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Super Mario Bros. Wonder introduces Drill & Bubble power-ups

Bubbles can destroy almost any enemy and be used as a bounce point while the Drill cap lets you dig into grounds and ceilings and traverse them.

TJ Denzer

August 31, 2023 7:55 AM

Image via Nintendo

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It was an exciting day for Mario fans as Nintendo went live with a Super Mario Bros. Wonder direct presentation, showing off a multitude of new features like the Bubble and Drill power-ups. These power-ups are new to Super Mario Bros. Wonder and will offer unique new ways to overcome levels and the enemies and obstacles scattered throughout them.

The Bubble and Drill power-ups were revealed during the Super Mario Bros. Wonder Direct presentation on August 31, 2023. Both power-ups look to offer unique and fun ways to traverse the levels as you get them. Bubble acts somewhat like the Fire Flower in its use. You can throw a bubble ball forward and it will drift slowly in front of you. If an enemy comes near, it will gravitate towards them and capture them, turning them into a coin. This power-up can be used on any enemy, even usually undefeatable foes like Dry Bones. The bubbles also stay afloat for a while and you can jump on them to bounce to higher heights, even discovering secrets with the elevation from bouncing.

The Drill power-up takes the form of a drill cap the characters wear on their heads. When players use it on the ground, they can submerge and travel through the ground as long as it’s connected (you can’t traverse pits). Even more versatile is that you can also traverse ceiling terrain. In the presentation, we saw Mario use the cap to dig into the ceiling and glide along it. You can completely bypass enemies, discover buried secrets, or pop out, attacking foes as you come out of the terrain.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder is packing on a lot of fun features, including near-invincible characters that can be used to make the game easier and explore levels. With the game coming on October 20 to Nintendo Switch, stay tuned for further updates and details as they drop.

TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.