Super Mario Bros. Wonder

Super Mario Bros. Wonderis a 2023platform gamedeveloped and published byNintendofor theNintendo Switch.It is the first traditionalside-scrollingSuper Mariogame sinceNew Super Mario Bros. U(2012). The player controlsMario,Luigi,and their friends as they attempt to stopBowser,who plots to take over a new land known as the Flower Kingdom after using the magical Wonder Flower to fuse himself with the kingdom's castle.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Menu icon, prominently featuringMariograbbing the Wonder Flower
Developer(s)	Nintendo EPD
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Director(s)	Shiro Mouri
Producer(s)	Takashi Tezuka
Designer(s)	Koichi Hayashida Terumasa Kato Shigefumi Hino
Programmer(s)	Hiroshi Umemiya
Artist(s)	Masanobu Sato
Composer(s)	Koji Kondo Shiho Fujii Sayako Doi Chisaki Shimazu
Series	Super Mario
Platform(s)	Nintendo Switch
Release	October 20, 2023
Genre(s)	Platform
Mode(s)	Single-player,multiplayer

Development forSuper Mario Bros. Wonderbegan in 2019, with director Shiro Mouri taking inspiration from the originalSuper Mario Bros.and producerTakashi Tezukaseeking to reinvent the 2DMarioexperience and introduce a new location.

The game became the fastest-sellingSuper Mariogame, selling 4.3 million units in its first two weeks and reaching 15.51 million units by December 31, 2024. It received critical acclaim and was nominated for several awards, including theGolden Joystick Award for Game of the Year,The Game Award for Game of the Yearand theBritish Academy Games Award for Best Game.

Gameplay

Super Mario Bros. Wonderfeatures dynamic level design, with interactive level objects that can move or alter behavior within gameplay.

Super Mario Bros. Wonderis aside-scrollingplatform game.As one of twelve player characters—Mario,Luigi,Princess Peach,Princess Daisy,yellow and blueToads,Toadette,Nabbitand four types ofYoshis—the player completeslevelsacross the Flower Kingdom with assistance from its flower-like denizens.Similarly to previousSuper Mariogames, players guide their character to the end of a level while avoiding enemies, such asGoombasandPiranha Plants,and transporting throughWarp Pipes.Each stage contains multiple collectible "Wonder Seeds".

Newpower-upsinclude a fruit that transforms the player into anelephant,a flower that allows the player to create bubbles that capture enemies,and a mushroom that gives the player a drill hat that allows them to burrow into the ground or ceiling to evade enemies or bypass obstacles.

Wonderintroduces the Wonder Flower, which triggers bizarre effects such as pipes coming to life, hordes of enemies spawning, and character appearances and abilities changing.The effects end when a player collects a Wonder Seed or leaves the area of effect.

A new feature allows players to equip badges, which are unlocked throughout the game and give different advantages to the player.They are divided into three different categories: Action Badges, which grant the player character an additional ability; Boost Badges, which give the player character an additional passive ability; and Expert Badges, which grant the player character an advanced skill. Only one badge can be activated at a time per level. They are usually optional and can be shut off for higher difficulty.

The game supportslocal multiplayerfor up to twelve players in a room with a limit of four players active in a level.It also has some online multiplayer functionality.When playing through a level while playing online, translucent versions of up to three other players playing through the same level may be present. When other online players are present nearby, defeated players become ghosts and are given a short window of time to revive themselves by flying toward another player or astandeeplaced by another player.

Plot

Marioand his friends are invited to the neighboring Flower Kingdom by its ruler, Prince Florian, to see a demonstration of a Wonder Flower; great treasures of the Flower Kingdom that can warp reality.Bowserinterrupts the ceremony and seizes the Wonder Flower, using its power to merge with Prince Florian's castle, turning himself into a giant flying fortress and imprisoning the citizens of the Flower Kingdom. Mario and his friends volunteer to help Prince Florian stop Bowser, prompting the prince to accompany the party. As the gang work to save the captured Poplins, they realize that by gathering six Royal Seeds, which are considered precious treasures in the Flower Kingdom, they will grant access to Castle Bowser, as each time a Royal Seed is collected, it destroys one of the six Cloud Piranhas protecting Castle Bowser.

After freeing the various regions of the Flower Kingdom from the control of Bowser Jr. and removing Bowser's defenses, Mario and friends confront Bowser on his flying castle, where he reveals his plan to use the Wonder Flowers' power to enslave the universe with rhythm. The party defeats Bowser and returns the Flower Kingdom to normal, while Bowser, Bowser Jr. and Kamek flee.

