Miyamoto reveals why bumping into Goombas hurts – Super Mario Bros. Wonder

If you've wondered why Goombas and Koopa Troopas hurt Mario when he bumps into them, we finally have your answer courtesy of a Super Mario Bros. Wonder interview.
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Super Mario Bros Wonder Mario About To Curb Stomp Some Goombas
Image: Nintendo

You’re not alone if you’ve wondered why Mario is automatically hurt when he bumps into Goombas. Shiro Mouri, the programming director for Super Mario Bros. Wonder, heard that someone asked the legend Shigeru Miyamoto why as well. Once they got an answer, the developers ended up adapting the game’s features to match the original idea. Due to console limitations, the real reason could not be shown in the original games, but those limitations no longer exist.

Miyamoto apparently answered, “It’s because the Goombas bite him.” This makes a ton of sense and probably explains why Mario is hurt by Koopa Troopas as well. Apparently, this isn’t a well-known answer in the studio, which is why we don’t see Goombas biting Mario in games that could easily add this in. Since Miyamoto isn’t a micromanager, his idea that Mario is bitten was never enforced, but Super Mario Bros. Wonder will introduce it.

Mario Gets Bitten By Goomba Super Mario Wonder
Image: Nintendo

As revealed in an Ask the Developer interview at Nintendo, the Goombas will be happy to take bites out of Mario. Mario will not be happy about this and will show the expressions the team is pushing. This is just one of over 2,000 new ideas Super Marios Bros. Wonder will introduce, and I love it. The idea is that the game is finally pushing past what they reportedly said was “ordinary” and bringing Mario games’ capabilities to the modern age.

This is on purpose too, art director Masanobu Sato said when he heard the story he thought, “we can actually make these expressions come alive with today’s hardware. I want to bring those details to life.”

Based on the interview, Takashi Tezuka, the producer, revealed that Koopa Troopas also bite the player, so those fists aren’t made for boxing. They’re made for grabbing and biting Mario. This would technically make Koopa Troopas snapping turtles.

This, along with the Dark Souls feature added, and the Tsundere live-commentary considered, may make this Mario game the best 2D Mario so far. Make sure to check out our countdown for the game so that you can know exactly when Super Mario Bros. Wonder releases in your time zone.

Jorge A. Aguilar

Jorge A. Aguilar

Jorge A. Aguilar, also known as Aggy, is the current Assigning Editor.

He started his career as an esports, influencer, and streaming writer for Sportskeeda. He then moved to GFinity Esports to cover streaming, games, guides, and news before moving to the Social team where he ended his time as the Lead of Social Content.

He also worked a writer and editor for both Pro Game Guides and Dot Esports, and as a writer for PC Invasion, Attack of the Fanboy, and Android Police. Aggy is the former Managing Editor and Operations Overseer of N4G Unlocked and a former Gaming editor for WePC.

Throughout his time in the industry, he's trained over 100 writers, written thousands of articles on multiple sites, written more reviews than he cares to count, and edited tens of thousands of articles. He has also written some games published by Tales, some books, and a comic sold to Telus International.

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