Summary
One of the coolest things about jumping into a new game in this franchise is seeing all of the new power-ups. There are three returning favorites along with three new power-ups: Elephant Fruit, Drill Mushroom, and Bubble Flower. There are also two power-up-related items inSuper Mario Bros. Wonder.
Badges can be gained from levels or bought from thePoplin Shops inSuper Mario Bros. Wonder. Equipping them will give players bonus effects or abilities like the Parachute Cap’s ability for gliding. Then there are the Wonder Flowers which sometimes change the character into a unique property from a rolling rock to a squishy blob. Badges and Wonder Flowers are great, but for now, let’s focus on straight power-ups.
6Super Stars
Become Invincible
Super Stars appeared in the first game,Super Mario Bros.on the NES in 1985. They are one of the most iconic things in the series, or at least the way Super Stars are designed are iconic. Grabbing one in a level will turn players invincible for a short amount of time. They even have a catchy jingle attached to their procurement and some of the best levels in the game set Super Stars up for a marathon run.
One of the coolest things about Super Stars is that can be shared overmultiplayer inSuper Mario Bros. Wonder. If another player is going through the same level in the background and gets a Super Star, being touched by them will in turn make the player invincible. It’s nice that this effect is set up to spread during co-op gameplay.
5Super Mushrooms
Grow Big, Grow Strong
Super Mushrooms are another iconicpower-up in theMarioseries, which was also introduced in the first game. Players typically start as a smaller version of their hero, like Mario or Luigi, and then they can get bigger once they eat a Super Mushroom. It’s as simple as that and Super Mushrooms are like the gateway to all other power-ups in the game.
For example, if a Question Block contained the power of a Fire Flower inside of it but players were small, the Question Block would release a Super Mushroom instead. There are some exceptions to this rule inSuper Mario Bros. Wondersuch as the blocks that have a lottery system attached, but this is mostly how the franchise works overall. Players at least have the backup power-up they can rely on in the upper left-hand corner of the screen.
4Elephant Fruit
Become An Elephant
TheElephant Fruit was the first new power-up that was showcased forSuper Mario Bros. Wonderin the initial trailer. As Mario says in the game, “Wowie Zowie,” fans of the series exclaimed the same thing. The power-up has a lot of uses as well from being able to hit enemies with their trunk to absorbing water, which can then be shot out of said trunk. Jumping through bricks is a lot smoother too as the Elephant Fruit will turn characters into a Hulk-like wrecking crew.
It’s without a doubt one of the weirdest power-ups the series has seen for a while because it doesn’t operate like a suit. For example, inSuper Mario Bros. 3players could equip a Frog Suit to help them get around water levels easier. Mario or Luigi didn’t turn into frogs though as, again, it was just a suit they could wear. The Elephant Fruit is kind of reminiscent of Devil Fruits from theOne Pieceanime/manga series.
3Drill Mushrooms
Dig Below The Surface To Surprise Enemies
Drill Mushrooms is another new power-up forSuper Mario Bros. Wonderand it will probably be the last new discovery of the adventure. This power-up looks a lot like a Super Mushroom except the mushroom in question has a drill bit attached to it. Consuming it will give characters a matching drill bit on their heads and there are a lot of great uses for the Drill Mushroom. If players jump up, the drill will attack enemies above.
If players try to do a butt stomp, the characters will reverse the hat and use the drill to dig below. Cooler still is that players can bury themselves in most surfaces or ceilings to hide from enemies. The versatility of the Drill Mushroom is what makes this power-up attractive. Characters from the drill-heavyGurren Lagannanime serieswould assuredly love Drill Mushrooms.
2Fire Flowers
Blast Fireballs At Enemies
Fire Flowers were the third and final power-up first introduced in the original game on NES. It gives Mario and the other characters the ability to shoot fireballs from their fingertips. There is no accompanying jingle to the Fire Flower unlike the Super Star, but the sound effect that emits after every fireball is produced is satisfying. It’s a pure, attack-based power-up with no other uses inSuper Mario Bros. Wonder.
Sometimes that is perfectly fine as the Fire Flower power-up has always arguably been OP. Having the ability to attack enemies from a distance, even bosses, has made fans cling to this power-up for decades now. Nintendo tried to mess with the formula several times like by introducing the Superball Flower inSuper Mario Landon Game Boywhich created fireballs that bounced. It was okay, but there is a reason why Nintendo went back to the original design of the Fire Flower.
1Bubble Flowers
Blast Bubbles At Enemies
Even though Fire Flowers are amazingly powerful, they are defeated ever so slightly by the new addition of the Bubble Flowers. They operate a lot like Fire Flowers as they shoot projectiles, namely bubbles, at enemies in the game. Their production is slower than a Fire Flower’s fireballs and the bubbles don’t have as good a range. The perks, however, are what help it stand above Fire Flowers.
Bubbles can become shields, absorbing blasts from other enemies. Bubbles can also be bounced on which will help players with the platforming. Players can substitute out some of the more platform-friendlyBadges inSuper Mario Bros. Wonderif they have Bubble Flowers equipped. So, to recap, Bubble Glowers can help with traversal, are good at creating defensive walls, and they can harm enemies. What’s there not to like about them?
