Summary
Super Mario Bros. Wondercould be in a prime position to resurrect a gimmick from one of the classicPaper Mariotitles. For what looks to be one of the most creativeSuper Marioadventures in years,Super Mario Bros. Wonderhas a lot of opportunities to do things that are outside the box. Its reveal trailer alone did a good job of characterizing the game as a weird and wild adventure for Nintendo’s most famous hero. Even so, a game full of unexpected twists can be served well with a few bursts of nostalgia here and there.
It’s already clear thatSuper Mario Bros. Wonderis breaking conventions, being a return to the 2DSuper Marioplatformers that turned Mario into a household name in the first place. At the same time, it seems destined to pave a path all its own with the new features that were shown off at its initial announcement. Daisy is joining the brothers and Peach on an adventure for the first time, and a few new power-ups have been unveiled as well that will surely see plenty of use. Most notable among them would be the Wonder Flower, whose reality-altering effects easily stole the show.
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Super Paper Mario’s Dimensions Could Influence Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Although it may not be as popular asfan favoritePaper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door,Super Paper Mariointroduced an idea that could see good use inSuper Mario Bros. Wonder. InSuper Paper Mario, Mario had the ability to flip between dimensions at the press of a button. This would often transform levels, revealing paths or secrets that wouldn’t have been accessible to Mario in the usual 2D perspective. Even though the game jettisoned a lot of thePaper Marioseries' traditional mechanics, the dimension-flipping proved to be a good gimmick for the game, making for a highly entertaining adventure.
Super Paper Mario’s 2D and 3D perspectives could find a surprisingly fitting place among thenew features ofSuper Mario Bros. Wonder. The Wonder Flower’s powers can warp levels in unexpected ways, from summoning a stampede of Reznors to bringing pipes to life. Compared to those effects, flipping the perspective of a level may not be as out of place as one may expect. The Wonder Flower’s effects are all about bringing drastic changes to the game, and few changes would be as great as flipping the level’s dimensions. It could bring a sort of level design that hasn’t been tried in traditional 2DMarioplatformers before.
A few levels that make players play from a different perspective could bring a unique challenge to the game.Super Mario Bros. Wonderwill be difficultin addition to quirky, and it’s safe to assume that the antics of the Wonder Flower will play a role in its challenges. Similar to the mine cart stages fromDonkey Kong Country, adding a level that players have to approach differently from the others every once in a while adds a healthy dose of variety to the game. It keeps the game interesting while giving players new challenges to adapt to, a concept thatSuper Mario Bros.Wonderis perfectly suited for.
Mario’s next adventure has already hinted that players will have a lot to look forward to. While theconfirmed information onSuper Mario Bros. Wonderpromises players a wild ride,Super Paper Mario’s signature mechanic could help put the game over the top. ThePaper MarioandSuper Mariotitles virtually never overlap, but this could be a perfect opportunity to bridge a gap between those worlds.Super Paper Mariocould be a fantastic inspiration for part ofSuper Mario Bros. Wonder’s greatest gimmick if Nintendo desires.
Super Mario Bros. Wonderwill be released on July 11, 2025.
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