Flower Kingdom

FLOWER KINGDOM

In 2023, Super Mario Bros. Wonder came along and changed the game for 2D Mario platformers by . . . injecting LSD straight into the game’s code. The game takes place in the Flower Kingdom, home to talking flowers, the trippy world-altering Wonder flowers, and other strange never-before-seen creatures.

The stage itself won’t be anything special, just a set of platforms with the Wonder game’s aesthetic. Talking flowers will hang out at different areas of the stage and comment when someone passes them. Then, on occasion, a Wonder Flower will appear, causing one of eight effects: 1) the pipes on the stage will start moving around, 2) a Piranha Plant musical will take place, 3) a stampede of bulrushes will flood the stage, 4) the stage will turn dark and all characters will become long, 5) a giant hoppo starts bouncing around the stage, 6) the players all turn into Wubbas, 7) the stage turns into a free-fall section, and 8) Castle Bowser appears in the background.

Potential theme: Strictly speaking, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFi-E4q0Ulg; but also https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qIw_NtZX98

Elephant Mario

ELEPHANT MARIO

As our heroes greet Prince Florian, Bowser shows up to crash the party. Touching a Wonder Flower and not knowing what it does, he finds himself merged with Florian’s castle and his own Klown Kar, becoming a giant flying castle spreading darkness all over the kingdom. Mario and his friends race off to stop him, and soon encounter their first new powerup: an apple with a nose like an elephant.

This is the Elephant Fruit, a fruit that transforms the player into an elephant. Not just an elephant suit, like we’re used to, but a full transformation into an anthropomorphic elephant. This powerup makes them heavy and powerful, with trunks that knock away opponents and carry water.

As a fighter, each of the major Elephant transformations will be represented as color swaps, their moveset pulling from the elephant power’s moves and a few other moves from the game. They will be strong and heavy, and just a little slow.

Likelihood rating: Piranha Plant clause.

Poplin

POPLIN

Serving under Prince Florian are small creatures that look like Toad, but with closed-up flowers that look like turbans instead of his mushroom.

These are the Poplins, the primary inhabitants of the Flower Kingdom. They appear throughout the game, typically giving you aid in the central hub world, or being imprisoned by Bowser’s new Wonder Flower powers.

As fighters, the Poplins will be a bit middling, with slightly weaker strength and higher speed, similar to their counterparts. Their moveset will pull from all the unique gimmicks found throughout the game and Flower Kingdom.

Likelihood rating: Probably not.

Prince Florian

PRINCE FLORIAN

After a long series of 2D Mario platformers that all felt just a little too same-y, in 2023, Nintendo released a brand-new platformer that completely changed the game, introducing a cartoony new artstyle, and multiple different features that changed up play in a number of chaotic ways, including the Wonder Flower that caused a strange effect on the stage for a time and badges the players could attach to their character that let them move around just a little bit differently. The story saw Mario and his friends going to visit the Flower Kingdom.

The Flower Kingdom is ruled by a small caterpillar named Prince Florian. He would act as the Mario characters’ primary companion throughout the game, using his special crown to activate the badges used in the game.

As a fighter, Florian will be fast and small, able to avoid most attacks that come his way. His moveset will pull almost entirely from the badges that he makes use of.

Likelihood rating: Piranha Plant clause.

Character Sheet: Poplin

POPLIN

And now, we have six brand-new characters to add in to the Mario rosters, including those from the Mario + Rabbids DLC and Super Mario Wonder. They are:

1. Elephant Mario

2. Prince Florian

3. Allegra

4. Poplin

5. Spark Hunters (split from Edge)

6. The Phantom

Now, we have the Poplins, the "Toads" of the Flower Kingdom and subjects of Prince Florian. They fill the various support roles throughout the overworld, including running the shops, breaking up obstacles and building bridges for you to progress, and so on. They also work well as the best remaining gimmick reps for the game, after Florian and Elephant Mario covered more specific aspects, so, we have stuff like the Propeller Flowers, the Bubble Flower, and the Drill Mushroom to work with too.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Bubble

They will toss forward a bubble from the Bubble Flower powerup, which will envelop a character and carry them a short way, dealing damage in the process.

Side B: Rock Break

The Poplin will attack a large rock with a pickax, damage being done by the axe and the flying chunks of rock in the process.

Up B: Propeller Flower

They will grab onto a propeller flower from the overworld, and it will carry them up into the sky and drop them off.

Down B: Drill

They will use the drill mushroom powerup to dig down into the ground, allowing them to move around under the surface for a short time.

Final Smash: Wonder Flower

They will contact a Wonder Flower, which will allow them to cause one of five effects that will mess with the stage, including Cloud Piranhas, Bulrushes, a giant Mario Spike Ball while the stage tilts, a giant bouncing Hoppo, and a giant Konk slamming down.

Entrance: They will step out of their flower houses.

Taunts: Up, they will hold up a Wonder Seed. Side, they will pull out an angling rod and fish for a minute. Down, they will place a character placeholder.

Kirby Hat: Their weird flower hats.

Kart: Based on one of their flower houses.

Special Move: They will use a propeller flower to carry themselves to a new location on the track.

