Credit: NintendoThe next 2D Mario platforming experience has finally been announced, and it looks weirder than any Super Mario Bros. game before it. And that’s saying something.
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Nintendo is on top of the world right now. Not only did they just release the incredible The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (2023), but The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023), starring Chris Pratt, Jack Black, Charlie Day, and so many more, is the highest-grossing animated movie of all time.
It only makes sense that a new Super Mario game will be released to capitalize on that success. And by the looks of the trailer Nintendo dropped today, the new Super Mario Bros. Wonder (2023) is going to be Mario and Friends’ weirdest platforming adventure to date.
‘Super Mario Bros. Wonder’ is Delightfully Trippy
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Revealed in the June 2023 Nintendo Direct, Super Mario Bros. Wonder takes Mario and company back to their 2D roots. While this may seem like Nintendo is playing it safe, especially after their Mario movie didn’t take too many risks, dozens of new choices make this installment feel completely new.
You know things will be weird as soon as a Piranha Plant jumps out of a warp pipe and starts walking toward Mario with creepy little legs. From then on, viewers are subjected to some of the wildest sights ever seen in a Mario game, including bouncing hippos, warp pipes moving like inchworms, a silhouetted Mario stretching from the torso, and Mario turning into an elephant.
That’s right; he’s not wearing an elephant suit. He’s literally transforming into an elephant. And if the fan reaction to “Bowsette” from New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe (2019) is any indication, the internet is about to be bombarded with some unsettling fan art.
What’s especially exciting is that there are some firsts for the series as a whole. For example, while Princess Daisy has been featured in Mario Sports titles and the Mario Party franchise, she has never appeared in a platformer. That’s all changing in this new game, where she is seen holding her own against a strong-looking enemy. Now we just need to see if Waluigi eventually gets the same treatment.
From initial impressions, Super Mario Bros. Wonder is shaping up to be the 2D Mario game for which fans have been clamoring. It’s taking the perfect formula created by Shigeru Miyamoto almost 40 years ago and taking it in a strange and exciting direction. It’s not just weird; it’s wonderful.
What’s your favorite Super Mario game? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!