The Badges of "Super Mario Bros. Wonder" Quiz

Answer:

"Super Mario Bros. Wonder" (SMBW) released in October 2023 on the Nintendo Switch. It was the first new 2D "Super Mario" game released in over ten years. It features a brilliant new core mechanic - "Wonder Flowers". These feature in most levels, usually somewhat hidden, and when collected they trigger "Wonder Effects". These are unique effects in each level such as transforming the player into various enemies or spike balls, spawning hordes of enemies, speeding up or slowing down gameplay, distorting the player's view, and many more. The effects are set to different music, and elements in the level such as coins will dance to the music. Each Wonder Effect breathes new life into the level, and their introduction allowed the developers to implement many creative, quirky and fun ideas into the game.

However, in this quiz we're more interested in another core mechanic introduced in SMBW - badges. There are twenty-four badges in total, divided into three categories:

* Nine "Action Badges" add new movement abilities to the characters, including the "Parachute Cap", "Dolphin Kick", "Floating High Jump" and "Grappling Vine" badges featured in this quiz.

* Eleven "Boost Badges" grant players a passive benefit that makes the game easier to play, including the "Sensor", "Coin Magnet" and "All Fire Power" badges featured in this quiz.

* Four "Expert Badges" grant players an ability that gives them some advantage but can be difficult to control, intended for expert players. These include the "Spring Feet", "Invisibility" and "Sound Off?" badges featured in this quiz (although the "Sound Off?" badge has more of a cosmetic effect in contrast to the other "Expert Badges").

Badges can be acquired by clearing certain level challenges, or purchasing them from shops. Players may equip one badge for each level, giving them the freedom to play levels with advantages (or disadvantages) of their choosing. This can greatly increase or decrease the difficulty of a level or challenge, and adds a lot of replayability to the game.

Many of the badge effects are inspired by or taken from power-ups and abilities in previous "Super Mario" games. I've followed this inspiration when coming up with the fake badges for this quiz:

* "Wing Cap - Triple jump to launch into flight" was lifted directly from "Super Mario 64", where it featured as a signature power-up. It could be obtained from red blocks in certain levels, and granted Mario the ability to fly after performing a triple jump or being shot out of a cannon. I personally found it a challenging power-up in my youth, with Mario's speed of flight making him quite difficult to control. I think this could be an interesting badge in SMBW, with limited utility in closed levels but more scope in wide-open levels. Of course, it would handle quite differently in 2D.

* "Penguin Swim - Move faster with improved control while underwater and better traction on slippery ice - slide through enemies belly-first when you reach top speed on land" is based on the "Penguin Suit" power-up from "New Super Mario Bros. Wii" which has the same effects, but also allows the character to throw ice balls. The improved underwater control is a favourite of mine, making monotonous underwater levels a little more bearable!

* " Impervious - Take no damage when hit by enemies - you can still fall into pits and lava" would be a redundant badge as this essentially describes the playable character "Nabbit" already featured in SMBW. Nabbit offers an accessible entry point for inexperienced players to play through levels without the frustration of frequent death.

* "Goomba Parade - Turn all enemies into Goombas - except bosses" is just a figment of my imagination, and maybe that's for the best. Much of the joy of "Super Mario" games comes from the variety of enemies across different levels, with level designs tailored to showcase the abilities of each enemy. While this badge would make the game more accessible for inexperienced players, there are already better ways of achieving this such as the impervious character "Nabbit".

* "One Hit Wonder - lose a life if you take any damage - even if you have collected a Super Mushroom or other power-up" is a fake badge that I would be interested in actually seeing in the game. It would allow players to add extra challenge to the game while still being able to use abilities from the "Fire Flower", "Elephant Fruit", "Bubble Flower" and "Drill Mushroom". A similar feature exists in "Super Mario Galaxy" and "Super Mario Galaxy 2", where the "Daredevil Comet" gives players a health of just one in certain boss battles and platforming sequences.