Spirit Battle: A horde battle, on Flower Kingdom.

Victory Screen: They will bring out a large Wonder Seed and celebrate.

Losing Screen: They will be locked up inside of a jail cell.

Color Swaps: Their normal appearance, then a color swap matching every main Wonder Seed color from each level.

Thanks for reading! Next up, Edge and her fellow Spark Hunters will go their separate ways.

Character Sheet: Prince Florian

PRINCE FLORIAN

And now, we have six brand-new characters to add in to the Mario rosters, including those from the Mario + Rabbids DLC and Super Mario Wonder. They are:

1. Elephant Mario

2. Prince Florian

3. Allegra

4. Poplin

5. Spark Hunters (split from Edge)

6. The Phantom

Next up, we have Prince Florian, not to be confused with Snow White's prince of the same name, a little caterpillar and prince of the Flower Kingdom, who accompanies Mario and the gang as they try to retrieve his castle and separate it from Bowser. He seems to be the main provider of the badge abilities, so we will make that our main movepool here.

First, we have several types of jumps, including the Floating High Jump, the Boosting Spin Jump, the Crouching High Jump, and the Timed High Jump. More unique moves include the parachute cap, a grappling vine, a dolphin kick for swimming, a wall jump, a safety bounce, a coin magnet, the ability to turn invisible, and spring boots. There's also the fast dash and the jet run for speed. I'm sure we can make plenty out of that.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Grappling Vine

Florian will shoot out a vine which will latch onto another player or wall and pull him toward them, like Spider-Man's web.

Side B: Jet Run

He will put on a burst of speed and shoot across the stage at high speed.

Up B: Boosting Spin Jump

We could get more complicated, and have all four depending on extra inputs and such, but I think this one works for a solo.

Down B: Safety Bounce OR Invisibility

Either one would be fun. I could see the really techy players getting a lot of good usage out of that safety bounce.

Final Smash: Bowser Castle

Bowser in Castle Form will rise behind the stage, breathing fiery piranha plants onto it and attacking with his claws.

Entrance: He will appear on the stage with a flourish.

Taunts: Up, the top of his head will burst open with confetti as he cheers. Side, he will shoot out grappling vines trying to look cool. Down, he will sniff a talking flower.

Kirby Hat: His little flower crown.

Kart: Based on a roller-skating Wiggler.

Special Move: He will shoot out a grappling vine and pull himself toward anything ahead of him.

Spirit Battle: Him, accompanied by one of the twelve players picked at random, on Flower Kingdom. (Spirits, or whatever is equivalent in this game, allowed)

Victory Screen: He will spin and hold up a large wonder seed.

Losing Screen: Dark wonder flower energy and smoke will spill across the screen, and he will look terrified.

Color Swaps: His normal green look, a red look, a green and blue look, a pink look, a yellow and orange look, a blue look, a yellow look, and a pink and red look.

Thanks for reading! Next up, a new friendly rabbid from the second DLC pack.

Character Sheet: Elephant Mario

ELEPHANT MARIO

And now, we have six brand-new characters to add in to the Mario rosters, including those from the Mario + Rabbids DLC and Super Mario Wonder. They are:

1. Elephant Mario

2. Prince Florian

3. Allegra

4. Poplin

5. Spark Hunters (split from Edge)

6. The Phantom

We'll start with Elephant Mario, the brand new power up that transforms Mario and his friends into elephants, a powerup that Rule 34 hasn't had so much fun with since Bowsette. The Elephant powerup made Mario and his friends incredibly heavy, gave them a trunk that flicks away opponents, allowed them to collect water and spray it out, and gave them incredibly powerful charges and butt bashes. Couple that with maybe a few game gimmicks and we have a character.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Water Spray

The elephant will fill up their trunk with one press, then spray it out with a second.

Side B: Charge

The elephant will charge forward at high speed, plowing into opponents.

Up B: Parachute Cap

One that the elephant form at least can use, the elephant will expand its cap into a parachute and rise into the air.

Down B: Butt Bash

The elephant will flip up and then bash back down with crushing weight.

Final Smash: Bulrush Stampede

The elephant will touch a Wonder Flower, which will cause a stampede of bulrushes to flood across the stage.

Entrance: The player will pick up an Elephant Fruit and transform.

Taunts: Up, the elephant will flip its trunk. Side, the elephant will bend over and let out as strong trumpet blast. Down, the elephant will drink up some water.

Kirby Hat: What Kirby would look like if he picked it up.

Kart: A Bulrush-based Kart

Special Move: The elephant will be able to use its trunk to flick away any item that comes its way.

Spirit Battle: One of all of the main seven, on Flower Kingdom.

Victory Screen: The elephant will do its "facing backwards" pose from one of the songs as Piranha Plants sing around it.

Losing Screen: The elephant will lose its power-up and revert back to the player.

Color Swaps: Elephant Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, Blue Toad, Yellow Toad, Toadette, and what a Rosalina version would look like.

