Super Mario Bros. Wonder Review
“WOWIE ZOWIE” Written by: Ethan (@ChaoticAether)
I’m going to start this review with a controversial statement: I’ve never really understood the hype behind 2D Mario. It may be because I never grew up with it, but I’ve always found them to be too basic and have enjoyed my time with other games in the genre like Donkey Kong Country and Celeste far more by comparison. The moveset always felt too floaty, I saw the world designs as too basic, and I’ve always ended up quitting from boredom before rolling credits. Mario Maker kept me engaged for a dozen or so hours, but it never fully hit with me either. Everything was at a loss. That was until Mario Wonder.
Super Mario Bros Wonder is the 2D Mario game that finally got me to understand what all the fuss is about. Filled with charming worlds, excellent level designs and a wonder mechanic that brought a smile to my face numerous times; Wonder is a game that doesn’t outstay its welcome and is a joy to play throughout. It’s a 2D Mario game that has not only taken on the lessons from prior instalments, but also lessons from other games in the genre to create a truly wonderful experience. But what makes this game such a joy to play? Let’s dive in.
Image Credit: Nintendo
Super Mario Bros Wonder is set in the Flower Kingdom, a neighbour of the Mushroom Kingdom and home to Prince Florian, the Poplins and those infamous talking flowers. Mario and friends have come to visit and see a demonstration of the kingdom’s wonder flowers; flowers with the ability to warp and change reality as they know it. Bowser interrupts this demonstration and knabs the flower for himself; merging with Prince Florian’s castle and imprisoning the residents of the Flower Kingdom in the process. With the help of Prince Florian, Mario and his friends set off to collect the wonder seeds, defeat bowser and return the Flower Kingdom to its former glory.
It may sound like a run of the mill Mario story, but once you get into the game you’ll see it take on a world of its own. The first thing I noticed is just how stunning the new visual design truly is. Everything has an artistic flow in Wonder, from the new character models looking hand crafted in nature, to the overworld map looking like a painting filled with beautiful vistas. There are twelve characters to play as (7 normal difficulty and 5 easy difficulty that take no damage), and despite all the normal characters fundamentally playing the same, they are still full to the brim with personality. From item pickups, warp pipe transitions and a variety of fun new voice lines for every occasion, it’s honestly one of the best looking, feeling and sounding games to ever be released on the Switch.
This “wonderful” style carries itself further in the main levels; with stunning backdrops, amazing soundtracks and a real sense of style throughout. There are so many visual elements crammed into this game, and despite some levels per world looking similar, they carry themselves on gimmicks, enemy placements and bonus areas to truly make every level feel unique. Match this with the talking flowers, who I found to be hilarious at times, and you’re left with a game I couldn’t stop playing.
Image Credit: Nintendo
And luckily for us, Mario Wonder plays just as good as it looks. Wonder maintains many of the staples you have come to expect from a 2D Mario platformer. Mushrooms, Fire Flowers, and swimming all return and function as normal, and the end goal is still a flagpole that can be found at the end of the level. There are plenty of locales to visit too. From your standard deserts and snowy mountains, to shining falls and levels covered in darkness like in Donkey Kong Country. The standard controls feel as solid as ever, and fit really well with the stronger level design and more natural level flow. What makes Mario wonder truly special though is the sheer amount of new items and gameplay to be found. This starts with its three new power ups: the elephant, the bubble flower and the drill.
The elephant was the most prominent in pre-release materials, and sees you become a large elephant that can smash blocks and use his trunk to both break objects and kill enemies on either side. It’s a really fun item to use and suits the game really well. Next up is the bubble flower, that allows you to blow bubbles in the direction you're facing. This is my personal favourite, as it allows you to kill enemies from a distance and use your bubbles as additional platforms. The drill is the final and least interesting power up found in Mario Wonder. You can use your drill to attack enemies and can also drill into the floors and ceilings, which has a few fun use cases but was mainly relegated to only being useful in specific stages. Overall the power ups in the game are strong, and unlike other Mario games before it I found myself constantly switching up the power up I was using instead of just using the same power up for the majority of the game.
