Mario couldn’t punch in the demo I played, but he will have a rolling attack in the final game. For whatever reason, that wasn’t available to me during my hands on time. He can butt stomp enemies beneath him, and the Tanooki suit allows him to wack just about anything in his way. The Tanooki suit grants Mario with the ability to slowly float down from great heights, and it was useful for correcting yourself when you time a jump wrong or go too far.

Sorry to burst the bubble, but Nintendo has told me that while there is a rolling action in the game, it has zero attack value. I have been able to do the roll many times in my various demo sessions, but it will never end well if your goal is to take out an enemy; they'll win every time.

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Source: Gimme Gimme