This was the first 2D Mario game to come out in my lifetime that didn't have the word "new" in front of it, and wow, this was a treat. The game is incredibly solid with a ton of charm and love put into it (one thing I felt the series has been lacking for a long time) and felt coherently designed with the world map being once again in conjunction with the levels for the most part (another thing the series has been lacking). I was worried the Talking Flowers would be annoying, but they instead turned out to be very funny and added so much flavor. The badge system was a worthy inclusion and was fun to play around with, and I think any concerns about it potentially breaking the game can be assuaged. I imagine it lends itself well to challenge runs too, and I'm really excited to see what speedruns of this game are like.

I'm struggling to think of any criticism I might have for this game, but all I can really say is that while it stayed pretty consistent in quality the whole way through, it never reached any particular highs or wowed me. It is, however, just a cute, charming, and wonderful game, and I can easily recommend it.