Super Mario Bros Wonder Introduces Elephant Mario On Nintendo Switch This October

Nintendo has big plans for the "Mario" fandom this year, as the company announced not one, but two "Mario" titles at its Nintendo Direct event earlier today. Among them is "Super Mario Bros. Wonder," a side-scrolling 2D platformer with a snazzy visual upgrade over the original that it is slated to hit the stores on October 20.

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The first fresh entry in the 2D "Super Mario Bros." family in over a decade, "Super Mario Wonder" is coming to the Switch series consoles later this year. Notably, it will also have players embark on a journey by taking on the roles of Luigi, Yoshi, Toad, and Princess Peach. However, beyond just expanding the pool of playable characters, the developers have also paid special attention to the game's overall environmental design and game mechanics.

In "Super Mario Bros. Wonder," everything around Mario seems to come alive when you touch a Wonder Flower. "Pipes could come alive, hordes of enemies may appear, characters might change their looks, for example — transforming the gameplay in unpredictable ways," says Nintendo's press release.

Pipes start acting like an inchworm, the enemies go into a disarray to block Mario's path, and everything goes haywire as soon as the beloved portly plumber touches the Wonder Flower. Complemented by new transformations for Mario and other new gameplay mechanics, the Wonder Flower trick injects some unpredictability and energy into the gameplay. 

The biggest surprise in "Super Mario Bros. Wonder," however, is Elephant Mario. It's a brand-new power-up in Mario's arsenal that unlocks as you soon as you head-butt the secret magic block and a pink power sphere pops out of it.

Once Mario comes in contact with it, the stout plumber transforms into an elephant version of himself that still wears the iconic red-blue overalls. Fittingly, this elephantine makeover comes with its own set of tricks, such as a thumping gait and the power to kick those nasty Goombas into the sky instead of jumping over them.

Of course, turning into an elephant version also appears to slow down the pace of movement. It would be interesting to test how far high this one can jump, as well as any other new transformations are on the way, when "Super Mario Bros. Wonder" releases globally this October.