I’m not much of a 2D Mario fan but have been playing through the early ones out of curiosity. This is the first one that really held my attention. Much greater variety in level concepts and enemy types than previous games. Hunting for secrets is really enjoyable - just the right amount of challenge for most of them. I found only a couple to be too obtuse for my taste. The cape power up is also probably the most fun 2D Mario power up I’ve yet encountered: allows for a lot of freedom but is challenging enough to master that it doesn’t feel overpowered like the p wing from Mario 3. First 2D Mario game that feels like it really lives up to the full potential of its concept.