Pretty much everything I wanted and could have asked for in a 2D Mario game. Except from the repetitive Bowser Jr. minibosses, there are almost no problems with this game.
The levels are so full of new ideas and everything is focused on pure fun. The wonder seeds, new enemies, and the overall creativity of the game makes every level feel unique and the controls and visual design make everything pop. Mario controls intuitively and the levels have never been more visually distinct. The music is good but doesn't really stand out amongst other Mario games, however.
The difficulty of the levels is pretty much perfect. It rarely gets to the extreme difficulty of later levels in Mario 3 and the challenging levels in the special world are just challenging enough to entertain those looking for more difficulty but not crazy enough to be impossible. The 'final-final trial' was exceptionally tough, but I felt a sense of achievement from finally getting through it. Saying this, the extra content is very well put together. Compared to the special zone in Mario World which feels a little tacked on, the special world in Wonder functions more like the Star World with a challenge for each main world hub. The collectible coins are rarely obnoxious and usually pretty enjoyable to find and the decision to make them function as currency was great. There is finally some function to getting them.
Everything is just so well designed and this game just perfectly embodies how an extremely talented group of developers, given the time and resources they need and the encouragement to be creative and bold (this game had no set deadline or budget), can deliver something of almost unparalleled quality. The attention to detail, the quality of life features, the creativity. Everything is here.
2D Mario hasn't been this good since the 90s. Tied with Resident Evil 4 for GOTY for me.
The levels are so full of new ideas and everything is focused on pure fun. The wonder seeds, new enemies, and the overall creativity of the game makes every level feel unique and the controls and visual design make everything pop. Mario controls intuitively and the levels have never been more visually distinct. The music is good but doesn't really stand out amongst other Mario games, however.
The difficulty of the levels is pretty much perfect. It rarely gets to the extreme difficulty of later levels in Mario 3 and the challenging levels in the special world are just challenging enough to entertain those looking for more difficulty but not crazy enough to be impossible. The 'final-final trial' was exceptionally tough, but I felt a sense of achievement from finally getting through it. Saying this, the extra content is very well put together. Compared to the special zone in Mario World which feels a little tacked on, the special world in Wonder functions more like the Star World with a challenge for each main world hub. The collectible coins are rarely obnoxious and usually pretty enjoyable to find and the decision to make them function as currency was great. There is finally some function to getting them.
Everything is just so well designed and this game just perfectly embodies how an extremely talented group of developers, given the time and resources they need and the encouragement to be creative and bold (this game had no set deadline or budget), can deliver something of almost unparalleled quality. The attention to detail, the quality of life features, the creativity. Everything is here.
2D Mario hasn't been this good since the 90s. Tied with Resident Evil 4 for GOTY for me.