Super Mario Bros Wonder – A Look at EGX 2023
Last week myself and SiVibes were given the pleasure of attending EGX 2023 as creators. A huge thank you to EGX and TikTok UK for gifting us these passes.
A Look at EGX is our series where we talk about games that we played during our time at EGX. We were only able to attend for one day due to train strikes, but we still managed to play and experience many wonderful games, and meet a ton of amazing indie developers and publishers.
To start off this series, I have decided to talk about Super Mario Bros Wonder. This may come as a surprise as I usually focus on indie titles, however, I have been a huge Nintendo fan for the majority of my life, with my first Nintendo game being Super Mario 64 on the Nintendo 64 console.
To be honest, I have always been much more of a 3D Mario fan, with some of my favourites being Super Mario Sunshine and Super Mario Odyssey. However, in recent years I have started to enjoy the 2D platforming side to Mario, especially as my partner Si, adores those styles of Mario games. One of my favourite streaming memories is completing Super Mario 3D World on Nintendo Switch with Si, amd we both dressed for the occasion by wearing Mario and Luigi hats. Si one upped me however as he grew a moustache for the launch.
So, moving onto Super Mario Bros Wonder – this has probably been the first 2D Mario game I have been looking forward to since I have started appreciating 2D Mario, and I was super excited knowing that the game was going to be showcased at EGX.
We attended EGX on the Thursday which is usually known as one of the quieter days to attend compared to the weekend. When we arrived, our first goal was to head straight for Super Mario Bros Wonder. We only queued for about 10 minutes before we were able to have a go for ourselves.
During our time with the game, we were able to explore a few levels of World 1. The first stages we played gave us a great first look into the way things work in this new adventure, showing off the new Talking Flowers, Powerups and Wonder Flowers.
Wonder Flowers are special items that appear in the various stages that trigger in-game effects that have the potential to change a stage and how it is played. Each stage has multiple Wonder Seeds that you can find. Some of the stages in game also have multiple exits, which means if you want to collect all the seeds, you must replay the stages. This offers a decent amount of replayability and the chance to explore each stage thoroughly.
Wonder also wastes no time in providing another anticipated powerup: the elephant. In this elephant form, you can attack enemies with your trunk, but that’s not all that defining part can do; going near water while in elephant form allows your character to fill their trunk up with water, then spray the water when you swing your trunk. Like in Super Mario World, you can also save spare powerups in your inventory to summon if and when you need it, so don’t be shy with collecting spare powerups.
Having this hands on experience gave us both great confidence and excitement in how Super Mario Bros. Wonder is going to turn out. The game feels very fresh and new, the controls are very responsive, and I really love the art style and direction they have chosen for Wonder. I really cannot wait to explore the whole of Super Mario Bros Wonder in co-op, and to see what else the game has to offer.
Alongside having Super Mario Bros Wonder being playable at EGX, Nintendo also did an amazing job with having multiple photo areas for the public to take part in, and they even had Mario and Luigi walk around the venue for people to meet. Obviously we jumped at the chance to meet up with the iconic duo for a picture (Mario was so sweet and gave me a hug). I have never been disappointed by Nintendo’s presence at gaming events, and the whole staff were absolutely fantastic. You have done good, Nintendo UK.
Super Mario Bros Wonder will be releasing on Nintendo Switch on 20th October 2023.
Photo’s taken by myself, SiVibes and Nintendo UK staff at the Nintendo booth at EGX 2023.
Written by Amber Elphick (Cherebi)
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cherebi@outlook.com
Cherebi
Indie, Nintendo & Pokemon Gaming Enthusiast 🎮 Loves to talk about the newest unique and inspiring indie games.
