Super Mario Bros. Wonder Review
As a series that has been around for nearly four decades, Super Mario Bros. should have shown signs of slowing down years ago. But continuous thoughtful reinvention has helped the franchise remain a genre leader. Super Mario Bros. Wonder represents the next step of evolution, delivering the tight, tried-and-true gameplay in the context of the most creative 2D entry in nearly 30 years.
Simply platforming through a stage is often a pure delight; Mario and his large roster of friends have never felt, looked, or sounded better. A joyful soundtrack full of upbeat earworms I’ve been humming since I first turned on the game complements superb gameplay. And the new expressive art style accentuates the most important parts of the characters and world.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder’s level design rarely disappoints. Each course introduces a new, creative gimmick. Whether it’s hippo-like creatures you can bounce off to reach new areas or circular rocks you must use to roll through lava while snatching collectibles, the perfectly designed on-ramps let me learn the new convention. However, the excitement of how the stage gimmick would evolve to its ultimate utilization always had me champing at the bit.
The new power-ups, namely the Elephant Fruit, Drill Mushroom, and Bubble Flower, add fun and practical ways to explore each stage. However, the new Badge system is my favorite way to augment my character’s abilities. The Parachute Cap, which lets you glide, and the Sensor, which tells you when there’s a secret nearby, were helpful, but my favorite was always the Crouching High Jump, thanks to its wide-ranging utility.
Still, the key attractions were the eponymous Wonder Effects. These level-changing warps had me constantly guessing at
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