If so, the next 3D Mario adventure should feature the Wonder Flower, as its highly variable effects would flourish in a three-dimensional space.
Super Mario Bros. Wonderis the first original 2D Mario game since 2012, evolving nearly every aspect for a wider audience. While the Wonder Flower serves as its core concept, the title includes a number of new features to keep veterans on their toes and aid younger fans in completing the experience.Wonderfeatures 12 playable characters, some of which are made invincible for those who simply wish to enjoy a jaunt through the Flower Kingdom. The new Badge Mechanic allows fans to customize their play style by equipping unique abilities, power modifiers, or passive boosts.Wonderstands as one of Mario’s best 2D titles to-date, and the fresh ideas found within could grow into something even greater if featured and fine-tuned in futureSuper Marioadventures.
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Mario Wonder’s Flower Effects Evolve its 2D Formula
Super Mario Bros. Wonder’s Flower effects are the backbone of its 2D gameplay, evolving the series' oldest format for the modern age. From the very start of Mario and his friends' adventure, the staggering yet whimsical power of the Wonder Flower is put on full display. Bowser is the first to utilize a Wonder Flower which he uses to fuse himself, the Koopa Clown Car, and the castle of the Flower Kingdom’s ruler, Prince Florian, to form the title’s massive antagonist,Castle Bowser. On their journey toward Castle Bowser, Mario, his friends, and Prince Florian experience a wide range of Wonder Effects, resulting in an experience that stands apart from any fans have undergone so far.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder’s Wonder Flowers take full advantage of the 2D space, with many of their effects altering how players interact with their environment. One Wonder Flower sees players ridea stampede of Bulrush, who later launch into the sky, while another transforms them into a Wubba who must climb the level’s ceilings and walls. Elsewhere, Wonder Flower’s effects alter the world itself. Examples of this include extending a course’s route deep below the ground or creating new textures through which players must swim, soar, and platform. There’s no limit to how a Wonder Flower can transform its environment and characters, a concept that future titles could put to the test.
Wonder Flowers Could Flourish in a 3D World
Should the next 3D Mario title choose to adapt the Wonder Flower, the possibilities would be endless.Super Mario Odysseyalready introduced the concept of transformation, asthe plumber could use Cappyto essentially possess enemies, objects, and even Bowser himself. Evolving this concept using the Wonder Flower could see Mario, and even some friends, transform into anything, whether it’s present already or not. Likewise, Wonder Effects could evolve the title’s three-dimensional environment to include any range of obstacles, textures, enemies, or dimensions.
Depending on the power of the Switch 2, the next 3D Mario title could use Wonder Flowers in a method similar toRatchet and Clank’s Dimensionator. Touching a Flower could open portals to other dimensions, through which enemies or other structures could travel, a Wonder Power confirmed bySuper Mario Bros. Wonder’s Battleships. Another Wonder Effect could see the 2D and 3D Mario formats collide, in a method similar toSuper Paper Mario. Nintendo has only scratched the surface of what is possible with the Wonder Flower, and exploring its effects in 3D could revolutionize the next Mario title just as much, if not more than it did for Mario’s latest 2D adventure.
Super Mario Bros. Wonderis available now, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.