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- Super, Fire Flower, Invincible
Even when reception to a 2D Super Mario game is less than stellar – New Super Mario Bros. 2 for Nintendo 3DS springs to mind – the power-ups tend to go over well. The classics keep returning for good reason, and the individual titles’ level design tends to accommodate newer power-ups strongly enough to make even the weirdest of them work.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder ditches the ‘New Super Mario Bros.’ style that’s dominated the side-scrolling Mario scene for nearly two decades. It’s fresh, it’s fun as heck, and every aspect – including its power-ups – is top-notch. Here are the new power-ups you’ll be on the lookout for to take the fight to Bowser and his minions.
Updated October 28, 2023: We’ve added a video version of this guide to help you figure out what all these power-ups do in Super Mario Bros. Wonder.
In the zaniest stages, the never-dull and utterly unique moments in which a Wonder Flower takes effect, you’ll sometimes encounter one of almost a dozen more power-ups than we’re addressing here. Rest assured, they’re all exquisitely crafted for whatever wild time Nintendo has in mind for you.
Super, Fire Flower, Invincible
We’ll quickly address the three big returnees. Each functions exactly as it has in the past, but for Mario newcomers, here’s the deal: Super makes you larger and capable of taking an additional hit; Fire adds another stage of protection and lets you shoot flames at your foes; Invincible makes you completely impervious to everything but falling off stages, but lasts only briefly.
Some of our favorites that didn’t quite make the cut this time around include Tanooki and Ice Flower. Can’t win them all!
Elephant
Ever wish Super Mario games let you battle it out against your foes as more of a fighting game character than a run-and-jumper? The iconic Elephant power-up lets you do just that. The trunk serves as an attack button, and while not every enemy goes down in a single hit, there’s much fun to be had going after everything like you’re the touch-me-if-you-dare villain of the stage. (Getting touched still removes your power-up, alas!)
You’ll be able to break specific types of objects in Elephant mode, too. Plus, your trunk can blast water all over the place to grow vines that’ll get you where you need to be (or someplace that’s otherwise out of reach).
Bubble
With the Bubble Flower, your hero or heroine can now… blow bubbles. While that’s quirky good fun in its own right, rest assured, there’s ample practical usage here as well. The bubble can kill or damage your enemies, which is great. It can also be stepped on (which pops it) to raise the vertical distance you can cross.
The great thing about the bubble is that it’s surprisingly good at what it does. Plenty of enemies a shot of flame or simple jump won’t get rid of are helpless if struck just right with this.
Drill
Defense might not be the first thing on your mind when you think of a power-up that grants you the ability to wield a drill, but the Drill power-ups defensive application is actually our favorite thing about it. If you’re safely underground, you can often cross obstacles with ease, such as the crushing Thwomps.
Even cooler, since you’re wearing the drill at the top of your character’s head, it serves as a helmet against attacks from above you. That means falling shells, footballs, you name it; if they hit your head area, they’re blocked. On a more offensive front, ground-pounding with the drill can smash through certain things in your environment – and bring down anyone on your quick path of descent.
Wonder Flower
We mentioned this in a note before the start of the list, but Wonder Flowers change stages in huge ways, and often involve transforming your character in an equally huge way. In other words? Wonder Flowers can grant one of nearly a dozen power-ups unique to ‘Wonder Stage’ mode, so you won’t find these power-ups on the map normally.
Wonder Flower power-ups include:
- Turning into a Goomba!
- Becoming a balloon, just like old times!
- Shifting a spiked ball!
- Transforming into metal form!
- Rearranging your form into a Hoppycat!
Expect even more Wonder Flower surprises to bewilder you along your road to Bowser.