Development and release

Takashi Tezuka (producer) in 2024

Shiro Mouri (director) in 2024

Super Mariodeveloper and producerTakashi Tezukareturned as a producer forWonder.Shiro Mouri, who previously directedNew Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe,returned as director.Wonderstarted development in 2019 after the release ofDeluxe,and the development team was not given a deadline to produce a prototype, which resulted in extra time to develop gameplay ideas.

During the initial planning ofWonder,Mouri desired to recreate the sense of "secrets and mystery" that had been present in the originalSuper Mario Bros.for a modern audience. The focus was placed on updating the traditional idea of transporting Mario to different areas of the level usingWarp Pipes,vines, or other means. Tezuka suggested to instead change up the current physical location, and the Wonder Flower, which dramatically alters the current level, was born. In order for all levels in the game to uniquely implement this item, approximately 2,000 ideas for Wonder effects were solicited from every member of the development team. The most viable were prototyped and implemented in the final game.

Additionally, to balance the gameplay between younger and experienced players,Wonderwas designed to have a sliding difficulty scale, with badges that make the game easier or more challenging, an online mode where players can get assistance, characters with special abilities like immunity to enemy damage, and a non-sequential world map that allows players to optionally skip harder levels.

The game was planned to have a livesports commentaryon the player's action. Late in development, this feature was superseded by the Talking Flowers, who exchange humorous quips with the player during levels, because—in the words of one game designer on the project—the sports commentary was too complex to implement and "something [didn't] feel right" about it.

Wonderwas announced during aNintendo Directpresentation on June 21, 2023, and was released on October 20, 2023, for theNintendo Switch.It is the first traditional 2D side-scrollingSuper Mariogame sinceNew Super Mario Bros. U(2012).Wonderis the first game to featureKevin Afghanias the new voice of Mario and Luigi, following the announcement of previous actorCharles Martinet's departure from the roles in August 2023.Sonic Superstars,a similar 2D side-scrolling platform game bySega,was released three days prior. Tezuka andSonic SuperstarsproducerTakashi Iizukastated that this was a coincidence, despite how long it had been since either franchise had a 2D entry. It was the first time 2DSuper MarioandSonic the Hedgehoggames had been released close to one another since the 1990sNintendo–Sega console war.

Reception

Critical reception

Reception

Aggregate scores

Aggregator	Score
Metacritic	92/100
OpenCritic	98%

Review scores

Publication	Score
Destructoid	9/10
Digital Trends	4/5
Eurogamer	5/5
Famitsu	36/40
Game Informer	9.25/10
GameSpot	9/10
GamesRadar+	4.5/5
IGN	9/10
Nintendo Life	9/10
Nintendo World Report	9/10
The Guardian	4/5
Video Games Chronicle	5/5
VG247	5/5

Super Mario Bros. Wonderreceived "universal acclaim" from critics, according toreview aggregatorwebsiteMetacritic.OnOpenCritic,98% of reviews recommended the game.

Critics widely praised the gameplay, noting the creative innovations and variety brought to it.PJ O'Reilly ofNintendo Lifewrote that the game is "quite simply, the best 2D Mario game sinceSuper Mario World"and" the slickest, sharpest, and smartest that two-dimensional Mario has felt since 1991. "

Sales

The game sold 4.3 million units in its first two weeks of release and became the fastest-sellingSuper Mariogame.By March 31, 2024, the game sold 13.44 million units.Wonderhas sold 15.51 million copies as of December 31, 2024.

Accolades

At the24th Game Developers Choice Awards,Super Mario Bros. Wonderwas recognized as an honorable mention in the categories ofGame of the Year,Best Design, and Best Visual Art.In addition to its nominations at the20th British Academy Games Awards,the game was longlisted forArtistic AchievementandGame Design.

Year	Award	Category	Result	Ref(s).
2023	Golden Joystick Awards	Ultimate Game of the Year	Nominated
	The Game Awards 2023	Game of the Year	Nominated
		Best Game Direction	Nominated
		Best Art Direction	Nominated
		Best Family Game	Won
		Best Multiplayer Game	Nominated
2024	13th New York Game Awards	Central Park Children's Zoo Award for Best Kids Game	Won
	27th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards	Family Game of the Year	Won
		Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction	Nominated
		Outstanding Achievement in Game Design	Nominated
		Outstanding Achievement in Animation	Nominated
	20th British Academy Games Awards	Best Game	Nominated
		Animation	Nominated
		Family	Won
		Multiplayer	Won
	2024 Kids' Choice Awards	Favorite Video Game	Nominated
	Japan Game Awards2024	Award for Excellence	Won

External links

• Official website