The Epic Evolution of Super Mario Bros: Reviving Nostalgia with Thrilling New Characters

Highlights

Super Mario Bros. Wonder introduces new voice actors for Mario characters, but disappoints fans with limited playable character options.

The Flower Kingdom and Wonder Flowers introduce wild and mind-bending elements to the game's plot, with Bowser serving as the primary antagonist. However, the game's extensive character selection includes an excessive number of Toad and Yoshi variations, which unfortunately overlooks the chance to include beloved fan favorites from the series.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder marks the start of a new era for the series, introducing new voice actors for Nintendo's Mario characters. The game features a wide array of playable characters, including iconic ones like Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Daisy. However, the limited selection of options has left many fans disappointed. Apart from the mainstays, the roster includes Nabbit and various versions of Toad and Yoshi. Unfortunately, this continues the trend of excluding beloved fan-favorite characters from major titles.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder is the first 2D Mario game released since 2012, taking Mario and his friends to the Flower Kingdom. In this kingdom, a special item called Wonder Flowers possesses the power to create bizarre and reality-altering effects when used by the characters. Bowser desires this power and merges himself with the Koopa Clown Car and Prince Florian's Castle, forming the Bowser Castle. Together with Florian, Mario, Luigi, Daisy, and Peach team up to free the Flower Kingdom from Bowser's magical effects and prevent him from unleashing the ultimate wonder.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder's Character Options Choose Quantity Over Quality

When Super Mario Bros. Wonder was initially announced in June 2023, it introduced a diverse lineup of playable characters. Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, Toad, and Yoshi were all confirmed to appear as playable characters, sparking excitement among fans. Daisy's inclusion in Super Mario Bros. Wonder was particularly exciting, as it marked her debut as a playable character in a platforming game after years of spinoff appearances. Despite the high expectations set by the initial character reveal, the game's release this week confirmed that the announcement trailer had already showcased the complete set of characters.

The roster of Super Mario Bros. Wonder consists of twelve characters, from which up to four players can choose. While this large roster size had the potential to include a variety of significant Super Mario Bros. characters, six of the options were variations of Toad or Yoshi. Surprisingly, Toad himself was not playable, and instead, Yellow Toad, Blue Toad, and Toadette made the roster. Additionally, Yoshi was accompanied by Red Yoshi, Light Blue Yoshi, and Yellow Yoshi.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder Continues an Unfortunate Trend for Major Fan-Favorites

Super Mario Bros. Wonder missed an opportunity to showcase the incredible range of characters in the Super Mario series by relying too heavily on color variations and Nabbit. Instead of having multiple versions of Yoshi and Toad, the game could have included fan favorites like Rosalina, Birdo, Donkey Kong, Wario, and Waluigi as playable characters. It's disappointing that after waiting 11 years for a new title, fans had to settle for a roster that felt lacking. However, there are rumors of a future release, the Switch 2, which will likely include a major Mario title. Hopefully, this game will feature a wider range of memorable characters with their own unique voices.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder is available now, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.