Super Mario Bros. Wonder sends Mario and his friends to the Flower Kingdom, where an entire group of menacing lifeforms are begging to be trampled by our heroes. While many invasive species from the Mushroom Kingdom also exist in the Flower Kingdom, such as Goomba, Koopa, Spiny, and Piranha Plant, this game is full of new, strange little creatures.
The Super Mario series has remixed and reinvented its base baddies in the past, but Wonder it goes much further. More than 40 new rare types are a threat in this world, and many are as inventive as the Wonder Effects that make the new Super Mario adventure so memorable.
Here are the 12 best new monsters to join the Super Mario Bros. bestiary, along with objective explanations for why they’re so good.
Bulrush
Image: Nintendo
One of the first and most dazzling effects of a Wonder Flower is the introduction of the Bulrush, a distant cousin of the Reznor that is much more mobile, more aggressive and looks good with a t-shirt. The vaguely strong appearance of him is clever, but it really comes down to awe at Bulrush’s stampede and the fact that I love a video game enemy who knocks himself unconscious.
Jaws
Image: Nintendo
Another great wonderful effect really sells Maw-Maw, a wandering, open-mouthed amphibian that swallows Goombas whole. Maw-Maws and the wonder effect that turns Mario and his friends into Goombas Super Mario Bros. Wonder into a stealth minigame, just one of the many refreshing gameplay combinations Nintendo introduced to the platformer. Besides delighting in watching video game bad guys get knocked out, I also love seeing a little weirdo like Maw-Maw sweating in panic.
to flourish
Image: Nintendo
Super Mario Bros. Wonder he does bouncy things expertly. The moves and boi-yoi-yoings here are top notch. The Bloomp is just one great example of the many gelatinous or balloon-shaped things that Mario can sprout from, and the animation of a deflated pufferfish is better than it needs to be. Super Mario games have always had fantastic fish and now, thanks to WonderThe series has a new top 10 strange fish.
Hoppo
Image: Nintendo
Joining Bloomp as a remarkable round, bouncy child is Hoppo, a perfectly spherical hippopotamus that allows some of Super Mario Bros. WonderThe best ones jump and transform levels by getting stuck in gaps. And like Bloomp, this is one of the few creatures in the Floral Kingdom to transform via a Wonder Effect, becoming even larger and creating a brief moment of delightful chaos on the platforms.
Wuba
Image: Nintendo via Polygon
The Super Mario Bros. series has always been a little too slime-light for my tastes. But Wubba and the huge blocks of green gelatinous goo in the Fungi Mines address that deficiency. The Wubba aren’t particularly interesting to fight, but their movement (going in and out of slime cubes) is nice to watch. They burst with a satisfying gush of sludge when trampled. Additionally, you can transform into a Wubba with one of the best wonderful effects in the game.
Hanabihei
Image: Nintendo via Polygon
As Bob-omb evolutions go, it’s hard to do better than the Hanabihei, a sentient little firework. These colorful little explosive guys blow up things like blocks and piranha plants really well and, more importantly, they look cool while doing it. While Bob-ombs induce panic, Hanabihei give nothing but pleasure.
hoppy cat
Image: Nintendo via Polygon
What name! Hoppy cat! A variation of Spinys, the Hoppycat floppy will make you reconsider your jumps, spicing up moments of vertical play. Escaping the giant Hoppycats during a Wonder Effect early in the game is one of WonderThe funniest moments: you must dodge his jumps and at the same time use them to cross a level with his giant spikes.
morocón
Image: Nintendo
There’s not much to say about the Morocon, because it’s just a good rendition of the Goomba. This walking kernel of corn (with a fluffy pompadour!) goes crazy every time he touches a hot rock. Friends, that’s just good, clean fun.
mobile door
Image: Nintendo via Polygon
One of the creepiest additions to the Super Mario Bros. bestiary is the Moving Door, a fanged knockoff pretending to be a regular old door. Try entering the wrong name and you’ll get Mario’s weird jump scare! The toothy door is one of the few enemies that sing and dance, a little musical flavor that Wonder works much better than the New Super Mario Bros. games.
Piranha plant trotting
Image: Nintendo
Another all-singing, all-dancing villain is Trottin’ Piranha Plant, a new version of the weed who hates being tied to a pipe. I love that Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a musical, and the fact that Piranha Plants now moves and moves only deepens my affection for it.
mother
Image: Nintendo via Polygon
This may be the Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker I’m a superfan speaking, but I love a mummy in a Mario game. The mom combines the mummy wrappers with the shooters that Mario and his friends can shoot on various levels. The Revver, a Dry Bones variant with a pull cord, does something similar, but there’s something really satisfying about untangling a Mumsie and watching it sink into nothingness.
meg missile
Image: Nintendo
I love putting a new spin on Bullet Bill. Missile Meg is distinguished by having a stylish retro rocket design and serving as a mobile platform. She subsequently gives him Super Mario Bros. Wonder one of its most colorful moments. For a species that has a lifespan of a few seconds, I have to shout it out.
