While Nintendo has never given up on the 2D Mario games, there’s long been a sense they’re not the plucky plumber’s top-of-the-line products. The New Super Mario Bros. games are good, polished fun, but they’re a little simple, a little bland, compared to inventive 3D classics like Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Odyssey. That said, could the upcoming Super Mario Bros. Wonder mark an end to this trend?
Super Mario Bros. Wonder sheds the “New” baggage, offering up a fresh visual style and the “Wonder Flower” mechanic that remixes courses in creative and unexpected ways. So, is this the power-up that the 2D Mario titles have been needing? I’ve had the opportunity to go hands-on with Super Mario Wonder, and while I can only comment on my experience with a fairly small handful of stages, it already feels like there's plenty of reason to be optimistic. Scroll on for my full impressions.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder opens with the Mushroom Kingdom gang making a visit to the wormy Prince Florian of the Flower Kingdom, but Bowser shows up to ruin the party as usual. The Koopa king merges with Prince Florian’s castle, turning himself into a giant floating fortress, because sure, why not? As you would expect, it’s up to Mario and pals to bring Castle Bowser back down to earth.
If you’re expecting a deep, emotionally-complex story from Super Mario Wonder, well, I don’t know what to tell you, but much like Super Mario World’s relocation to Dinosaur Land, going to a new kingdom means Nintendo’s devs get to dream up a whole new roster of enemies for players to face (with plenty of classics reappearing as well). The Flower Kingdom is divided into several themed worlds, connected by a central hub. Your path through the worlds isn’t quite as linear as in past 2D Mario games, as you’ll often come to open sections on the world map where you can choose between several courses, and later on in the game, you get to decide the order you take on entire worlds. Packed with secrets and fun little touches, Wonder’s overworld maps are probably the best in franchise history.
The first thing you’ll likely notice when you hop into Super Mario Bros. Wonder is how good it looks. Gone is the cookie-cutter, “made in an editor” feel of the New Super Mario Bros. titles as every course in Super Mario Wonder looks unique, featuring beautiful, lushly-detailed backdrops. From mountains made of rocky pipes to clouds mounded up like sundaes, cool snowy peaks lit by glowing lights, and beyond, Mario’s world has rarely looked this good. Heck, Mario himself is looking pretty dapper. The plumber has a new, more animated look with every movement, whether wriggling into pipes, squeezing through doorways as Elephant Mario, or joyously grabbing a Super Mushroom, being packed with personality. It’s just a shame Charles Martinet is no longer providing Mario’s voice – whoever’s taken over does fine work, but they just don’t have the same infectious enthusiasm.
After you get over how pretty Super Mario Bros. Wonder is, the next thing you’ll likely notice is how the game feels to play. Nintendo has definitely updated their 2D physics engine a bit -- Mario feels weightier with his jumps being less floaty, although the feeling of momentum you get while dashing is stronger. The new feel may take a few minutes to get accustomed to, but hey, this is Mario, so the controls are perfectly responsive. The physics aren’t necessarily better or worse; they’re just different.
Mario also has the usual assortment of power-ups, both new and old. Fire Mario and Drill Mario return and are as fun as ever, while Elephant Mario and Bubble Mario make their debut. Elephant Mario takes a bit of getting used to, as it actually slows down the action, but there are a lot of interesting little nuances to the power-up. Bubble Mario is less exciting, as it doesn’t seem that different from many other past power-ups that allow you to shoot things, aside from the fact that you can bounce off your own bubbles. These four powerups are the only ones I saw during my early playthrough, but hopefully, a few more are hidden away somewhere.
Players can also collect a variety of badges with various benefits, although you can only equip one at a time. Some of these alter Mario’s abilities, allowing him to float with his cap or pull off a vertical wall jump, while others may do things like alert you to nearby secrets or add more coins to levels. I can’t say I’ve found the badges to be a super compelling addition to the formula so far, but they’re there for those who want them and don’t detract from the experience if you’re not interested.
Of course, the way Mario plays doesn’t matter if he doesn’t have interesting levels to bound through, and thankfully, Super Mario Bros. Wonder delivers in spades. Any notion the 2D Mario team is complacent when it comes to level design is out the widow, as every course in Super Mario Wonder feels fresh thanks to unique, often one-off mechanics. Whether you’re chasing down nut-spewing groundhogs, scrambling over slippery ice blocks, or playing keepaway from big-mouthed enemies that gobble up everything in their paths, a new surprising challenge is always awaiting you.
And courses are now essentially two-in-ones thanks to the Wonder Flower mechanic. Every course has a Wonder Flower hidden somewhere, which will transform the level in often pretty radical ways – pipes come to life like squirming inchworms, Invincible Stars rain from the sky, giant baddies threaten to crush you. Successfully navigate whatever wacky twist is thrown at you and you’ll earn an additional Wonder Seed for the course (the new equivalent of Power Stars/Moons). I can only speak to a small number of the Wonder Flower effects I’ve seen, but I can assure you, this is no mere gimmick. Nintendo has outdone themselves both in terms of clever level designs and wild Wonder Flower twists.
If I have any concerns about Super Mario Bros. Wonder, it’s that while course designs and their Wonder Flower remixes are very creative, the basic underlying platforming in many stages has been rather simple. I hope the game delivers some satisfying, skill-testing platforming challenges in addition to all the wild razzle-dazzle. Ultimately, I have a feeling this won’t end up being a serious concern as I delve deeper into this Wonderous world.
Current Thoughts on Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Super Mario Bros. Wonder is bursting with life and creative exuberance from the get-go, with dazzlingly varied stages and Wonder Flower curveballs you won’t see coming. I still have plenty more to play and it remains to be seen whether Wonder can consistently deliver top-tier platforming fundamentals alongside all its creative ideas, but everything points to Mario being as surefooted as ever.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder launches on Nintendo Switch on October 20. Look forward to a full review from Wccftech closer to launch.
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