As amazing as 3D Mario games are - and they are truly amazing - I’ve always been partial to the 2D Mario games. Some of that is definitely nostalgia for the Super Mario Bros and Super Mario Bros 3 I grew up with, but a good portion of it is that 2D platformers have a different feel to them than 3D platformers. When everyone was going “3D > 2D,” I was the voice of dissent. Fortunately, with the DS, Nintendo brought back classic 2D Mario with the “New Super Mario Bros” sub-series. While Super Mario Bros Wonder abandoned the “New” part of the naming convention (it’s been almost 20 years; it’s really not that “new” anymore), it definitely follows the spirit of that sub-series with a gloriously tight and responsive 2D Mario experience. Wonder breaks from the norm of “Bowser kidnapped Peach.” This time, Bowser stole a neighboring kingdom’s entire castle. Then he fused his body with the castle. So now he is the castle. Even by Mario standards, this is kind of weird, but I applaud the novelty. Mario then adventures through the flower kingdom alongside its useless but likable enough prince. To free the castle from Bowser’s control, you have to collect six Royal Seeds, one of which in each of the kingdom’s realms. These are your six worlds. In each level, there are between one and three Wonder Seeds to collect, and you’ll need a certain number from each world to pass checkpoints in that world. Once you get all six Royal Seeds, you’ll play a few levels in a Bowser mini-world. There is also a special world with challenge levels. In addition to the return of the classic Super Mushroom, Fire Flower, Power Star, and Ice Flower, there are a handful of really cool new power-ups in Wonder. You’ve got an Elephant Fruit which turns you into...a bipedal elephant. You’re a little slower, but you can swing your trunk as a powerful melee attack. There’s also a Bubble Flower that turns you purple and lets you throw bubbles that can encapsulate and kill enemies. Then there’s the Drill Mushroom that causes a drill to sprout from your head and lets you tunnel into the ceiling or the floor. Lastly - and not really a power up - is the Wonder Flower. If you find it, it totally transforms the world and sometimes your character and lets you find a hidden Wonder Seed in each stage. Super Mario Bros games have always been known for excellent music and tight controls, and Wonder is no exception. The music is as amazing as ever, and the controls are some of the tightest and most responsive of the series. Visually, the game is absolutely outstanding. It’s got all the graphical prowess of Super Mario Odyssey in a 2D format. It’s stunning, genuinely. The best part of the game, though, are the multiplayer options. the array of characters has some character to suit most player’s preferences. Obviously, you can play as Mario and Luigi, but you can also choose Peach, Daisy, Yellow Toad, Blue Toad, Toadette, Yoshi, Red Yoshi, Yellow Yoshi, Light Blue Yoshi, or Nabbit. Mario, Peach, Daisy, and the Toads all play standard, but the Yoshis and Nabbit are like “easy” mode; Yoshis don’t take damage and flutter jump but do flinch when touching an enemy or obstacle, and Nabbit takes no damage and doesn’t flinch when touching an enemy or obstacle. Local multiplayer allows up to four players, and you can actually help each other somewhat instead of just hilariously hindering like the older New Super Mario Bros games; if you die, you’ll have five seconds as a ghost to find an ally, and if an ally touches you within those five seconds, you’ll respawn on them without losing a life. There’s also online functionality that can match you either with your friends privately or with random players from all over the world playing the same level as you. If you die, your online allies can revive you just like in local multiplayer. Players can also drop standees that can revive you if you touch them as a ghost. Super Mario Bros Wonder is honestly my favorite 2D Mario game if I look past my rose-tinted nostalgia glasses for Super Mario Bros 3. It’s the perfect modern 2D platformer - seriously fun local multiplayer, seamless and useful online multiplayer, and flawless single player fun. Couple that with amazing music and stunning visuals, and this game is an absolute masterpiece. There’s no other way to describe it. This is an absolute must-play for Switch owners right alongside Super Mario Odyssey. My Rating - S |
I'm a teacher.And I like to play video games. I like to collect video games. I like to talk about video games, and I like to write about video games. During the day, I teach high school history; during the night, I spend my spare time gaming. Then I write about it. Archives
April 2024
|