The other large twist on gameplay is the introduction of the wonder flowers. There is a flower hidden in every level, and each one changes the way the stage can play in a variety of ways. Some are underwhelming such as the coin collectibles or riding bulls through a stage, but the majority of them are a joy to play and really keep the game from feeling stale. One may have you witness a choir of piranha plants serenade you. Another may have you perfectly time your jumps to the rhythm of the beat. From walking on walls in a top down perspective, to a variety of transformations that will keep you on your toes, there are some really good moments to be found in the wonder mechanic. Now are all these ideas game changing? No. Are they all such high quality that they could be their own game? Not really. But are they extremely fun and well worth hunting for in each level? Hell yeah they are!
Image Credit: Nintendo
The same can be said for the variety of “break time” stages that shift away from the norm to something more akin to a minigame format. These can be hit and miss, from some awesome puzzles and platforming challenges, to boring patterns and dastardly collectathons. My favourites were easily the puzzles. From finding your way through the dark or using standard level mechanics in more precise situations, I feel like they added a lot to the experience. The worst of these are the hide and seek challenges, which have you find increasingly asinine collectibles within a given area. Some of these challenges are utterly miserable, and only made bearable thanks to the help of multiplayer ghosts lighting my way.
Did I mention the game has multiplayer? Well it comes in two forms: local and online. Local multiplayer is your standard experience, with the crown system from 3D World returning but with the removal of the collision mechanics the “New” games are infamous for. The more interesting addition is the idea of asynchronous multiplayer. Mario Wonder at its core is a strand type game (I’m sure Kojima is thrilled). At any time during a level you can see up to three additional strangers interacting in the same level, and together you can find secrets, solve puzzles and even revive each other if you can interact in a given time. The game also has standees that you can place in levels, allowing you to save other people from perilous locations and increase your score in the process. It’s honestly a great mechanic, and I really like the way it blends into the normal gameplay loop. You can also play with your friends in a similar way if working with strangers isn’t your style.
The final new addition is that of the badges. These aren’t exactly new to 2d platformers, in fact if you have played Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair you’ll find this mechanic very familiar. There are a variety of badges to be found in Mario Wonder, which are obtained by either purchasing them from a Poplin shop or completing a corresponding challenge level. These badges act like modifiers to the game, and can provide your character with a variety of different abilities. These range from mobility type moves such as the parachute caps and double jumps, to starting each life with a variety of power ups. They are honestly pretty fun, and are used to create some challenging platforming puzzles. I just wish they were more useful in the main levels themselves, as bar from the high double jump and the parachute cap I hardly found myself using other abilities outside of their mandatory sections.
It’s not a perfect game mind you, and I still have a few gripes that I feel need mentioning. Boss battles in 2D Mario games have never been fantastic and this game is no exception; replacing the Koopalings with repeated fights with Bowser Jr. that are all pretty forgettable. The same can be said for the occasional ship levels and the final few Bowser stages, that all feel bland in contrast to the standard levels found within each world. My final issue is that, as always, some of the collectibles are in stupidly obscure locations. They are better placed than prior entries, but some of them still had me questioning how on earth I was supposed to find them without the help of others.
Image Credit: Nintendo
Summary
Super Mario Bros. Wonder is yet another example of how Nintendo are masters of finding fun and creative gameplay concepts and mashing them into a package filled to the brim with charm and personality. Wonder is an exceptional 2D platformer filled with crazy concepts, a wonderful score and incredible levels that are made to be replayed again and again. The wonder mechanic rarely gets stale, the badge system provides plenty of options to suit your play style, and there are some deviously crafted levels that will provide some challenge even for veteran platformer fans. It’s creative, clever, and sometimes crazy; and I loved every single moment. From the singing Piranha Plants in 1-2 to finally rolling credits around 12 hours later, it was a joy to play.
I can easily say that Super Mario bros. Wonder is a must play for fans of the genre and is an amazing send off from what is expected to be one of the Switch’s final major releases. I never truly loved 2D mario before Wonder, but it has shown me that there is still a place for it to shine in the modern gaming landscape. Maybe the “New” series has jaded me all these years; but with a little bit of passion and a lot of smart ideas, this reinvention of a gaming classic is truly wonderful.