There are few purer joys in the world of gaming than a new Mario title. Perhaps it’s wired into those of us for whom the NES or SNES were early obsessions, or for whom any one of the Gameboys were constant travel companions. Even gamers who weren’t from strictly Nintendo households have fond memories of at least one Mario, either of the classic 2D side-scrolling style or the inventive, (literally) game-changing 3D outings.
The side-scrollers aren’t particularly reinventive. Aside from the major shift in technologies between those early systems that allowed Mario and Luigi to pace the very cutting edge of limits, the formula has remained the same: several ‘worlds’ with stylistically thematic levels, platforming, and the inevitable confrontation with Bowser. The changes are primarily cosmetic rather than mechanical, with the exception of new power-ups and, if we’re lucky, a character select feature for those with a Peach or Luigi allegiance.
That a game like Super Mario Bros. Wonder can still command such a joyous, vital reaction after less than twenty entries over nearly forty years is a testament to how much of a formative bedrock the series has been in both personal experiences and the medium of video games as a whole.
Again, this isn’t due to any major updates to the gameplay, and the game isn’t pushing the limits of the Nintendo Switch’s technical specifications. What is new is fresh: hidden mid-level Wonder Flowers restructure the world around them with increasing whimsy, transforming the classic platforming in surprising, often hilarious new ways (your character might become a rolling spiked ball, destroying everything in their path; in several cases, the level suddenly becomes a delightful musical filled with singing and dancing piranha plants). The new power-ups, which replace all but the standard mushrooms and fire flowers, double down on the whimsy as they transform Toadette into an elephant or allow Daisy to float out Goomba-capturing bubbles. Everything about Wonder glows with dazzling color and beautiful animation.
What makes Wonder deserving of the heaped-on praise, however, is its commitment to the decades-long honing of the format. Every level has been engineered to precision, allowing for the perfect flow of a skilled player, which makes the delightful disruption of that flow by way of difficulty all the more satisfactory. That difficulty – marked by a star-based difficulty score for each level – is rarely game-stopping; a so-so player won’t struggle to get through the game’s seven worlds and beat Bowser, and the inclusion of a bevy of playable Yoshis (and Nabbit), which annul any major consequence for younger players, means a skill-diverse group of four can enjoy the whole of the main game without hitting any (non-breakable) brick walls.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a proper Mario without its insistent draw; even after besting Bowser there are medals to be earned, secrets to be uncovered. Wonder isn’t done after its 10-ish hours any more than 1985’s Super Mario Bros. has been done in its 38 years.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder doesn’t reinvent the series, but it does fully understand why the series is beloved. It understands its players, and it understands its legacy. Wonder knows exactly what it needs to be, and it excels at being just that.
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