In 1988, Super Mario Bros. 3 set a gold standard for 2D platformers. Intricate, challenging level design with an excellent sense of surprise and flow, it managed to trump its already solid predecessors. For many, Super Mario World would go on to become the plumber’s high point with its secret exits. I, however, found it vanilla. Sprawling, empty fields with no identity and worse momentum than the previous outing. To me, it was the start of the series’ stagnation. Super Mario Land 2 had more imagination, but it was made for a device less powerful than the NES, limiting its scope. The next 2D entry, New Super Mario Bros., would not arrive for more than a decade. It, along with its sequels, had droplets of inspiration, but they were lost in a sea of mediocrity.
Between revitalizing Mario for a new generation and creating a worthy successor to the classics, Wonder had Bowser-sized shoes to fill. Ditching “New” in the title was not just Nintendo promising to be better than NSMB, but a declaration that 2D installments are still relevant in a post-Mario Maker world. So, does Wonder fulfill that promise?
YES!!
Wonder is the best 2D Mario since Super Mario Bros 3. I completed the game twice for this review. I first did a co-op playthrough with my wife, and then went through it in single-player. I will be focusing on the single-player because that feels like the intended way to play. While I had fun in multiplayer, it could have used some work. Many of the stages move so quickly that keeping even two players alive is a challenge, particularly during certain wonder effects. Even worse is the camera priority. For some bizarre reason, it targets the character who jumped highest on the last flagpole instead of who is closest to the top or right edge of the screen, only switching players when the leader loses a life. As bland as NSMB was, its multiplayer experience was far more consistent than this.
The main draw of Mario Wonder is the wonder flowers, which temporarily change the stage. These provide exciting shake-ups to the main level design, which is not to say everything before the flower is boring. Quite the opposite! I’ve seen criticism of the flowers for segmenting the fun part of levels from everything else, throwing in a random gimmick for shock value. I could not disagree more on this, for three reasons. First, 2D Mario has been built on gimmicks since Mario 3. Second, the effects always have a thematic link to the level’s main gimmick. In Jewel-Block Cave, for example, you dodge crushers and break crystals, and the Wonder Flower has you do the same thing on a larger scale. And third, while some Wonder effects change the controls, they all follow Miyamoto’s timeless design philosophy of being introduced in a safe environment before challenging the player. Instead of shallow magician tricks, the Wonder Flowers compliment level design that was already great to begin with.
One thing I was worried about prior to release was the world themes. Thankfully, the game proved me wrong. While I wouldn’t say these are as wacky as what Land 2 gifted us, they are more imaginative than NSMB and far more varied than World. My favorite one is the desert. Instead of generic rolling sands, it’s a mysterious ancient palace. What really helps each world stand out is the new cast of enemies. There are so many new foes that the token Goombas, Koopas, and Piranha Plants are relegated to supporting roles, a series rarity. Every foe is used wherever appropriate, even if that means being in just one level. To me, that is further proof the levels were made to house fun gameplay above all else.
As much as I enjoyed Wonder though, there are areas for improvement. Firstly, Nintendo could flesh out Mario’s core moveset a lot more. The badges are supposed to compensate for this, but I found them to be a mixed bag overall. I like that every character controls the same so everyone can play as their favorite character and have the same physics. If players want different controls, some of these badges can be equipped to provide traits from prior games, which include but are not limited to the crouch jump from Mario 2, a Luigi-style high jump, and a Peach-style glide (parachute cap). However, some of these abilities could have easily been part of the core moveset, like the triple jump and dolphin kick. Giving the cast a more dynamic moveset has a lot of untapped potential. For example, the Mega Man X wall jump badge could have allowed for more verticality in some of the level design, but since its optional, only a few badge challenges take advantage of it. For the inevitable sequel, the moveset is where I hope Nintendo starts their work.
I’m also mixed on the new power-ups. The Elephant Fruit is new for the series and the trunk is very effective at attacking enemies and breaking blocks, but I don’t think it’s amazing. As one of the few people who really likes DKC3, I couldn’t help but notice the similarities to Ellie. They’re not identical, but I question why Nintendo advertised it beyond the inherent sillyness of Mario becoming an elephant. It’s just not as versatile as the raccoon, cape, and penguin suits from past games. Less impressive is the Bubble Flower, which is just the blue baby Yoshi from NSMB U. Even ignoring that, it overlaps too heavily with the returning fire flower and numerous jumping badges. Fortunately, the Drill Mushroom has more to offer with its ceiling traversal and complete protection from enemies while underground. While not as flashy as Super Mario Galaxy 2’s incarnation, the tweaks end up complimenting the core platforming a lot better, just as a power-up should.
