During today's Nintendo Direct, a new 2D entry in the Mario franchise was revealed. The game is called Super Mario Bros. Wonder, and will be released on October 20th. The game looks significantly different from the New Super Mario Bros. series, offering a fairly distinctive art style. Mario will also have new power-ups and abilities to use, including one that turns him into Elephant Mario! The game's name comes from the Wonder Seeds and Wonder Flowers that will appear throughout the game's worlds. These items will make different thing happen in each stage, though Nintendo has remained cryptic about what that might mean. Players will be able to play as Mario, Luigi, Peach, Toad, and Daisy, and we can see from the trailer that Yoshi will also return! The game can be played solo, but up to four-player co-op will be offered.

A trailer for the game can be found below.

Surprise and wonder await at every corner in the next evolution of 2D side-scrolling Mario fun! #SuperMarioBrosWonder releases for #NintendoSwitch on Oct. 20. pic.twitter.com/rxxEaxquvp

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) June 21, 2023

Super Mario Wonder marks the first wholly-new 2D Mario game since 2012's New Super Mario Bros. U, a launch title for the Wii U console. Over the following years, that game received a DLC adventure, as well as a Nintendo Switch port, but it's nice to see Mario finally getting a new adventure that goes back to the character's roots! Given the massive success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, it certainly seems like a smart move to offer a new game in time for the holiday season, and the 2D nature of Super Mario Bros. Wonder ensures that it should appeal to both longtime fans of the series, as well as those that just discovered Mario earlier this year.

While Mario first appeared in the 1981 Donkey Kong arcade game, 1985's Super Mario Bros. truly made the character a household name. Decades later, the earliest 2D Mario games still have a passionate following, with titles like Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World often being considered some of the greatest video games of all-time. Now that Mario's newest 2D adventure has been revealed, it will be interesting to see whether it can rank among the best of the best. It's a very tall bar to clear, but Nintendo tends to take great care when it comes to the Mario franchise. With Super Mario Bros. Wonder set to release this fall, thankfully fans won't have to wait much longer to see how it turns out for themselves!

Posted: Jun 21, 2023 12:02 pm
Related Forum: Gaming Discussion

Source: https://www.thegamer.com/new-2d-mario-game-in-development/