Review: Super Mario Bros. Wonder
by William Hernandez
I'm sure that, at one point in time, many thought that 2D platformers would eventually become obsolete. Heck, I'm sure even Nintendo had their doubts after the release of the Nintendo 64. Even so, Mario has been a constant presence through the generations and his 2D platformers have been important, leading sellers on multiple consoles. It's hard to deny, though, that the New Super Mario Bros. brand had lowered the standards of quality for the games with New Super Mario Bros. 2 and New Super Mario Bros. U lacking in both creativity and intrigue. With Super Mario Bros. Wonder, Nintendo delivers in both things with this game being one of the most jam-packed experiences of any platformer ever. It's bright. It's striking. It's innovative. It's wonderful. In a year filled to the brim with quality releases, Super Mario Bros. Wonder stands out at the top. Really, it's just such a content-rich game. It promises to keep things unique and interesting the whole way through and it delivers. There's tests of skill, fun little musical pieces, lots of variety in settings, and a whole lot of references to past games in the franchise. Truly, there's something in this game for everyone.
Enjoyability: 12/12
Whether you're playing alone or with a group of friends or family, Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a riveting experience off the jump. Quickly, the game shows you that there's more to it than just going from point A to point B. The Wonder Flowers really add a good amount of dynamism to the core Mario experience, making every level feel distinct from the rest and allowing the player to try out things that they could have never imagined seeing before. The game is silly in a way that understands what people would appreciate. It takes cues from past entries and expands on them. Wonder very much understands what makes Mario feel like Mario and it makes its own imprint on that ethereal concept. The music, the platforming, the enemies, the level design, the highly detailed animations, the power-ups...it's hard to describe just how well everything comes together. It's really fun and it's really rewarding just getting to see the zany ideas that the developers were able to realize. And yes, playing Super Mario Bros. Wonder with others is totally worth considering. It really helps that the game is so easy to jump into at any time. You can make the game a whole lot easier for you all to get through by working together...or you could make things really chaotic if you'd like. But be it single-player or multiplayer, Wonder is an outstandingly fun game and it really leaves an impression on you.
Gameplay: 11/12
Super Mario Bros. Wonder plays like Mario. Initially, it won't seem all that different as everything works as usual, including the mid-air spin that's become a modern staple. You might've realized, though, that most characters now lack any unique abilities. That was very much an intentional design choice as instead players now have badges available to them that'll allow them to customize their experience to their specific taste. The badges add a lot of depth to the gameplay, giving players a lot of control as for how they can tackle levels. Want to just run faster? You can do that. Want to jump higher? You can do that. Want to survive a fall into lava or turn invisible? You can actually do that, too. Players can play however they please and that's not an insignificant change to the Mario formula. The basic platforming is still really fun, but having extra tools you can bring into levels actually makes a substantial difference. It can make tackling some levels substantially easier. It can also help you acquire some collectibles that would've otherwise required much more precise execution. Even if you ignore the significance of the badge system, Wonder also differentiates itself from other Mario games by changing up the gameplay loop constantly. You can notice this in the different types of levels available to you, ranging from your standard platforming all the way to knock-out challenges. But you can also see this via certain Wonder Flower effects which provide you with alternative objectives from what you're accustomed to. You might find yourself with completely altered controls or perhaps the entire level might change to fit a new gimmick. The game constantly keeps things fresh and that honestly allows it to highlight just how great the standard Mario formula can be when it tries to be innovative.
Atmosphere: 11/12
Super Mario Bros. Wonder understands that it's a wild ride and it doesn't ever make you think, otherwise. The increased focus on the art style and the quality of animations allow for the personality of the game to really flourish. Like I said before, it very much feels like Mario, innocent and quirky. Koopas will try and run away from bubbles in fear. Goombas will look totally jaded if they fall into a hole perfectly sized for them. The little things add up to make the world feel that much more personalized. I have to compliment the voice acting as well as the entire cast does a great job keeping the energy high with their enthusiastic cheers. Wonder just exudes vibrance. Like most Mario games, it has very pretty backgrounds for a majority of the levels. Some of them you just have to take in and appreciate for a while because there's some really good stuff mixed in there. Some worlds are more homogenous than others, but really it is quite impressive how unique they're able to make the different locations feel. It also helps that few levels are designed around the same concept, more on that soon enough. One last thing that needs to be highlighted is the music and...well, what do you expect from Koji Kondo? Greatness, of course, and that's pretty much the experience here. The soundtrack of Wonder is definitely more subtle compared to something like Odyssey which feels more overtly pronounced, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. The music just fits really well and some of the tracks just happen to be more catchy than others. Won't exactly be the best thing you've ever heard, but it sets the mood just right.
Design: 12/12
Game design is very much Wonder's strong suit and it is levels above other platformers. The amount of originality you can find just in a single world doesn't ever cease to amaze you. The Wonder Flowers really made the sky the limit for the developers of this game and they explored the concept as best as they could in this adventure. Going from level to level, you could find yourself exploring a completely different theme despite sharing the same relative location. It's hard to get tired of this game because it just never becomes predictable. You would expect some amount of stagnation as you progress, but then suddenly more things open up to you as you get more badges. The badge tests by themselves already add more diversity to the level selection so the game just keeps its momentum going the whole way through. From beginning to end, you're going to constantly be getting a fresh experience and honestly it really spoils you as a player because this isn't really how video games normally operate. Super Mario Bros. Wonder is in something of unique territory and it is truly a pillar of creativity.
Direction: 10/12
Don't come into this game expecting anything more than the most basic of narratives. And even for a Mario game, it is actually quite the shallow introduction. There's nothing really grandiose to the opening and I suppose that's just what you can expect to see when you have a dozen characters who all need to be relevant. Bowser kinda is the villain just to be the villain this time around. Yeah, not exactly enthralling seeing him say that a "big wonder" is coming soon...But that's not what anyone is here for anyways, let's be honest. This is a Mario game and what you really care about is just having some fun and if anything is going to push you forward, it's basically everything else about the game. Really, you're just never going to think about the narrative. You don't really need much of a driving force as the experience of the game itself is more than enough. This ties right back into the design. The uniqueness and intricacy of the levels make it very easy to want to play more. Additionally, acquiring every wonder seed and 10-flower coin is actually incentivized so yeah. Don't skip levels. It's not like you'd really want to anyway. There's also enough secrets hidden about that going back to redo a level doesn't feel all that agonizing either. Wonder is just very approachable and that is all to its advantage. Great in short sessions, great in long sessions. It's hard to stop and yet so easy to start.
