Lovingood Review: 'Super Mario Bros. Wonder' is a treat for the family and returning fans

TL/DR NOTES

Review Grade: 9/10

Pros: Provides a fresh side-scrolling Super Mario experience while incorporating a large offering of new gameplay mechanics, enemies—it really does feel like a whole new game and not a rehash of the traditional Super Mario games. It’s also incredibly approachable for people who just want to play and not worry about running out of lives.

Cons: Not really a con per se, but the elephant power-up feels a bit out of place at times.

Parental Guidance: Rated E: This game is fun for the entire family. Truly. It’s got cartoon violence you’d expect from a Super Mario game but that’s all. It’s a safe buy for your household.

Gameplay Time: 20-plus hours

Platform Experience: Nintendo Switch

Intro

What’s always drawn me back into playing side scrolling Super Mario games is the nostalgia that comes with it. Yes, the games are meant to be family-fun experiences, but the competitive nature of being the type of gamer that I am makes me like a good challenge, which "Super Mario Bros. Wonder" gave me and then some. This is a game I think should be any every Nintendo Switch owner’s library.

A Little Bit of Old, A Lot of New

I can’t stress enough how "Super Mario Bros. Wonder" felt like a positive reshaping of what made previous games in the franchise so fun. Whereas the "New Super Mario Bros." had much of the classic charm, Wonder builds on the elements people have come to love from the Super Mario games and gives what I saw as an overhaul of the experience. For starters, the plot is pretty similar in the Bowser is the bad guy and Mario and friends have to step in to save the day. What’s neat about Wonder, though, is we now explore the Flower Kingdom instead of the traditional Mushroom Kingdom. Bowser has stolen a Wonder Flower and merged with the Flower Kingdom’s castle. Together with its prince, Florian, you’re charged with trying to stop Bowser from pulling off his “epic Wonder.”

You get your classic set up where the game is divided into worlds, but it feels like they leaned heavy into the themes this time. For example, whereas the first world feels like the old school Mario overworld, we see that change as we venture into a sky world, lava world, ancient ruins, etc. that feel unique to "Wonder." With this, we see new enemies that give us familiarity but also some fresh baddies to beat up.

Traditional enemies such as goombas, koopas, and lakitu are in the game, but we spot some newcomers, such as the hoppycat—a spiked creature that jumps to match your jumps as you try to avoid it—a Piranha plant that looks like a melon and shoots seeds, and a variation of the class bullet bill that seek’s it’s target and will stick to a surface until you bonk it on the head. Overall, I felt like players weren’t just given different colored versions of classic Mario baddies but rather a whole re-work and enemy cast for the Flower Kingdom.

You can also choose to play as Mario or some of his buddies, including Luigi, different-colored Toads, Princess Peach, or—who I played the entire game with—Princess Daisy. For newcomers or players who just want a relaxing experience, you can play as Yoshi or Nabbit. You don’t transform with power-ups, but you won’t take damage.

There’s so much more to enjoy from the gameplay aspect, but it’s one you have to witness firsthand in order to really appreciate what "Super Mario Bros. Wonder" has to offer.

The Wonder Flower

Sometimes, new features can feel gimmicky depending on how they’re executed, but that’s not the case with the Wonder Flower. I’m now 32 and felt like a little kid again every time I came across one of these level-changing items, which is very often. The wonder flower transforms the level—and sometimes you—to put you through some kind of zany gauntlet to collect a wonder seed—a collectible needed to explore the world. It’s to "Super Mario Bros. Wonder" as the collectible stars have been in previous Mario games.

Some of the wonder flower experiences were straightforward, like a warp pipe coming to life and wiggling around like a worm that you have to ride to collect a wonder seed. Other experiences might turn you into a baddie to navigate the level with the limited jumping ability of a goomba or clinging to surfaces as a slime ball that can jump great distances. There’s even one effect that kicks you all the way to space and you have to float your way through low orbit before you can come back down. My two favorite effects were turning into a spiked wrecking ball and having to race to the end of the map using your momentum and well-timed jumps. There are also maps in which the level becomes a sort of musical and the map is shifted depending on the rhythm. It was trippy, but very fun.

New Power-ups, Who Dis?

The iconic fire flower makes a return in "Super Mario Bros. Wonder," but players are also granted new power-ups, such as the bubble flower. This power-up allows your character to blow bubbles on which you can jump onto and use as a springboard. Then, there’s the elephant fruit power-up, which is cool for slapping enemies with your trunk, but it felt out of place. Like, it was neat for what it was, but I did cringe just a little when I first had to use that form. The drill mushroom was my favorite new power-up because your character can not only drill into the ground and pop back up, possibly destroying an enemy in the process, but there are certain ceilings you can burrow into and ride along. So, it’s not only a good defense but mobility power-up, too.

Badges

To really switch things up, "Super Mario Bros. Wonder" allows players to equip badges before entering levels. These accessories will change up how your player behaves, such as allowing them to jump higher, continuously bounce to keep momentum, and even one to turn you invisible to enemies. Though now an industry-changing feature, it was noteworthy for a Mario experience in that it felt like your gameplay would slightly alter based on what badge you chose. I frequently used a badge that lets your character have a grabbling hook-esque vine. You can cling to walls momentarily and be connected between distances.I would have liked to have seen badges that allowed you to turn into one of Bowser’s minions aside from what the Wonder Flower can do.

A Lack of Payoff Sometimes

Though I will happily sing the praises of Super Mario Wonder, I have to express my disappointment in the lack of getting something for collecting x-amount of collectible coins in the game. There are three 10-flower coins in most levels in the game, and though I didn’t collect every single one, from what I’ve seen in forums and YouTube, you don’t unlock a secret character, world, or feature only accessible to those who complete it.

One of my favorite games is Sonic Adventure 2: Battle because once you collect all the Sonic emblems in the game and are graded Rank A on each level, you unlock a 3D reimagining of the classic Green Hill Zone level. That felt like a major payoff, whereas it doesn’t appear there is one for Super Mario Wonder.

Parental Guidance

This is a game you 100% can play with your child or have them play alone. I highly recommend this as a party game, as you can play multiplayer. If a player selects Yoshi, you can also ride them along the level to help you, too. "Super Mario Bros. Wonder" has the amount of light violence you would expect from a Super Mario game, so if you’re fine with that, this game is a slam dunk for a Christmas gift.

Screenshot Gallery for Super Mario Bros. Wonder