Thanks for reading! Next up, their faithful companion Prince Florian.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder

SUPER MARIO BROS. WONDER

Super Mario Bros. Wonder is the newest 2D Mario game and the first appearance of Kevin Afghani as the new voice of Mario and Luigi since Charles Martinet's retirement from the role. The game features Mario and friends visiting the Flower Kingdom, when Bowser accidentally makes contact with a Wonder Flower, a plant with some seriously trippy reality-bending powers, and ends up fused with Prince Florian's castle.

Our playable characters in this game include Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Princess Daisy, both the blue and yellow Toads, Toadette, four colors of Yoshi, and Nabbit. All play more or less the same, though the Yoshis and Nabbit all act as the game's easy mode. This includes running and jumping, with powerups including the Fire Flower and Super Star, and the new Elephant Fruit, Bubble Flower, and Drill Mushroom. The Elephant Fruit specifically turns the player into an elephant who can charge, butt bash, flick with their trunk, and carry and shoot water.

Also of note is our new badge mechanic, provided by Prince Florian, which gives you an added ability that you can equip from the start of any level. These include, as specific actions: the Parachute Cap, the Floating High Jump, the Boosting Spin Jump, the Wall Jump Climb, the Crouching High Jump, the Grappling Vine, the Dolphin Kick, the Timed High Jump, and the Fast Dash. Others give you some form of boost, such as a safety bounce, becoming a coin magnet, an item sensor, and just having certain items automatically, and others are expert level boosts, including invisibility, a jet run, and spring boots.

As for other allies, we have the Poplins, Florian's people, who can break up rocks and build bridges, some work as anglers, and others can teleport. It might be fair to attach things like the propeller flower to them as well. Then we have Captain Toad who pops up now and then, and the Talking Flowers, who are just great and comment on random things going on in each level.

Bowser is our main villain. He can breathe fire and flies around in his Klown Kar. After being merged with the castle, he shoots out fireballs that move like chomping piranha plants, attack with giant hands, and throw spike balls. Bowser Jr. pops up as a boss frequently, rolling around in his shell and butt bashing for most of his boss fights, but also using Wonder Flower power to grow, shrink, and alter the stage in some way. Kamek also appears, typically calling in airships to act as mid-level boss fights and such.

Our returning enemies include: Koopa Troopas, Koopa Paratroopas, Dry Bones, Goombas, Goombrats, Bone Goombas, Boos, Piranha Plants, Fire Piranha Plants, Bone Piranha Plants, Munchers, Nippers, Ninjis, Cheep Cheeps, Urchins, Bullet Bills, Bob-Ombs, Hotheads, Pokeys, Buzzy Beetles, Spinies, Lakitus, Spikes, Hammer Bros, Mechakoopas, Thwomps, and even King Boo in one level. Newcomers include: flying Anglefish, rolling Armads, Blewbirds, inflated frogs called Bloomps, charging Bulrushes, Condarts, Gnawshers, fat Hoppos, jumping Hoppycats, Thwomp-like Konks, eating Maw-Maws, Missile Megs, unwrappable Mumsies, kicking Outmaways, Pokipedes, Blaarghs that fall from the ceiling called Raarghs, Revvers, Robbirds, Bullet Bills that heat-seek, Shovas that push things, Skedaddlers that run and spit projectiles, Smackerels, Smogrins, rolling Snootles, Sproings, Tailies that hang from the ceiling, blobby Wubbas, and a bunch of guys that don't have names yet, like little green snails, mimic doors, owls, turtles, snakes in pots, walking fireworks, and a shadowy Mario that follows you around.

The whole game takes place in the Flower Kingdom, with its local Beach-themed area Petal Isles as the central hub connecting you to Pipe Rock Plateau, a grassy/mountainous region; Fluff-Puff Peaks, a sky region; Shining Falls, a strange polygonal mountainous world; Sunbaked Desert, a desert of course; Fungi Mines, a forest-y cave area filled with mushrooms; and Deep Magma Bog, a lava world. Each one of these has an access to the Special World, not unlike the one from Super Mario World.

And I think that's about it! Here's what we've got so far:

Characters:

Elephant Mario/etc.: charge, butt bash, trunk, shoot water

Prince Florian: Parachute Cap, Floating High Jump, Boosting Spin Jump, Wall Jump Climb, Crouching High Jump, Grappling Vine, Dolphin Kick, Timed High Jump, Fast Dash, safety bounce, coin magnet, item sensor, invisibility, jet run, spring boots

Poplins: break up rocks, build bridges, anglers, teleport, propeller flower

Spawny

Madame Bwahstrella

Kanya: Mecha King Bob-Omb

Allegra: Dorrie, tuning fork, musical blast, flip, water spit, vibrations

Rayman

Phantom: vanish, invulnerable spotlight, musical blast, sonic wave, sets

Stages: 

Tower of Doooooom!

Melodic Gardens

Phantom Show

Flower Kingdom

Petal Isles

Pipe Rock Plateau

Fluff-Puff Peaks

Shining Falls

Sunbaked Desert

Fungi Mines

Deep Magma Bog

Special World

Thanks for reading! Next up, we technically have another new game coming out this Friday, but we're not there yet, so we'll start with our newcomer characters, starting off with the hefty boy himself.