The secret exits left a lot to be desired. World had a whopping 24, but that number declined with every passing console entry. By the time we got to Mario/Luigi U, we had 12. Wonder goes even further, with a grand total of 7. It’s impossible not to be disappointed when there is only one more secret exit than Mario Land 2! The exits themselves mostly exist for accessing the special world levels, but there are two jarring instances where uncovering said levels is as simple as revisiting the place where you found the world’s Royal Seed, this game’s version of Grand Stars. These two Royal Seeds have zero platforming challenges attached to them and it’s a missed opportunity to add more secret exits.
The other four Royal Seeds are locked behind the worst feature of Wonder: Bowser Jr. Everyone was sick of fighting him multiple times in NSMB DS, and he’s not much better here. Four near-identical skirmishes where you jump on him not three, but four times! WHOA! I should also mention the airship levels, which all share the same Wonder effect and ending setpiece. Nintendo clearly didn’t pay attention to what Sonic, Donkey Kong, and countless other platformers achieved with bosses in the genre. I’ll even go as far as to say NSMB had more to offer. Excluding NSMB 2, each of these titles either had unique bosses or gave the Koopalings different arenas or tactics. The Bowser fight from Wii is also one of the best final bosses in the 2D games. Wonder’s final boss was also fun and bucks the Giant Bowser trope, but it shouldn’t have been the ONLY fun boss.
Much has been said about Mario Wonder’s difficulty. It is true modern Mario games do not get hard until the special world. To an extent, I understand why this is the case. Mario games are supposed to be for everyone, but the franchise has existed for so long that most long-time fans have much sharper platforming skills than newcomers and thus need a challenge. Between the badges and online features like standees, it has never been easier to finish a Mario game. However, it’s important to note that veterans can easily ignore these features. On top of that, Nintendo used free-roaming sections on the map to offer more challenging courses for veterans that beginners can ignore until they’re ready. These courses are nowhere near as challenging as the NES games, but like the rest of Wonder, they are unique and fun, and the special world has almost a dozen tough courses. I could have done without the break time levels though. They are ridiculously short and would have been better off as one-time obstacles for Purple 10 Coins, Wonder’s equivalent of Star Coins.
Mario Wonder’s missed opportunities prevent me from considering it the best of the plumber’s side-scrolling adventures. However, it is a breath of fresh air after decades of stagnation. Between this, a new Princess Peach game, and remakes of delightfully weird Mario RPGs, it feels like a new, creative era has begun for the franchise. If I’m right, then even more exciting things are to come! The fact this franchise can be so captivating after nearly 40 years is truly wonderful!
Between revitalizing Mario for a new generation and creating a worthy successor to the classics, Wonder had Bowser-sized shoes to fill. Ditching “New” in the title was not just Nintendo promising to be better than NSMB, but a declaration that 2D installments are still relevant in a post-Mario Maker world. So, does Wonder fulfill that promise?
YES!!
Wonder is the best 2D Mario since Super Mario Bros 3. I completed the game twice for this review. I first did a co-op playthrough with my wife, and then went through it in single-player. I will be focusing on the single-player because that feels like the intended way to play. While I had fun in multiplayer, it could have used some work. Many of the stages move so quickly that keeping even two players alive is a challenge, particularly during certain wonder effects. Even worse is the camera priority. For some bizarre reason, it targets the character who jumped highest on the last flagpole instead of who is closest to the top or right edge of the screen, only switching players when the leader loses a life. As bland as NSMB was, its multiplayer experience was far more consistent than this.
The main draw of Mario Wonder is the wonder flowers, which temporarily change the stage. These provide exciting shake-ups to the main level design, which is not to say everything before the flower is boring. Quite the opposite! I’ve seen criticism of the flowers for segmenting the fun part of levels from everything else, throwing in a random gimmick for shock value. I could not disagree more on this, for three reasons. First, 2D Mario has been built on gimmicks since Mario 3. Second, the effects always have a thematic link to the level’s main gimmick. In Jewel-Block Cave, for example, you dodge crushers and break crystals, and the Wonder Flower has you do the same thing on a larger scale. And third, while some Wonder effects change the controls, they all follow Miyamoto’s timeless design philosophy of being introduced in a safe environment before challenging the player. Instead of shallow magician tricks, the Wonder Flowers compliment level design that was already great to begin with.
One thing I was worried about prior to release was the world themes. Thankfully, the game proved me wrong. While I wouldn’t say these are as wacky as what Land 2 gifted us, they are more imaginative than NSMB and far more varied than World. My favorite one is the desert. Instead of generic rolling sands, it’s a mysterious ancient palace. What really helps each world stand out is the new cast of enemies. There are so many new foes that the token Goombas, Koopas, and Piranha Plants are relegated to supporting roles, a series rarity. Every foe is used wherever appropriate, even if that means being in just one level. To me, that is further proof the levels were made to house fun gameplay above all else.
