It's-a good: We played Super Mario Bros. Wonder at Nintendo Live 2023 - Technobubble Games

Nintendo Live 2023 kicked off Friday with a plethora of sights to check out plus one special perk for attendees: the ability to try out the upcoming Super Mario Bros. Wonder game.

By the way, folks who try out Super Mario Bros. Wonder at the event will also be given a free Elephant Mario keychain after their playthrough, which we show in our Nintendo Live 2023 freebie and merchandise guide. So make sure to give the game a try if you’re one of the lucky ones to score a ticket to the event.

Scheduled to be released this fall on Oct. 10, Super Mario Bros. Wonder is the latest 2D-style Mario game with 3D models — a 2.5D game, if you will.

Based on my initial playthrough of the game, this just might be the best side-scrolling 3D Mario game to date. This is actually the first time since the original New Super Mario Bros. in 2006 that a 2.5D-style Mario game felt so new just and refreshing to me.

Honestly, I was expecting Super Mario Bros. Wonder to perhaps have improved backgrounds and maybe a some new power-ups (and it actually actually does have both). At the same time, the game also throws in some new wrinkles that make Super Mario Bros. Wonder feel like a new experience.

Like our favorite plumber after eating a mushroom, here are some of the notable features from our Nintendo Live 2023 playthrough that kick up Super Mario Bros. Wonder and set it apart from previous games.

More immersive backgrounds

Although I mentioned earlier that I expected Super Mario Bros. Wonder to come with improved background visuals, I didn’t expect them to be improved quite to this extent.

The backgrounds just have this expansive, almost magical quality to them. It kind of reminds me of the sense of wonder — no pun intended — that I felt the first time I saw parallax scrolling in video games. In the case of Super Mario Bros. Wonder, this is basically parallax scrolling on steroids. Or I guess Super Mushrooms would be more appropriate.

The game basically uses every trick in the book to give life and create a grand sense of scale for its backgrounds, which further increases player immersion. It basically squeezes every ounce of graphical power from the aging Nintendo Switch.

Wonder Flower powers, activate

As you progress through the Super Mario Bros. Wonder’s stages, you will run across a mysterious blue flower.

Activating this “Wonder Flower” will trigger special and, at times, kaleidoscopic effects that totally change a stage’s structure. It basically gives the world a mind-bending, almost hallucinatory quality to it.

In some stages, you’ll have pipes transform and literally come to life by mimicking the movement of worms. In others, you’ll have rampaging bulls multiply and rush across the stage, crushing obstacles and opening up paths. And yes, you can actually ride these bulls, too. Think of it as bovine ridesharing, Mario style.

It adds another wrinkle in otherwise typical Mario stages that sets it apart from the standard platforming experience seen in the series. It’s like having two stages for the price of one after it activates.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get to play long enough to try the effect that turns you into a Goomba. But the Wonder Flower effects that I did try out were pretty fun. In short, the Wonder Flower mechanic is a game changer. Literally.

Badges bring mods to Mario

Another neat addition that Super Mario Bros. Wonder brings to the party are badges.

These badges essentially act like mods, allowing your character to gain new abilities. In the time that I was able to play the game, I was able to sample various types of badges with different effects.

The ability I started with, for example, allowed my character to float by pressing the “R” button. Another ability lets your character jump higher and flap their feet classic Luigi style. I was also able to try an ability that automatically attracts coins toward you. Some stages even act as tutorials that let you acquire new Badges, such as one that allows you to bounce off walls.

These badges add some customization and variety to your characters, making them feel new even after you’ve used them several times. It’s also nice to be able to switch abilities as opposed to them being locked to certain characters.

What else were we able to try?

The other features aren’t quite as new but are still worth mentioning for folks interested in what the game has to offer.

You have several new power-ups, though I was only able to try one in the limited time I had — the Elephant Fruit. This turns Mario and the gang into adorable pachyderms who can use their trunk to destroy bricks and other objects to access new areas or items. The trunk can also be used to suck water and perform a splash attack. splash water if done while standing 

For more family-friendly fun, you can use Yoshi or Nabbit as beginner characters for younger kids. Both do not take damage so they’re great characters for little ones. In exchange for this advantage, they can’t use power ups.

Our thoughts on Super Mario Bros. Wonder so far

I was expecting a solid but safe entry in the franchise with Super Mario Bros. Wonder.

Instead, the game ended up being a pleasant surprise as I found myself digging the new additions. They really make Super Mario Bros. Wonder feel quite fresh, which is great for someone like me who’s played pretty much every Mario game ever released.

Granted, not everyone will be happy with decision such as Yoshi and Nabitt not being able to use power-ups, for example, especially in stages where power-ups can play a key role in accessing certain areas or items.

I was also only able to preview a brief slice of the game so it remains to be seen if that sense of freshness holds in the long run.

What little I was able to play was quite enjoyable, however. If they’re able to maintain that feeling for the rest of the game, then Super Mario Bros. Wonder just might be the best 2.5D-style Mario game in Nintendo’s long and storied history.

I’m also returning to try the game again tomorrow, this time with some backup, so I’ll share my thoughts on the game’s multiplayer then.