Wowie zowie! A huge breath of fresh air for 2D Mario - proves there is still so much that can be done with series. The developers had so many ideas and they implemented all of them nearly flawlessly.This will go down as one of the best Mario games, no doubt. Unfortunately, there are a couple issues holding it back from perfection.
First, the positive: the online system is the greatest edition and needs to be in every Mario game from now on. Seriously, the amount of pure joy just interacting and playing with random people was an unforgettable gaming experience. Another point of perfection were the new models for existing characters and enemies - gorgeous. And do we even need to acknowledge that the music is fantastic as always? Now, the less than fantastic additions (but still great).
Badges open up a world of strategies readily available to use to conquer a challenging level, sometimes. Ultimately, I found myself using the same three badges over and over. And that strategy was enough to 100% the game. They will be fun to use for different types of speed runs though. There are some levels where the badges do not matter due to Wonder Power - that is a plus for me but others may dislike being unable to rely on the aid.
Art direction is the main issue, for me. While the game is gorgeous and the new models perfect, new enemies and the Flower Kingdom feel...off... There are more memorable interactions and moments that involve old enemies. Giant walking mushrooms and those buffalos are the only newcomers I can recall. All the others feel so bland. And the Flower Kingdom itself is no better. While individually, the levels are enjoyable, as a congruous world, it clashes at every turn compared to Super Mario World's Dinosaur Land. It was though there were a list of the types of levels they needed and plopped them all down right next to each other.
Overall, this is a must play game. So many ideas implemented in ways I would have imagined being in a platformer, let alone the sequel series to New Super Mario Bros. A huge cast can be a tad suffocating but it is nice to have so many options (although do we really need four Yoshis and Nabbit?). Bowser Jr. coming back for a boss fights is fine but I personally miss having a cast of Boss Enemies like in Mario 2 and Yoshi's Island. Those are my final thoughts - and no matter my opinions, I could not put down my Switch and played it at least once a day since I picked it up. Go out and play this, may not be your GOTY, but it's the right direction for the 2D Mario series, cannot wait to see where it leads.
First, the positive: the online system is the greatest edition and needs to be in every Mario game from now on. Seriously, the amount of pure joy just interacting and playing with random people was an unforgettable gaming experience. Another point of perfection were the new models for existing characters and enemies - gorgeous. And do we even need to acknowledge that the music is fantastic as always? Now, the less than fantastic additions (but still great).
Badges open up a world of strategies readily available to use to conquer a challenging level, sometimes. Ultimately, I found myself using the same three badges over and over. And that strategy was enough to 100% the game. They will be fun to use for different types of speed runs though. There are some levels where the badges do not matter due to Wonder Power - that is a plus for me but others may dislike being unable to rely on the aid.
Art direction is the main issue, for me. While the game is gorgeous and the new models perfect, new enemies and the Flower Kingdom feel...off... There are more memorable interactions and moments that involve old enemies. Giant walking mushrooms and those buffalos are the only newcomers I can recall. All the others feel so bland. And the Flower Kingdom itself is no better. While individually, the levels are enjoyable, as a congruous world, it clashes at every turn compared to Super Mario World's Dinosaur Land. It was though there were a list of the types of levels they needed and plopped them all down right next to each other.
Overall, this is a must play game. So many ideas implemented in ways I would have imagined being in a platformer, let alone the sequel series to New Super Mario Bros. A huge cast can be a tad suffocating but it is nice to have so many options (although do we really need four Yoshis and Nabbit?). Bowser Jr. coming back for a boss fights is fine but I personally miss having a cast of Boss Enemies like in Mario 2 and Yoshi's Island. Those are my final thoughts - and no matter my opinions, I could not put down my Switch and played it at least once a day since I picked it up. Go out and play this, may not be your GOTY, but it's the right direction for the 2D Mario series, cannot wait to see where it leads.