Super Mario Bros. Wonder has the potential to create a new type of challenging gameplay experience

Super Mario Bros. Wonder has just unveiled many of its new features, potentially revealing a new type of challenge run. With all the new powers and mechanics the game has to offer, it seems destined to be another success for the series. After all, it's a great way to generate interest, providing players with plenty of new mechanics and items to play with. At the same time, a specific new feature could prove particularly useful and lead Super Mario Bros. Wonder to set a new trend among players.

Nintendo's latest revelations about the Flower Kingdom in Super Mario Bros. Wonder have contributed a lot to showcasing what the game has to offer. New power-ups and enemies, as well as a completely new mechanic in the form of badges, demonstrate how Super Mario Bros. Wonder is catching up on lost time after such a long wait for the next 2D Mario platforming game. It remains to be seen how many of these additions will find their way into the Mushroom Kingdom for the next game. However, there is definitely potential for some of them to become recurring elements in the games.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder's Invisibility Badge Could Be a Big Challenge for Players

The game-changing badges in Super Mario Bros. Wonder are undoubtedly one of the most interesting additions. Each badge grants the playable character an ability that influences them in some way, such as protection from falling or detecting hidden items. The most notable badge of the group is perhaps the Invisibility Badge. When equipped, this badge makes the player's character invisible, preventing enemies from noticing them. However, unlike most badges, the Invisibility Badge has a significant drawback as the player cannot see the position of their character either. They must rely on clues like screen scrolling and dust clouds to know where they are in the game.

Challenge runs are widely popular within the Super Mario fandom, best demonstrated by the dedicated speedrunning community of Super Mario. Players have taken on all sorts of challenges, such as deathless runs, coinless runs, and pacifist runs. An invisible run feels like the logical next step as it fits perfectly within the existing categories. If the option is available, someone will inevitably try it. In fact, due to the way it has been introduced, it's only natural that people become curious and want to find out how much of the game they can complete while invisible. Almost all challenge runs stem from this kind of curiosity.

It is worth noting that an invisible run of the game should indeed be feasible. All the new power-ups from Super Mario Bros. Wonder should still be usable while Mario is invisible, and even if not, Super Mario Bros. levels traditionally can be completed without power-ups. The trailer showcased how Mario can still interact with the levels while being invisible, which would mark the beginning of strategies for an invisible run. Over time, a combination of visual cues and level memorization would lead to optimized playthroughs. Not to mention, many players will naturally seek new challenges after completing the game, and invisible runs could be among them.

The Invisibility Badge should be one of the more intriguing new abilities to test upon the game's release. Super Mario Bros. Wonder is intended to be challenging, and making Mario invisible throughout the entire game would only further heighten that difficulty. While all badges impact the gameplay in some way, the Invisibility Badge is the only one shown to have a disadvantage, making it appear the most interesting to play with. Invisible runs could easily become a popular category alongside speedruns of Super Mario Bros. Wonder in the near future.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder will be released for the Nintendo Switch on October 20th.