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So, you’ve taken your first step into the gorgeous world of Mario’s latest 2D adventure,Super Mario Bros Wonder. Presumably, that first step involves the purchase and/or gift-based acquisition of the game. If it’s a physical copy, you’ve maybe taken off the plastic wrapping. If it’s digital, maybe it’s been downloaded.
Or perhaps you’ve already started playing. No matter the case, we recommend you read up on our beginner tips for Super Mario Bros Wonder, and not just because it’s our job to draw viewers toward our written content. We really do believe this stuff’s helpful!
Updated July 14, 2025:We’ve added a video version of this guide to help you experience the wonder of Super Mario Bros. Wonder.
Badges Matter, Characters Not So Much
If you’re just now learning that every playable character in Super Mario Bros Wonder functions identically in gameplay, you’re perhaps a little bummed. Well, it’s notentirelytrue -Yoshi’s still got the tongue action going on, and neither Yoshi nor Nabbit take damage from enemies,butMario, Luigi, Peach, Toad, Daisy, and Toadette all play identically.
But that doesn’t mean character customization is tossed out the window. Rather, Nintendo’s decided not to differentiate between the base characters so that nobody has to sacrifice any abilities in exchange for running around as their favorite character. Instead,Super Mario Bros Wonder’s plethora of obtainable and equippable badges alter gameplayin myriad ways, from enhancing specific techniques to providing brand-new ones and much more.
The Controls Are (Somewhat) Modifiable
Not every platformer, and certainly not every Mario platformer, is quite so liberal with the chance to shift control schemes as Super Mario Bros Wonder.Head into ‘Settings’at any time, and you’ll be able toalter the controls for Dash, Jump, and Ground Pound, meaning the Joy-Con or Game Pad of your choice doesn’tneedto feel unnatural if Wonder’s default setup isn’t to your taste.
You Can Tell The Flowers To Shut Up
When Nintendo unveiled Super Mario Bros Wonder, reactions to the game’s talking (as in fully-voiced English dialogue) flower plants fell into roughly two broad camps: those who found the notion adorable, and those that immediately knew they’d eventually find it obnoxious.
Wisely, the developers predicted this great gamer divide.While you’re in ‘Settings’, scroll down a bit, and you can disable the speaking bits entirely. What’s more, if you find the message bubbles equally distracting, or overly goofy, or whatever the case may be,you can even disable the text, making the talking flowers entirely mute not just aurally, but visually. This feels like the sort of thing you’d get in a post-launch patch after fan complaint. Yet here it is!
Standees Are Secondary…
Poplin Shopsare your basic Toad Houses - shopkeepers will sell their wares to you from little hovels on the overworld.Flower Coins are required to make purchases; these are those purple coins you’ll be receiving as you explore stages. There are, generally, three per stage, so it’s a pretty familiar system to anybody who’s played past 2D Mario titles.
Here’s the thing. Poplin Shops will sell power-ups, 1-Up Mushrooms, and more. But they’ll often be sellingStandee Surprisesfor ten Flower Coins a pop. Think of this as a gacha of sorts; you don’t know which Standee you’ll get. But in any case,don’t worry about spending loads of coins on Standees until later on, because they’re purely decorative collectors’ items.
Standees placed in stages when online is enabled can act as beacons to save fallen players elsewhere in the world, but they offer no tangible benefit toyouspecifically, and in that sense, they are just there for completionist purposes.
…But “!” Blocks Are Anything But
On the other hand, if you see Poplin Shops peddling"!" Blocks, buy them posthaste.These blocks will ‘fill in’ empty block outlines in various stages, enabling you to reach places you otherwise couldn’t, in order to find Wonder Seeds, separate exits, Flower Coins, you name it.
In this sense, they operate somewhat like those blocks from Super Mario World, the colored Palace Blocks. (In fact, you’ll encounter something evenmoresimilar to these, but those are unrelated.) They’re nearly as handy now as they were back then, and easier to acquire than ever, so don’t hesitate to snag them.
Go Back With Badges
Badges come in a few categories.Action Badgeswill grant your chosen character special techniques when equipped- this is what we were referencing earlier when we said that most characters play the same, but badges make a difference.Even if you’ve already completed a course, consider returning later when you acquire Action Badges, because you may unlock new paths leading to secrets you previously had no way of knowing about.
Some courses are drastically larger than they’ll appear without the proper Action Badges giving you a better vantage point and/or traversal method. Don’t expect every stage to be a whopper in this regard, but it’s worth checking.
Nintendostalgia Returns
When we mentioned “!” Blocks, wealsomentioned Color Palaces from Super Mario World. You should know, you’ll bump intoa Color Dungeon that functions with a new twist: you’re rotating between Red Blocks and Blue Blocks, flipping switches throughout a massive (and fun) stage to get from one end to the other.
We’re calling special attention to this because it’s the kind of cool callback you’ll find peppered all throughout Super Mario Bros Wonder. We consider it a sneak peek - longtime fans will findtons of nostalgic moments, including full stagespurposefully reminiscent of past works. There’s a lot of love here.Keep your eyes open for plenty of throwbacks.
Make It Harder On Yourself
If, by chance, you find Super Mario Bros Wonder too easy for your tastes - or perhaps you’ve completed every course, but you’re looking for something harder, a la New Super Mario Bros Luigi U, for instance -mull over the badges you’ve collected, and consider equipping something that makes thingstougherrather than easier.
Some badges have obvious tradeoffs, and some of those tradeoff effects are pretty rough. Here’s one:there’s a badge that causes you to bounce rather than walk, which can get you more places, sure. But it’s also a heck of a downside if you’re attempting to complete a stage naturally. Bring this with you to a Palace or Airship, and you’re going to have a hard time. But it’s the kind of hard time we find riveting, and we bet you might, too.
Next:The Rarest Mario Games And How Much They’re Worth
