The Super Mario Wonder Direct revealed it’s not just Mario who will be able to transform into an Elephant form, and fans have a lot of thoughts on the new mechanic.
Excitement for Super Mario Wonder has grown following a Nintendo Direct focused on the upcoming game.
Wonder is the first brand-new traditional 2D Mario game in over a decade, and it’s adding quite a bit to the series. One of these features is the new Elephant power-up.
The game’s initial reveal showed Mario using this ability, but the Direct showed he won’t be the only one transforming. This has delighted fans, but another elephant-related mechanic has players concerned for Yoshi’s well-being.
Mario fans already love Princess Peach’s elephant form
The Super Mario Wonder Direct gave us a first look at elephant versions of Luigi, Peach, Daisy, Toad, and Toadette. While Yoshi and Nabbit are also playable, these characters don’t take damage and, as a trade-off, can’t transform.
Overall, fans seem delighted by these new designs. Just hours after the Direct, there was already fan art of Elephant Peach.
elephant peach! 🐘🌸#mario #SuperMarioBrosWonder pic.twitter.com/wTvzd0rUe1
— kieran!!🌤️🍉comms open (@belle_kieran) August 31, 2023
Mario x Peach but they're goofy elephants ❤️🩷 https://t.co/xoLqmLKP5w pic.twitter.com/3p34aaTJss
— idk i'm just here (@akiiame) August 31, 2023
Some questioned why Peach and Daisy don’t have hair while Mario and Luigi have their mustaches, but others thought it was the right choice.
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I'm frankly glad they didn't give Elephant Peach and Elephant Daisy hair.They didn't give E. Mario or E. Luigi hair.They now all look weird and cute and silly.
— Scott Frerichs🏳️🌈 (@KaiserNeko) August 31, 2023
However, one character in particular got the short end of the stick in this Direct. In addition to not getting an Elephant form, Yoshi can be used as a mount in Super Mario Wonder. If someone is playing as Yoshi, other players are able to jump onto their back – even while transformed.
This is led to quite a strong reaction from fans either questioning how Yoshi is able to carry around an elephant or just feeling sorry for the little guy.
Elephant Mario riding Yoshi pic.twitter.com/9tXPbczYQS
— Leo 🍉💜 (GARFIELD MOVIE ARC) (@leo_french15) August 31, 2023
Yoshi carrying Elephant Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Toad: pic.twitter.com/pBhjzhm2eF
— Leon ☁️ Reload (@Leonbringer) August 31, 2023
One fan even joked that this mechanic should be part of the next Super Smash Bros. game.
If Mario’s Final Smash in the next Smash Bros game isn’t turning into an elephant and shattering his opponent’s spine like Yoshi’s here than Sakurai has completely failed as a game director pic.twitter.com/jeQfjSkO68
— Colin (@IntroSpecktive) August 31, 2023
Some fans are still not sold on the Elephant forms, which do look a bit goofy. Still, Mario games have long had strange power-ups, from turning the eponymous plumber into a flying tanuki to transforming him into a cat.
Of course, fans will certainly miss Mario voice actor Charles Martinet, who Nintendo announced is stepping away from his roles starting with this game. All in all though, Super Mario Wonder appears to be a strong entry in the vast franchise thanks to innovations like Elephant forms others that shake up the basic formula.