Outside of how ugly this game is it's actually kind of perfect? It's weird because it looks like such a hackjob at a glance, but that's way underselling it. It's the classic Mario formula, but streamlined in all the right ways.

Less vertical space is used, but this just means secrets are on the main path, almost always in sight, with a clever platforming challenge being the only thing between you and them. This has you constantly making mental notes to come back later even as you power through otherwise short levels.

The levels being so short makes it perfect for a handheld, with your next good stopping point never being more than a minute or two away.

This brisk pacing also extends to the progression. Worlds are on the shorter side but usually packed full of of offshoots for more dedicated players. Some worlds aren't even accessible unless you find secret exits, creating a shorter overall campaign than most Mario games without actually sacrificing any content. You can knock it out in an afternoon or you can spend far longer completing everything.

The power up selection has also been streamlined. The usual flying power up is absent in favor of a much more direct "skip the level" button: The Mega Mushroom. Less experienced players get an out on some harder challenges while getting to feel like they were the ones outsmarting the game by keeping one in their pockets.

The blue shell is going to be a much more fun item for Mario vets, since it lets you exploit the shell physics we all know like the back of our heads to pull off some cool, speedy tricks.

Mario's base moveset has also been expanded with the triple jump. It incentivizes running at every challenge full tilt so you can wring some extra height at the cost of control, contributing to the brisk pacing and giving experienced players a way to heighten the tension.

It's delightful. I could see why they had trouble topping this one. There wasn't much to do besides clean up the visuals and we all know they're never budging on that.