Nintendo waited eleven years to make another side-scrolling Super Mario game. Super Mario Bros. Wonder shows the wait was worth it.
Trailer, via Nintendo of America.
The Wonder Flower Breaks the Level
The central mechanic is the Wonder Flower. Touch it and the level stops behaving. Pipes come to life. Hordes of enemies spawn. Characters change appearance and abilities. The effect ends when you grab a Wonder Seed or leave the area, and that loop — disruption, scramble, relief — runs through every stage in the Flower Kingdom.
It is the best idea the 2D series has had in decades. Wonder does not just add a power-up; it breaks its own rules on purpose, then hands you a seed for surviving the break.
Twelve Characters, Three New Power-Ups
Players pick from twelve characters: Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, Blue Toad, Yellow Toad, Toadette, Nabbit and four Yoshis. The roster is generous, and the Yoshis and Nabbit make the game playable for people who have never finished a Mario level.
The new power-ups are:
- A fruit that turns the player into an elephant
- A flower that creates bubbles to capture enemies
- A mushroom that gives a drill hat for burrowing through ground and ceiling
Badges add a second layer. Equip one and you get an extra ability, a passive perk or a trade-off. Local play supports four players, with an asynchronous online mode on top.
Bowser Fuses With the Castle
The plot is nonsense in the best way. Prince Florian invites Mario’s group to see a Wonder Flower. Bowser crashes the ceremony, steals it, fuses himself with the castle and becomes a sentient flying fortress. He imprisons the Poplins and plots to enslave the universe.
Mario and company gather six Royal Seeds. Each one destroys a Cloud Piranha guarding Bowser. The final confrontation reveals his endgame: a ritualistic rock concert to bend reality. It is absurd, and the game knows it.
Why the Flower Kingdom Works
Development began in 2019. Director Shiro Mouri drew on the original Super Mario Bros.; producer Takashi Tezuka wanted a new location. Both instincts landed. The Flower Kingdom is a real place, not a repaint, and the Wonder Flower gives the design a jolt that no amount of new suits could.
It became the fastest-selling Super Mario game, moving over 17 million copies by 2026. It was nominated for the Golden Joystick Award for Game of the Year, The Game Award for Game of the Year and the British Academy Games Award for Best Game. A Switch 2 version, Super Mario Bros. Wonder + Meetup in Bellabel Park, arrived in 2026 with Rosalina, Co-Star Luma and a plant suit power-up.
The sales and the nominations are deserved. Wonder is the rare revival that understands why the original worked instead of just repeating it.
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