The classic 2D Super Mario Bros. games hold a very special place in my heart. Over the years, I have beaten almost every game in the series (with the exception of the infamously difficult SMB: The Lost Levels), and even still to this day, I go back and revisit the NES original from time to time. There is something so instantly recognizable, engaging, and nostalgic about the unique side-scrolling platformer style of gameplay, and some of my most fond gaming memories prominently feature the loveable and heroic Italian plumber from Brooklyn. As for the last decade though, the only new 2D Mario games that have been released are remastered ports (i.e. New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe), a mobile-only game (Super Mario Run), and a custom level creator (Super Mario Maker). While those were all well and good, something brand new felt long overdue, so when Super Mario Bros. Wonder was announced, I couldn’t be more excited. Having now played Wonder early, let’s find out if the game was able to meet my high expectations.
As soon as I started the first level, Welcome to the Flower Kingdom, my Nintendo Switch controller was instantly glued to my hands. It controls as smooth as butter, polished with movement physics that somehow feel even more refined and less floaty than previous games. The immediate gameplay mechanics are familiar in all the right and expected ways, with the ability to move forwards and backwards, jump, wall jump, dash, crouch, crouch walk, and mid-air spin. All of the differences, however, are really what give Super Mario Bros. Wonder a name for itself, with everything that fans love about the series being accompanied by revolutionary new ideas. The new power-ups specifically (Elephant Fruit, Bubble Flower, and Drill Mushroom) are all really fun to use, and I really hope they make a returning appearance in other future Mario games. I go more in-depth about this in our preview, so make sure to give that a read if you haven’t already.
Progressing through the game with the intention of 100% completion (reaching the top of every flagpole, unlocking every hidden stage, finding every hidden 10-Coin, collecting every Wonder Seed, earning all 24 Badges, and gathering enough Flower Coins to purchase all 144 Standees) Super Mario Bros. Wonder is about a 15 hour experience. While that may not seem like a lot, there is never a dull moment from beginning to end, and those entire 15 hours are jam-packed full of content. I can’t recall a single stage that wasn’t an absolute blast, including the water levels which I’m usually not a fan of. Almost every level feels particularly distinct from each other (a nice change of pace from the ‘New’ Super Mario Bros. games) and new mechanics, namely the ones via Badges and Wonder Flowers, are constantly introduced to keep you on your toes.
Badges are gradually unlocked special abilities that can be equipped at the start of every level. Only one badge can be equipped per stage (even in local multiplayer), and some stages have a recommended badge for you to use. Apart from the badge-specific challenge stages, I mostly used the Parachute Cap badge during my playthrough, which is the very first one that you unlock, and didn’t experiment too much with any of the other ones until after beating the game. Once I did though, I got the urge to attempt to beat every level using every badge (yes, the game is really that good). There are 24 total badges that are separated into 3 types (Action, Boost, and Expert), some of which actually change up the core gameplay in a pretty significant way. I imagine that the “Jet Run” badge will have a major impact on the speed-running community.
After completing a stage, you’ll be rewarded with what’s known as a Wonder Seed. Collecting enough of these Wonder Seeds is the main objective in Super Mario Bros. Wonder, allowing you to progress through the overworld and onto other areas. Wonder Seeds can also be gathered by finding Wonder Flowers within each of the stages, which leads to one of my favourite new mechanics. Upon touching a Wonder Flower, the world around you will change in various interesting ways. In the first stage, for example, the Warp Pipes suddenly gain sentience and start wiggling around like worms. There are a large variety of weird and unexpected things that can happen after picking up a Wonder Flower, but I’ll leave the rest to your own discovery.
Seeing as the game takes place in the Flower Kingdom and not the Mushroom Kingdom, Super Mario Bros. Wonder has a heavy thematic emphasis on plants and flowers. There are random talking flowers spread throughout the stages, and while I somewhat expected them to mostly just be annoying, they actually turned out to be quite charming and helped to make the world feel more alive. If they aren’t your cup of tea though, you can easily shut them up in the settings menu, but I recommend giving them a chance, as some of their dialogue can be quite amusing.
You may be surprised to learn that the iconic (although unnecessary) score counter and level timer are now nowhere to be found. The score counter has felt outdated for a while now, so its absence is more than justified in my opinion. Instead of points, enemy combos are now displayed as colourful words in the order of: Good, Great, Super, Fantastic, Excellent, Incredible and Wonderful, followed by receiving 1-Ups. As for the level timer, its removal allows you to take your time in levels, providing more freedom of exploration and eliminating the need to rush. To be honest, I didn’t even realise that these features were gone until my second playthrough. I know that change can be scary, but these changes don’t make a huge difference.
Thanks to the 2-4 player local and online multiplayer options, Super Mario Bros. Wonder is also infinitely replayable. There are 12 playable characters to choose from, and as stated in our preview of the game, character collision has been removed. “Each player is layered behind one another, meaning gone are the days of jumping on your friend’s heads and throwing each other into bottomless pits out of a fit of rage. This makes the overall experience feel much less chaotic, and although some may find it disappointing, it makes a lot of sense considering that some courses would likely be virtually impossible otherwise.” It’s hard to say for certain if anything will change once the servers are overloaded with millions of players after launch, but as it stands, the online features are actually all well thought out and function almost flawlessly.
The art style and visuals of Super Mario Bros. Wonder is pure unadulterated eye candy. Pretty much everything about the graphics, from the colourful backgrounds to the designs of the levels themselves, is as beautiful as to be expected from watching the gameplay trailers (especially when playing on the Nintendo Switch OLED). Introducing new characters and enemy types to the world of Super Mario, alongside the familiar ones such as Goombas and Koopas, it all blends together perfectly with an animation style that adds more charm and personality than ever before. Framerate is a smooth 60fps and load times are as snappy as you could hope for. I’m also happy to report that you won’t be sent back to the overworld every time you lose a life, as the stage will restart right away after giving you the option to change your equipped badge.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a whimsical masterpiece, and I can say with utmost certainty that it is one of the greatest platformers that Nintendo has ever made. As the first 2D Mario game of the post-movie era, it sets an incredible precedent for the future of the series with its fresh new gameplay mechanics, expertly-crafted level design, gorgeous visuals, and lively animations. If you’re anything like me, you’ll repeatedly tell yourself “just one more level” while a joyful smile remains plastered across your face, all the way up until the end-credits roll. Referring to the game as “wonderful” would be an understatement, as Super Mario Bros. Wonder is sure to exceed expectations when it launches for Nintendo Switch on 20th October.
10/10
A copy of Super Mario Bros. Wonder for review purposes was provided by Nintendo UK.
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