

It took the franchise in a more sandbox-y direction, with a neat gameplay gimmick revolving around a hat that let Mario possess creatures in the world around him. The new game follows Super Mario Odyssey which debuted in 2017, the same year the Switch released.

Designed by famed Nintendo developer Shigeru Miyamoto over three decades ago, Mario, Bowser, and friends have arguably never been more popular, raising the stakes for the characters’ 22nd mainline gaming outing. Wonder follows hot on the heels of the box office record-smashing animated movie adaptation and Super Nintendo World theme park openings. The first new 2D Mario in a decade, Nintendo doesn’t use the “ New Super Mario Bros.” designation, making it unclear if it’s treating this like another spin-off in the platforming series or a full-blown successor. Another power-up turns Mario into an elephant, because sure, why not?! Yoshi will also be playable instead of just carrying Mario on his back.
