Super Mario Bros. Wonder Hands-On Impressions – Leaping Out of the Comfort Zone

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While Nintendo has never given up on the 2D Mario games, there’s long been a sense they’re not the plucky plumber’s top-of-the-line products. The New Super Mario Bros. games are good, polished fun, but they’re a little simple, a little bland, compared to inventive 3D classics like Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Odyssey. That said, could the upcoming Super Mario Bros. Wonder mark an end to this trend?

Super Mario Bros. Wonder sheds the “New” baggage, offering up a fresh visual style and the “Wonder Flower” mechanic that remixes courses in creative and unexpected ways. So, is this the power-up that the 2D Mario titles have been needing? I’ve had the opportunity to go hands-on with Super Mario Wonder, and while I can only comment on my experience with a fairly small handful of stages, it already feels like there's plenty of reason to be optimistic. Scroll on for my full impressions.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder opens with the Mushroom Kingdom gang making a visit to the wormy Prince Florian of the Flower Kingdom, but Bowser shows up to ruin the party as usual. The Koopa king merges with Prince Florian’s castle, turning himself into a giant floating fortress, because sure, why not? As you would expect, it’s up to Mario and pals to bring Castle Bowser back down to earth.

If you’re expecting a deep, emotionally-complex story from Super Mario Wonder, well, I don’t know what to tell you, but much like Super Mario World’s relocation to Dinosaur Land, going to a new kingdom means Nintendo’s devs get to dream up a whole new roster of enemies for players to face (with plenty of classics reappearing as well). The Flower Kingdom is divided into several themed worlds, connected by a central hub. Your path through the worlds isn’t quite as