Super Mario leaps back to 2D as Nintendo goes retro

The first new non-3D instalment for a decade, due for release on Switch in October, will introduce the Wonder Flower, a four-player co-op feature - and Mario will be able to turn into an elephant

There have been rumours circulating for a while that a new 2D instalment in the Super Mario series was afoot - but perhaps no one expected a game in which the titular plumber could transform into an elephant and bounce on spherical hippos. That's exactly what we're getting, however, courtesy of Super Mario Bros Wonder, the first new non-3D Super Mario instalment for a decade, and the highlight of Nintendo's latest Direct showcase streamed live on Wednesday evening.

Due for release on Switch on 20 October, Wonder is being billed as the next evolution of 2D side-scrolling". Ostensibly, it looks like a modernised take on the classic Super Nintendo-era games, with its bright, brash landscape, familiar Koopa enemies, and green pipes, but the game is introducing a new Wonder Flower, which, when touched, causes changes in the game world, including pipes coming alive and wriggling around and enemies bombarding the screen or mutating into new forms. Players will also be able to control Princess Peach, Princess Daisy and Yoshi as well as Mario who is now able to turn into an elephant. Local four-player co-op is another welcome feature.