Super Mario Bros. Wonder never stops surprising

When a Super Mario The game gets really good, you can’t help but move in your seat. I find myself leaning into jumps as if it gives me an advantage and ducking my head to avoid flying enemies. Even after a few decades of playing these games, it’s an instinct I can’t seem to shake, and I never sat still while playing. Super Mario Bros. Wonder on the Nintendo Switch.

Wonder It is the first new lateral displacement system Mario game in over a decade and the first mainline entry in the series since Super Mario Odyssey in 2017. It is also one of the best titles in the franchise to date. Wonder manages to draw inspiration from classics like Super Mario world and Super Mario Bros.3while firmly updating the formula with a seemingly inexhaustible supply of wild new ideas. WonderIt turns out that it is a very appropriate name. It’s a feeling you’ll experience a lot while playing.

like the best Super Mario games, there is only a hint of a story here. In Wonder, Once again you’re fighting Bowser and his forces, but instead of kidnapping Princess Peach, this time, he’s… turned into a giant, evil castle. It doesn’t make much sense, but it’s not necessary either. Mostly, it’s just an excuse to get In fact strange.

The basics are still here. Mario (or whatever character you choose) moves primarily left and right, even getting bigger when he eats a mushroom, and ending (most) levels by sliding down a flagpole at the end of the stage. You still stomp on Goombas and collect a lot of coins. But there are also many updates to the formula that drastically change the way a 2D Super Mario game plays. In terms of power-ups, you can now turn into an elephant to break bricks and enemies or sip water to help grow special seeds. Another perk gives you the ability to shoot bubbles that can kill enemies and serve as temporary platforms to jump on.

The rest of the experience has been equally infused with strange but incredibly fun concepts. New enemies include birds that will dive-bomb you, piranha plants that can get up and run, and living, inflatable balloons. At certain points, you’ll even be able to venture into the background, as levels are often made up of multiple layers. At the same time, the game cleverly builds on previous concepts: there are autoplay sequences that feel inspired by the creations of the community of mario creatorboss battles reminiscent of the first Mario Bros.and a final sequence that feels torn from Bowser’s fury.

I especially loved how Wonder Mix things up with different types of levels. While most are traditional side-scrolling stages, there are others that test very different skills. Some focus on battle, forcing you to defeat groups of enemies as quickly as possible, while others test your speed as you race against a surprisingly fast Wiggler on skates. My favorites were the secret-filled stages, where you are presented with a nearly empty room and tasked with exploring it to find hidden coins.

if that is all Wonder outside, it would still be a brilliant, modern update of the classic formula on par with the underrated New Super Mario Bros. U. But Nintendo designers have gone one step further. The main feature of the game is something called Wonder Flower, which is basically a time trip on acid. There is a flower in most levels (some hidden, some very obvious) and grabbing it will dramatically change things in completely unpredictable ways. Mario could have the ability to swim through lava or he could turn into a Goomba. Maybe those iconic green pipes will come to life. The lights may go out, forcing you to navigate with only silhouettes, or maybe it turns into a musical where you jump to the beat. These strange sequences only end when you collect another wonder seed later in the level.

Even as someone who has played Super Mario From the beginning, I found myself constantly surprised by the new twists that Wonder he threw me. And this lasts throughout the experience: the final sequence might be my favorite. Mario level never seen before.

Surprisingly, Wonder It’s not just an amazing remix of Super Mario formula; It’s also possibly the most accessible entry in the series. And that’s because it offers you many ways to adapt the experience to your tastes. You don’t need to complete every level to reach the end, for example, so I never found myself stuck in an impassable stage with no way to progress. There are also new unlockable badges that give you upgrades to your skills, such as running faster or jumping more buoyant. (You can only have one equipped at a time.) There are characters like Yoshi who essentially serve as an easy mode since they can’t take damage and can jump further. WonderThe levels even have star ratings so you know what you’re getting into as far as difficulty.

These features are especially important if you are playing multiplayer with a group of different skill levels. Wonder It supports cooperative play with up to four players and I was able to play with my two young children without problems. They did their best as multicolored Yoshis, while I took us through the more difficult stages as Princess Peach in an elephant costume. The great thing about accessibility tools, however, is that while they are entirely optional, they can really help most types of players. My kids have a way of beating levels without constantly dying, and I can use some of the badges to get that little extra boost I need to finish a particularly difficult four-star level.

If there’s one thing we’ve learned in 2023, it’s that Mario can be almost anything. Freed from the world of video games, he has become the star of everything from Hollywood movies to a growing group of theme parks. He is instantly recognizable, even with a new voice. That Super Mario Bros. Wonder What it does is remind us why a stocky Italian plumber became such an icon in the first place. He takes all the best parts of the classic. Mario Bros.he remixes them and then adds a strong dose of the strange. Wonder It’s a blast from start to finish and will make you squirm almost as much as Mario does.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder launches October 20 on Nintendo Switch.