2D Mario used to be the king of the video game industry, with each game bringing in new, unique ideas, fun gameplay, and memorable levels from world 1 to world 8, until 2006 when a Nintendo DS game changed everything. 3D Mario became the super star for Mario, while 2D Mario turned into a repetitive batch of uninspiring platformers as pointless as the goombas. But then, Nintendo changed everything when they announced Super Mario Bros. Wonder, which promised fresh new 2D gameplay featuring the red plumber. So, now that the game is here, does it master the magic of Super Mario we’ve missed since the 90s featuring stellar and unique gameplay with inspiring levels, or is it just New Super Mario Bros. but with a strange twist? Well, after beating the game, I think I’ve made a pretty good conclusion, so here’s my in-depth review of Super Mario Bros. Wonder. Note that this review will not include serious spoilers, and the screenshots will only feature parts of the game shown in trailers and promos. And with that, let’s-a-go!
The main plot of Super Mario Bros. Wonder is that Bowser has taken over the Flower Kingdom, and Mario and their Prince, Prince Florian, collect Royal Seeds to reach Bowser. Also, Bowser turns himself into a castle, which is pretty odd, but definitely more menacing than past games. Super Mario Bros. Wonder only has six worlds compared to the normal eight, but each world has more levels and challenges to complete compared to previous games. There’s also a hub-like area called Petal Isles, which connects the six areas together. This is a really neat addition, as it makes it more interesting to travel from world to world, while also letting you choose which worlds you’d like to complete in any order by the end.
Each level in Super Mario Bros. Wonder has the best level design in 2D Mario we’ve seen since Super Mario World. Creative concepts, unique enemies, tons of secrets, and even the 10-purple-coins are interesting to find. While they are pretty much like Star Coins from the New Super Mario Bros. series, they are still very fun to search for, and you get 10 purple coins for finding them! Purple coins and normal coins are found in every level. Normal coins work as they always have, while purple coins can be used at Poplin Shops around each world, which lets you buy different things. They’re pretty much the replacement to Toad Houses from past 2D Mario games, and these shops give you an incentive to collect as many as you can find.
One of the main things that makes each level unique is the Wonder Flower. This flower can be found somewhere in every level, and once you touch it, the level will completely go bananas. So many unique, strange things can happen when the Wonder Effect is on. From turning into the level’s enemies, to making the level’s enemies ten times their normal size, to adding a giant boulder that chases you throughout the level, or just making pipes squirm like a worm. For the most part, the Wonder effect is unique in each level. Sometimes the effect is the same but laid out differently, like the top-down gameplay effect, but most are unique. The point of Wonder Flowers is the Wonder Seeds. These collectibles can be found one to three times in a level. You’ll always get one at the end of each level, but you’ll also get one at the end of the Wonder Effect. Wonder Seeds unlock levels, castles, and are an important part to the game.
What makes Super Mario Bros. Wonder different from the New Super Mario Bros. series is the level of detail and personality put into the game. The world of the New Super Mario Bros. games were dreary and uninspiring, identical game per game. Super Mario Bros. Wonder is not this. The painterly new animation style of the world is full of little details. When Mario goes through a pipe, he pulls his hat with him. When he gets a power-up, a small comic-like bubble appears behind Mario. Goombas get scared when Mario comes close by. It’s the little details like this that make everything better. And of course, the talking flowers. They’re so funny.
Of course, Super Mario Bros. Wonder added new power-ups to Mario’s arsenal of abilities. Next to the usual Super Mushroom, Fire Flower, and Super Star, Wonder adds three new power-ups. The first one is most notable: the Elephant Fruit. This turns Mario into an elephant, letting him swipe at enemies with his trunk, have more strength when moving or pushing things, and be able to hold water in his trunk to spray. Unfortunately, I didn’t find the ability to be quite as fun to use as I had hoped; however, it’s still an amusing ability to have. Next is the Drill Mushroom, similar to Spin Drill in Super Mario Galaxy 2, or more like the Drill ability in Kirby and the Forgotten Land. This ability lets Mario move across the ground or ceiling and pounce out at enemies, which is very fun. Finally, there’s the Bubble Flower, which lets Mario blow bubbles to turn enemies into coins or use as platforms. The new abilities aren’t quite as fun as other 2D Mario games, but they’re all still enjoyable to use.
Along with the power-ups is the badge system. As you progress through the game, Mario can buy and unlock badges. Badges can be picked before entering a level, and each gives Mario a different move. Some make him jump higher, some save him from a fall, and some just give him a mushroom to start the level. Each badge is helpful in different scenarios, and are a perfect, small add-on to coincide with power-ups. When the system was first explained, I thought it would make the game too confusing for casual gamers to handle; however, that is not the case as an slick and simple interface makes it easy to use.
While I was impressed with Super Mario Bros. Wonder throughout, I do have a couple gripes with the game. Firstly, with the badge system, a lot of the badges let Mario jump higher. There are several that allow higher jumps or speed, just in a different way. They are all helpful, but it would have been nice to see more diversity. Next, the game is very easy. It would have been nice to see more challenging elements. It is neat that each level has a difficulty label, but even the three and four star levels are pretty simple. Finally, my biggest gripe is the ending. The final world is fantastic, but the final boss was a bit underwhelming for me. Of course I won’t give details, but let’s just say that the fight was a bit too easy for the game’s finale. The level before this is absolutely fantastic, including elements from all throughout the game, it’s just the fight was anticlamactic for me.
Super Mario 64 was a point in which 3D Mario started and evolved with masterful games console by console, while 2D Mario fell off a cliff solely because each game sold like hotcakes. However, Super Mario Bros. Wonder takes the roots of where Super Mario got its start to wild new places. Wonder is an enjoyable, exciting, amusing, and charming adventure from the game’s first level to the finale. Every level is memorable and creative, and the worlds brim with life more than anything we’ve seen before in the world of the red plumber. From the moment the game was revealed, I could tell that this game would be special, and it has exceeded expectations significantly. Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a near-perfect video game with everything you’d want in a wacky and wondrous side-scrolling platformer. Super Mario Bros. Wonder gets a remarkable 5.7/6 on the Ryan Meter, stacking itself against some of the greatest Mario games ever made. Seriously, when did we ever think we would say that Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World have competition? Well, Super Mario Bros. Wonder is on par with those and the other irreplaceable Mario games we’ve received since 1985. A truly special video game.
What’s your favorite Mario game? Let me know in the comments.
Ryan’s Fortress Twitter: @RyansFortress
