Super Mario Dreamscaped

Super Mario Dreamscaped is a platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Nexus and Nintendo Switch in 2025. An entry in the Super Mario series, it follows Mario entrapped in a Dream World, where he must stop Bowser's and the returning Wart's plans to rule both worlds at once. The game returns to the 3D platforming gameplay featured in Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine and Super Mario Odyssey while acting as a narrative spiritual sequel to Super Mario Bros. 2 and Mario & Luigi: Dream Team.

In the game, Mario explores various Dream Worlds and collects Power Catchers hidden inside them, used to fight off against nightmares. Based on Bowser's Fury and Super Mario Bros. Wonder, the main gimmick of the game involves the world changing into a "Nightmare" after a few minutes, involving stronger enemies and unique effects.

Development for the game began in 2021 right after the release of Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury at Nintendo's Entertainment Planning & Development Division, and was aimed at both casual fans of the series and core fans while additionally showing the capabilities of the Nintendo Nexus.

After an initial delay from it's Holiday 2024 release date, Super Mario Dreamscaped released on July 4th, 2025 and received critical acclaim with reviewers praising the game's graphics, gameplay, story, soundtrack and originality, but with divided responses given to the decision to use full voice acting for all characters including Mario, and the inconsistent difficulty with the Switch port in particular being panned. It has been cited as one of the greatest games of all time and sold over 10 million copies.

Plot
Bowser has a dream where Wart (who has been trapped in Subcon's Prison after the events of Super Mario Bros. 2) tries to tell Bowser to free him in the Dream World to have vengeance against Mario and his friends. Bowser agrees and invades Subcon, freeing Wart and his subjects to spread chaos across Subcon, capturing all the inhabitants including the King. The Prince of Subcon, the returning Prince Dreambert, escapes and returns to "an old friend".

Meanwhile, Mario has a dream of a staircase leading to a mysterious door to a mysterious place. A voice, who is Dreambert, identifies the world as the dreamland of Subcon, and asks for Mario's help in defeating the villainous frog named Wart and his friend Bowser who have taken over Subcon and have even captured Mario's friends, additionally citing how they've stopped them before. Mario gladly agrees before being taken to Subcon once again. He sees that the world and his friends are entrapped in a dark crystal via the Nightmare Virus, which are created by the Nightmares of the people around the world and in Subcon that can be used for any evil purpose. To cure the Nightmare Virus, they must collect Power Catchers, special Dream Catchers.

Mario and Dreambert explore various Dream Worlds, collecting Power Catchers and saving various inhabitants and their friends along the way (including Luigi, Peach, Daisy, Toad and Toadette, who each join him in his journey when they're released), while battling various of Bowser and Wart's minions powered up by the Nightmare Virus.

Eventually after freeing the Dream World from the Nightmare energy, Mario and his friends confront Bowser and Wart (who constantly argue over why they keep failing). Wart double crosses Bowser and uses all the Nightmare energy to power himself up, growing giant in the process. After defeating Wart, Subcon is saved from the actions of Bowser and Wart, who along with his minions are imprisoned once again and the group return home.

Gameplay
Super Mario Dreamscaped is an open world platform game in which the player, as Mario, completes challenges to collect Power Catchers in order to free Subcon from the control of the Nightmare Virus. The game returns to the explorative sandbox-like gameplay seen in Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine and Super Mario Odyssey while also adapting elements from Bowser's Fury. Mario maintains his moveset from previous 3D titles, including the Triple Jump, the Long Jump, the Side Somersault, the Backward Somersault, the Roll, the Ground Pound, the Ground Pound Jump, the Spin Jump, and the returning dive. Mario's life meter also returns with three health, like in Super Mario Galaxy. Additionally, there are no lives (and, by extension, 1-Up Mushrooms and Game Overs) in the game, making this the third game not to feature them, as Mario instead loses ten coins upon dying. The coins that Mario collects serve as currency.

One of the main defining gimmicks of the game involves the world changing to a "Nightmare" after spending a few minutes in a stage. A Nightmare triggers bizarre effects such as hordes of enemies spawning, and character appearances and abilities changing. Most notably, the stage turns into an apocalyptic nighttime setting along with various giant versions of Bowser's and Wart's minions arriving.

Playable Characters

 * Princess Daisy (Giselle Fernandez)
 * Toad
 * Toadette

Supporting Characters

 * Prince Dreambert
 * TBD

Villains

 * Bowser (Kenny James)
 * Wart
 * TBD

Release and Marketing
TBD

As part of the promotional campaign, with Nintendo's permission, Ubisoft Montpellier and Milan developed a free DLC skin pack exclusive for the Nintendo Nexus and Switch versions of their title Rayman 4: Darkness Returns, which was released four months earlier, consisting of Mario-themed costumes/outfits for the playable cast; Rayman (Mario), Globox (Luigi), Barbara (Daisy), Ly the Fairy (Peach), Murfy (Toad) and Bzzit (Yoshi).