As much as I enjoyed Wonder though, there are areas for improvement. Firstly, Nintendo could flesh out Mario’s core moveset a lot more. The badges are supposed to compensate for this, but I found them to be a mixed bag overall. I like that every character controls the same so everyone can play as their favorite character and have the same physics. If players want different controls, some of these badges can be equipped to provide traits from prior games, which include but are not limited to the crouch jump from Mario 2, a Luigi-style high jump, and a Peach-style glide (parachute cap). However, some of these abilities could have easily been part of the core moveset, like the triple jump and dolphin kick. Giving the cast a more dynamic moveset has a lot of untapped potential. For example, the Mega Man X wall jump badge could have allowed for more verticality in some of the level design, but since its optional, only a few badge challenges take advantage of it. For the inevitable sequel, the moveset is where I hope Nintendo starts their work.
I’m also mixed on the new power-ups. The Elephant Fruit is new for the series and the trunk is very effective at attacking enemies and breaking blocks, but I don’t think it’s amazing. As one of the few people who really likes DKC3, I couldn’t help but notice the similarities to Ellie. They’re not identical, but I question why Nintendo advertised it beyond the inherent sillyness of Mario becoming an elephant. It’s just not as versatile as the raccoon, cape, and penguin suits from past games. Less impressive is the Bubble Flower, which is just the blue baby Yoshi from NSMB U. Even ignoring that, it overlaps too heavily with the returning fire flower and numerous jumping badges. Fortunately, the Drill Mushroom has more to offer with its ceiling traversal and complete protection from enemies while underground. While not as flashy as Super Mario Galaxy 2’s incarnation, the tweaks end up complimenting the core platforming a lot better, just as a power-up should.
The secret exits left a lot to be desired. World had a whopping 24, but that number declined with every passing console entry. By the time we got to Mario/Luigi U, we had 12. Wonder goes even further, with a grand total of 7. It’s impossible not to be disappointed when there is only one more secret exit than Mario Land 2! The exits themselves mostly exist for accessing the special world levels, but there are two jarring instances where uncovering said levels is as simple as revisiting the place where you found the world’s Royal Seed, this game’s version of Grand Stars. These two Royal Seeds have zero platforming challenges attached to them and it’s a missed opportunity to add more secret exits.
The other four Royal Seeds are locked behind the worst feature of Wonder: Bowser Jr. Everyone was sick of fighting him multiple times in NSMB DS, and he’s not much better here. Four near-identical skirmishes where you jump on him not three, but four times! WHOA! I should also mention the airship levels, which all share the same Wonder effect and ending setpiece. Nintendo clearly didn’t pay attention to what Sonic, Donkey Kong, and countless other platformers achieved with bosses in the genre. I’ll even go as far as to say NSMB had more to offer. Excluding NSMB 2, each of these titles either had unique bosses or gave the Koopalings different arenas or tactics. The Bowser fight from Wii is also one of the best final bosses in the 2D games. Wonder’s final boss was also fun and bucks the Giant Bowser trope, but it shouldn’t have been the ONLY fun boss.
Much has been said about Mario Wonder’s difficulty. It is true modern Mario games do not get hard until the special world. To an extent, I understand why this is the case. Mario games are supposed to be for everyone, but the franchise has existed for so long that most long-time fans have much sharper platforming skills than newcomers and thus need a challenge. Between the badges and online features like standees, it has never been easier to finish a Mario game. However, it’s important to note that veterans can easily ignore these features. On top of that, Nintendo used free-roaming sections on the map to offer more challenging courses for veterans that beginners can ignore until they’re ready. These courses are nowhere near as challenging as the NES games, but like the rest of Wonder, they are unique and fun, and the special world has almost a dozen tough courses. I could have done without the break time levels though. They are ridiculously short and would have been better off as one-time obstacles for Purple 10 Coins, Wonder’s equivalent of Star Coins.
Mario Wonder’s missed opportunities prevent me from considering it the best of the plumber’s side-scrolling adventures. However, it is a breath of fresh air after decades of stagnation. Between this, a new Princess Peach game, and remakes of delightfully weird Mario RPGs, it feels like a new, creative era has begun for the franchise. If I’m right, then even more exciting things are to come! The fact this franchise can be so captivating after nearly 40 years is truly wonderful!
2 Comments
@Dunebot72 I HAVE RETURNED LOL.
Dunebot72
3 months ago