After dominating the big screen and expanding into theme parks, Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Toad and friends are returning to the game console for what will be the first new mainstream Super Mario Bros. offering since 2017.
Nintendo on Wednesday announced Super Mario Bros. Wonder, a brand new game coming to the Nintendo Switch this October.
The game — revealed during Nintendo Direct, where the company presents its upcoming slate of games — will be a return to form of sorts, bringing Mario back to a 2D side-scrolling adventure similar to the one players first experienced when the franchise launched in 1985.
Of course, the action (and graphics) in Super Mario Bros. Wonder are far more advanced this time around, with all new foes, levels and power-ups for players to tackle. A new trailer, which also dropped on Wednesday, even shows Mario swimming up waterfalls and skateboarding on rails before transforming in an elephant, officially dubbed Elephant Mario
There’s also the addition of Wonder Flowers, which appear to transform the world around Mario and company in new and exciting ways.
Mario, Luigi, Peach, Toad and Princess Daisy all appear to be playable characters in the 4-player co-op game. Mario was also seen riding on Yoshi in one frame, confirming that the beloved green dinosaur pops up at one point in the action.
Bowser will also be back, though it’s unclear what he or his troop of henchmen are up to this time around.
The last new mainstream Super Mario Bros. game to drop on the Nintendo Switch was Super Mario Bros. Odyssey in 2017. Since then, the company has introduced a 3D World expansion game called Bowser’s Fury (in 2021), as well as a retro collection Super Mario 3D All-Stars (2020) and the sequel game, Super Mario Maker 2 (2019).
Meanwhile, there hasn’t been a traditional 2D Mario game since 2012’s New Super Mario Bros. 2 on 3DS and 2012’s New Super Mario Bros. U on Wii U.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder will cap off a big year for the Mario brand. Back in February, Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Hollywood opened up bringing parkgoers a 360-degree video game land to play in with a variety of attractions, rides and restaurants themed after the game.
Then in April, Nintendo, Universal and Illumination released The Super Mario Bros. Movie to huge fanfare and global success. It’s broken all sorts of records since, earning the title of the highest-grossing movie domestically and globally of 2023, Illumination’s biggest movie ever and the most successful video game adaptation of all time.
It’s currently the second highest-grossing animated film in history, with a worldwide box office at over $1.3 billion. That’s not far behind Frozen II , which holds the top spot at $1.45 billion.
Directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, Super Mario Bros. features Chris Pratt as Mario, the Brooklyn plumber who is accidentally transported to the magical Mushroom Kingdom, where he helps Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy) fight off the evil turtle Bowser (Jack Black). The cast also includes Charlie Day as Luigi, Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong, Keegan-Michael Key as Toad, and Fred Armisen as Cranky Kong.
Black, 53, told PEOPLE at the film’s Los Angeles premiere that he was proud of the project.
“I feel like we really did it. I think we mission-accomplished it. We wanted to make a funny, exciting, action adventure, and by God, we did it,” he said.
“And you know what else we did? We also used all the characters from the Nintendo universe. And if you like playing Mario Kart or any of those Nintendo video games, when you see this movie, you’re going to go, ‘Whoa,’ because there’s a bunch of little Easter eggs that only the gamers will really recognize and really appreciate. I’m really happy about that.”
Super Mario Bros. Wonder drops Oct. 20.
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