Expanding the Essence: Mario's Mini-Bosses Magnify the Core Idea
Mario Wonder's mini-boss fights epitomize the game's mind-bending essence, offering fans an immersive experience like no other Prepare to be awed as Bowser Jr's wonder powers pose a formidable challenge, rivaling even the climactic moments of Mario Wonder
WARNING: Super Mario Bros. Wonder Spoilers ahead. Proceed at your own risk.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder brings fresh and unique elements to the classic 2D formula of the series. It introduces new power-ups like the Elephant Fruit, providing hilarious and powerful abilities for Mario and his friends. Badges also allow players to adjust the difficulty level of their adventure through Wonder's diverse courses.
At the heart of Super Mario Bros. Wonder lies the Wonder Flower, which has unpredictable effects on characters and their surroundings. Players get to experience these mind-bending effects in various ways, making each course and encounter unique and unforgettable. However, the feature that truly showcases the concept of Wonder Effects is the game's mini-boss battles. These battles surpass all other effects found throughout the game, even those used by the final boss of Wonder.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder is the first new 2D Mario game since 2012, and it takes Mario and his friends to the Flower Kingdom, a neighboring realm of the Mushroom Kingdom. The Flower Kingdom is home to Wonder Flowers, special items that cause zany and reality-altering effects when in contact with the game's characters. Bowser, with the intention of using Wonder Effects to conquer the Flower Kingdom, merges with the Koopa Clown Car and Prince Florian's Castle to become Castle Bowser. He then uses Wonder Effects to corrupt and distort the various lands of the Kingdom. Mario, Luigi, Daisy, Peach, and Yoshi join forces with Prince Florian, the ruler of the Flower Kingdom, to reverse Bowser's Wonder Effects and halt his villainous plans before he can unleash the ultimate wonder.
How Mario Wonder's Mini-boss Fights Best Encapsulate Its Reality-Bending Concepts
In Super Mario Bros. Wonder, players encounter Bowser Jr. in multiple boss fights at the end of various worlds. Each encounter starts similarly, with Bowser Jr. sliding around in his shell before becoming vulnerable to attacks. However, once Mario and his friends land the first blow, Bowser Jr. utilizes his Wonder Power to turn the tables. This showcases the central concept of Wonder Power in the game.
Throughout the game, players encounter Bowser Jr. four times, and each encounter leaves a lasting impression. After the first blow in each battle, Bowser Jr. will change the player's character, himself, the environment, or all three. These changes include shrinking or enlarging characters, animating the environment, darkening the stage, or turning a level upside down and filling it with water for an underwater boss fight. Each battle with Bowser Jr. presents an unexpected and thrilling challenge. These encounters effectively embody the concept of Wonder Power, surpassing the brief Wonder Flower segments found in the game's regular courses.
Bowser Jr.'s Wonder Powers Threaten to Upstage Mario Wonder's Climax
Bowser Jr. in Super Mario Bros. Wonder displays incredible and unique Wonder Powers, leading fans to expect a challenging battle against Bowser. However, this is not the case. Bowser's ultimate wonder power simply injects heavy-metal music into the world. As a result, the battle becomes relatively easy, requiring players to jump to the beat to avoid damage and hit a large pink button on Bowser's face. Similar to Bowser Jr., Castle Bowser also changes the stage and timing of the beat, as well as throws additional projectiles at the player after sustaining significant damage. Once enough damage has been inflicted, Bowser's Rage Stage introduces various platforms, enabling players to strike the final blow on top of Bowser's head.
Ultimately, Bowser Jr.'s use of Wonder Power represents the most effective example of the core concept in Super Mario Bros. Wonder. The Wonder Effects demonstrated by Bowser Jr. showcase the immense power of the Wonder Flower, solidifying it as a powerful force. Additionally, other Wonder Effects in the game also highlight the lighter side of the concept. By combining both the light and dark aspects of the Wonder Flower, Super Mario Bros. Wonder becomes one of the plumber's most unforgettable adventures to date.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder is available now, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.
