It’s a Wonderful Life: GeekDad Reviews ‘Super Mario Bros. Wonder’
Over the last couple of weeks, my family has heard a lot of “oohs” and “ahs,” a torrent of “wows,” and even a couple of “whats?!” emanating from our den. (There’s also been some more colorful language, the gory details of which I’ll spare you.) The source of the noise, obviously, was me, but the reason for my surprise and delight — -and, y’know, some of those astonished swears — -was none other than the brand-new Nintendo Switch release Super Mario Bros. Wonder.
In 1985, the original Super Mario Bros. for the NES kicked off the franchise as a nigh-perfect 2D platformer, and somehow, nearly four decades on, that reputation for quality and fun just continues to trend upward. This was evident in the graphical overhaul and increased playability seen in Super Mario Bros. 3 (1990), the fresh injection of gameplay mechanics found in SNES classic Super Mario World (1991), and the perfectly portable New Super Mario Bros. (2006), which squished all of this innovation down into a portable format.
The Wonder Flower is a wonder to behold. image: NOA
And now, in 2023, Super Mario Bros. Wonder arrives as a veritable revolution all its own. Its secret? Wonder injects the kind of madcap, world-warping elements historically reserved for 3D Mario games into the more conventional 2D format via the titular Wonder Flower, a meta-power-up that’s Wonder Effects shake up gameplay in a myriad of exciting (and unexpected) ways.
But I’m getting ahead of myself.
In trademark Mario style, Wonder finds our heroes — -the Mario brothers, Peach and Daisy, and Toad and Toadette as well as the more beginner-friendly Yoshi and Nabbit, who won’t take damage but also can’t transform with power-ups — -on a convoluted quest to save a kingdom from the ravages of Bowser and his minions.
Some Wonder Effects are simpler than others, but they all satisfy. image: NOA
This time, however, the action moves from the tried-and-true Mushroom Kingdom to the neighboring Flower Kingdom, home of the aforementioned Wonder Flower. Bowser uses its reality-warping abilities to merge with the castle home of the kingdom’s ruler, Prince Florian, and proceeds to spread its corrupting influence throughout the land.
Aided by Florian, Mario and his team make their way through the seven biomes of the Flower Kingdom, alternately free-roaming over an expanding world map and participating in some of the series’ tightest platforming to date across scores of extraordinarily conceived levels. While much of Super Mario Bros. Wonder’s gameplay is wonderfully familiar, with many returning enemies and power-ups as well as recognizable environments like deserts and snow, there are lots of new things to see in this undiscovered kingdom.
There are many paths through the overworld… and the individual levels themselves. image: NOA
The Elephant Fruit, Bubble Flower, and Drill Mushroom — -which I’ve previously discussed — -fit in perfectly alongside the existing SMB power-ups like the Fire Flower, mixing up the gameplay without ever breaking the delicate balance of the platforming layout. The same can be said for the new Badge system, with badges that supplement and shift existing playstyles but are at their best when they’re viewed as a whole, a sprawling toolbox from which you can always select the best instrument for a given level’s challenges.
Speaking of challenges, the Badges themselves offer their own unique challenge levels wherein you hone your skills with a specific Badge, exploring it in a specialized scenario. Coupled with some additional puzzle-based and coin-collecting levels, these offer a refreshing break from the regular side-scrolling adventures that help keep Super Mario Bros. Wonder feeling fresh, even hours into your playthrough.
The interplay between the foreground and the background is often subtle, but that just makes the levels that much more fun to explore. image: NOA
Yet still, nothing can hold a candle to the innovation afforded by the Wonder Flowers. Finding these hidden collectibles always makes it worth taking the road less traveled, wandering far afield through alternate paths to unearth this strange new addition to the SMB universe. Will it alter the environment itself? Your player character? The very control scheme? You never know until you grab this glowing prize, but I, at least, was never disappointed by the outcome.
Wonder also does something equally surprising with its multiplayer offerings. Sure, you can play the four-player couch co-op you’ve come to expect from the Mario brothers, but its online system is something a bit more… amorphous.
By connecting online, you’ll see the “Shadows” of other players as they too make their way through the Flower Kingdom. You can set up friendly races, send emoji-style greetings, or simply experience the levels alongside these kindred spirits, but there’s even some unusual utility to that arrangement. The Shadows, as well as the standees that players can place throughout the levels, can revive you if you touch one within a few seconds after dying, and the standees themselves also serve as an almost Demon Souls-style messaging system when they’re placed next to hidden, movable, or potentially dangerous items. You can almost think of this as a more community-centered Mario experience.
Couch co-op is great, but even when you’re exploring alone, you don’t have to *be* alone. image: NOA
Like extra lives, Badges, and other collectibles, standees can be purchased from in-game vendors, and the randomized nature of such purchases made them dangerously addictive to me. Would I get another coveted Luigi? A crouching Toad? A Leaping Daisy? It only costs a few coins to find out.
The greatest success of Super Mario Bros. Wonder, however, isn’t just subtle multiplayer tweaks or its polished platforming. It’s not its gorgeous visuals or its toe-tapping soundtrack. It’s not even those ridiculous Wonder Flowers and their boundless possibilities.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder truly succeeds because it takes everything that fans love about classic 2D Mario titles and combines it with some of the finest elements from the 3D and even RPG-style spin-offs.
The flowers like to weigh in on events as they unfold. image: NOA
Several of its Wonder Effects instantly reminded me of my gravity-defying exploits in Super Mario Galaxy and, more recently, the radical perspective shifts found in Super Mario Odyssey. Meanwhile, its world is filled to the brim with vibrant supporting characters who may interact with you directly or continue on with their own tasks as you adventure in the foreground — -just like you might find in a Paper Mario or Mario & Luigi title. (The frequent anthropomorphized flowers found in the background are a particularly notable example, as they alternately encourage you or talk smack, seemingly at the drop of a hat.)
In summation, and before I unintentionally get into spoiler territory, Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a new high-water mark for the 2D Super Mario Bros. line. It’s a Nintendo Switch must-have and a holiday must-play for gamer families who have gathered together to celebrate the season. Pre-order your copy now, or simply grab one off the shelf at your nearest retailer when it releases this Friday, October 20th. You’ll be happy you did.
Review product was provided by Nintendo of America. This post contains affiliate links. There’s a certain world in the latter half of Wonder that is easily home to half of my favorite gaming moments of 2023!
