TheGamingN00b
BACKER
I wanna play all the games in the world and I am going to.
Badges
Famous
Gained 100+ followers
Treasured
Gained 750+ total review likes
Listed
Created 10+ public lists
GOTY '23
Participated in the 2023 Game of the Year Event
Pinged
Mentioned by another user
GOTY '22
Participated in the 2022 Game of the Year Event
Gone Gold
Received 5+ likes on a review while featured on the front page
3 Years of Service
Being part of the Backloggd community for 3 years
Best Friends
Become mutual friends with at least 3 others
Donor
Liked 50+ reviews / lists
Trend Setter
Gained 50+ followers
GOTY '21
Participated in the 2021 Game of the Year Event
Adored
Gained 300+ total review likes
Well Written
Gained 10+ likes on a single review
Popular
Gained 15+ followers
Loved
Gained 100+ total review likes
Epic Gamer
Played 1000+ games
Noticed
Gained 3+ followers
Liked
Gained 10+ total review likes
Elite Gamer
Played 500+ games
Gamer
Played 250+ games
N00b
Played 100+ games
Favorite Games
1201
Total Games Played
007
Played in 2024
055
Games Backloggd
Recently Played See More
Recently Reviewed See More
...
...
How do I begin? First things first: Yes, the game is great. It's a great 2D Mario Game. I especially like how the power ups are entirely new, except for the Fire Flower, because that is, you know, a classic. And yet, everything feels so familiar nonetheless.
As a sidenote, however, it is praiseworthy how every single power up enhances the moveset, instead of just changing and/or overhauling it, leading to a more concise design.
And yet, everything here just feels sooo familiar. Yes, the Power Ups are new, but none of them really enhance the movement substantially or offer you any unique ways to play. The most important thing that every power up does, is allowing you to tank in one additional hit. And that's really telling.
And yes, the new Wonder Flower is a nice introduction, but I can count the instances when collecting it changes the level and the way you play it in any exciting and interesting way that immideatly catches your attention on one hand. Like the one where it changes the game to an isometric perspective, like a top down Zelda Game. That was actually really cool. Everything else just feels gimmicky. Like another reviewer noted, the.... let's call them "Wonder Passages" are akin to small Bonus Stages, that just got better integrated into the level so one wouldn't notice.
And the game is like that all the time. Gimmicky. The way some Level Goals are like "syke! This is not actually the goal, you need to try again!" are just gimmicky. You fight the same lame ass koopaling boss fights that almost all 2D Marios have, only this time it's just Bowser jr. (Yay!) and the developers just added some gimmicks to each fight, so it does not appear to be quite as stale and familiar. And yet it still does. Same goes for the different pins... badges... medals or whatever that you can equip your character with to enhance the movement options aside from the Power Ups. They are as gimmicky as the rest. They either give you one aditional, scarcely useful ability, one completely overpowered ability or one super-gimmicky ability that is basically entirely useless save for very specific levels and would actually be more distracting than practical aside from those.
So, to boil down all my feelings about this game into one tl;dr kind of statement: Super Mario Bros. Wonder is great. Yet, everything about it is familiar. This game feels not at all very different from some of the first "New" 2D Mario Games, like New Super Mario Bros. or New Super Mario Bros. Wii.
Quite the contrary. And the developes use all kind of gimmicks, tricks and illusions to prevent you from noticing just that.
And that makes the entire game one big pantomime, which is, in the end, rather disappointing.
7/10.
This review contains spoilers
But those very big minuses but they are outweighted by some other very, very big pluses.
The aspects where Quantum Break truly shines are its ambition, creativity, stage and scenery as well as story.
The main character Jack Joyce is honestly pretty weak, especially when compared to some of the other characters like Beth Wilder, Paul Serene and Liam Burke who basically steal every scene they are in. Jacks own brother William Joyce is far more memorable than Jack himself, despite barely being in the game. But the way the game tackles the subject of time travel, one of the most complex, risky and complicated when it comes to storytelling, in a scientifically convincing way is both fascinating and enthralling. It is a refreshing perspective om the subjective of time travel with barely any plotholes or contradictions and some very effective moments and reveals and injects the gameplay with some much needed ludonarrative synchronicity.
The ending and its implications are especially strong.
I have rarely seen such a convining and engrossing time travel plot.
That alone is very commendible.
If you like interesting and unique storys and settings and lukewarm gameplay that is as deep as a puddle does not bother you that much, you should really give this a try.