My favorite Mario games have always been of the 3D variety (excluding Paper Mario, of course) and honestly, outside of Super Mario World, I've never really jived with 2D Mario.This made me a bit skeptical going into Super Mario Bros. Wonder, but, I'm a simple man, I see an elephant Mario, I must buy, and I must say, I'm glad I did.

The first thing that struck me about Mario Wonder was the sense of style and direction that oozes from the game. All of the characters have such great designs and move around the world with some of the most fun animations I've seen in a platformer. That coupled with an awesome soundtrack that often plays into the gameplay really helped sell Wonder's wonderfully playful art direction.

The second thing that sold me on this game was the level design. Like I said, I'm a 3D Mario fan at heart, and that's what makes me happy to see how seamlessly Mario Wonder was able to pair 3D-level design with 2D Mario gameplay. Each level has its own unique gameplay mechanic, that through clever design, is fully realized by the end of the level. This "mastering" of the mechanic helped me walk away from most levels with a sense of satisfaction. I also particularly liked the "challenge" levels that had a singular objective to test the player's skills at platforming/puzzle solving. That said, a few of the levels did feel like they were cut short, feeling like some of the more unique mechanics didn't have time to fully develop.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder was the first title I beat in '24, and thanks to it's awesome sense of art style and 3D-focused 2D gameplay, I couldn't think of a better game to get me into the new year.