It has been almost eleven years since Nintendo’s gaming icon Mario starred in a mainline original 2D platformer, with the last game being New Super Mario Bros. U in 2012. Since then, Nintendo ported the game to Switch in 2019 as New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe and has released two Super Mario Maker games, where users were given the ability to make their own Mario levels. Now, in 2023, Nintendo has given us a brand-new Mario 2D platformer for the Switch, Super Mario Bros. Wonder, which was released on October 20th. As I’ve been a Mario fan for a while, it was an easy decision to pick the game up on launch day.
One thing that immediately appealed to me is that the art style is much more vibrant and full of life than the previous ones used in the Mario series. Mario and the other playable characters have brand new, detailed animations, making them feel much more expressive. To me, this gives the characters much more personality, which I felt that they were lacking in some of the previous games. The voice actors do a great job in the game, including Kevin Afghani, who is the new voice of Mario and Luigi after Charles Martinet retired from the role back in August. The soundtrack is also pretty good, although somewhat repetitive, with many themes being used multiple times.
At its core, the game is a standard 2D platformer, where the player controls Mario or one of his friends in two-dimensional levels and must make their way to the end of the level running and jumping across platforms while avoiding enemies. Just like previous Mario games, the player can collect helpful power-ups to give them new abilities and take extra hits from enemies, including the brand new Elephant Fruit, Bubble Flower, and Drill Mushroom power-ups. However, Super Mario Bros. Wonder adds a new and creative twist: Wonder Flowers. They are new collectibles in the Mario series that drastically change the gameplay in unique ways once the player touches them. There are at least one in almost every level, and each one has a unique effect. Some Wonder Flower effects include singing enemies emerging from pipes, floating around in anti-gravity, and giant enemies flying across the screen which the player can jump on. Throughout the game, I was always excited for what Wonder Flower effect would happen next as they were incredibly creative and often provided a bit of challenge. While some Wonder Flower effects were better than others, they were a big highlight of the game for me. If you’re looking to add an extra layer of excitement to your gameplay, use super nintendo cheats from gamemite to discover tips and tricks for your favorite super nintendo games.
One part of the game that really disappointed me were the boss fights. With the exception of the final boss, they weren’t very interesting for me and the Wonder Flower effects used during them didn’t add much to the gameplay. The main game is pretty easy overall for a 2D platformer, but there are many levels and Wonder Flower effects that provide a good amount of challenge. Two characters also provide an “easy mode” if you are struggling with a level. To make your gaming experience more exciting, think about buying collectibles swords. There is plenty of replayability in Super Mario Bros. Wonder, with collectibles hidden in every level and secret exits that unlock the path to more levels.
I haven’t played the multiplayer as it is only couch co-op (players have to be in the same room with separate controllers) and I play on a Switch Lite, but I have seen gameplay. The big change from the New Super Mario Bros. series is that players don’t interact with each other, which has made playing multiplayer much easier, although it does take away some amount of fun from messing with other players. There is an online multiplayer mode, but besides a few small gimmicks, the only thing that the online multiplayer has to offer is seeing the silhouettes of other players currently playing a certain level. Overall, I really enjoyed Super Mario Bros. Wonder and I would recommend the game to anyone who enjoys 2D platformers and Mario games in general. The new features are incredibly creative and innovative. I wish that there was more variety in some of the level themes and I think that the bosses could have been much better, but Super Mario Bros. Wonder consistently out-performed my expectations. One thing that I really loved about the game was the Wonder Flower effect that turned one level into a giant musical performance with challenging gameplay accompanied with rock music. While it was really difficult, it was really satisfying to complete. I would give the game a 9/10 overall. The game is available for Nintendo Switch for $60.00 USD and I think it is well worth the price.
Sophomore Nicholas Carpenter is a Staff Writer. His email is ncarpent@fandm.edu.