I'm a pretty simple guy... all I really wanted from this game, before release, was complete functionality with the Switch's Snes controller and snappy post-death level re-entry, and I got both! For the rest of it, I was just along for the ride.

I have thought my entire gaming life that 2D Mario is at its most fun at full throttle (while providing ample opportunity surprise and discovery). The levels I tend to like the least are those that determine your pace, either through controlling your field of vision or forcing you to ride platforms-dragons-whatever. I was very high on Mario 35 and sub-basement low on the Nintendo-made Mario Maker 2 levels.

I also probably enjoyed NSMB U more than most because I remember it being very fun when played fast, and I'm one of few that would have been satisfied with another similar 8-world adventure, as long as you weren't kicked out to the overworld after dying. That obviously wasn't going to the be the case after a decade between games, but I was ready to be happy with expectations on the ground.

Instead, we got an apparent fundamental redefinition of Mario's priorities. SMB Wonder isn't about being played fast, and there isn't that much exploration. Instead, Wonder preserves the core general ethos and warps it into a showcase for the most talented development team in the world to demonstrate their weirdo creativity. Wonder is bursting with ideas, not all of them stick the landing, but each is a worthwhile experience. Every level is a reset, so the near-duds are short-lived, while the highlights enjoy an outsized and lasting imprint.

With so much going on, it felt, for the first time, that Mario now exists in conversation with other high-profile platformers (examples include Celeste with Badeline sequences and Impossible Lair with an interactive hub world... nota bene: those ideas may not be original to those games, but my exposure is relatively limited and knowledge of history incomplete, as such those are just the comparisons my brain made), instead of rarified, hallowed feedback loop of Mario being concerned with only Mario while others just receive its influence. Side note: It's also impossible for me to think of Mario Maker as anything other than idea farming/market research, and this is the first new game since Maker was introduced.

From beginning to end, Wonder feels great to play. It is a routine pleasure, mostly free of frustration. There seems to be a concerted effort to keep Mario accessible. If it was not for the new primary focus on just being a bizarro journey, isolating the challenge to the post game could potentially have made Bowser’s defeat feel like a hollow triumph. But that's not the case, it's hard to have bad time when everything is engineered for maximum joy.

The post-game certainly lives up to the challenge of previous games. A couple Special World levels (especially Fluff-Puff Peaks Special Climb to the Beat) induced full-body sweats and moments where I worried I'd permanently warp my controller. That said, the badge marathon is not the exclamation point of Darker Side of the Moon or Champion's Road, which is are punishing victory laps through the games' best ideas. The badge marathon shoehorns in a series of mini challenges, using tools I avoided throughout the game. The challenges didn't build upon themselves, so progress didn't feel organic, just that I got really good at spin boosting because I hate being invisible.

I don't think this is the best Mario 2D platformer (World) or the best HD 2D platformer (Tropical Freeze, but it's close), but it's still as good as I could reasonably expect any game of its kind to be. I especially admire the courage to rip up the the most iconic and successful video game template and Frankenstein together a genuinely unique experience.

- Played to 100% completion with Mario (profile stamp! also replayed the badge marathon with Yoshi) in both handheld mode on Switch Lite and on the television with an Snes controller; total playtime: 20:40. Fine: ★★★★★

To get the most out of Majora's Mask, it seems one either needs a guide or to commit to living in the game and knowing its inhabitants more intimately than I could possibly be capable. I approached this game the same as any other Zelda at the start: work on completing the main objective, grab some superfluous upgrades along the way. The problem, I learned, is that there is very little along the way.

I saved Termina with only 8 hearts (6 heart pieces), 9 masks (only two inessential ones, the fairy and the pig), no stray fairy upgrades and a practically empty Bombers' Notebook... to compare, in Ocarina, I finished with 13 hearts (9 heart pieces) and 48 Skulltula tokens. While the more granular stats weren't radically dissimilar, tying less of Link's core progression into the main story was psychologically detrimental. I constantly felt underprepared in Majora's Mask. Sometimes, it made me appreciate the combat and mini boss fights more (though I learned the shield is a little overpowered), others, when a boss fight required magic and I just jumped in with fairies and no potions (Twinmold), it was excruciating.

Since the time of day (and which day) affects your ability to unlock progression, there was an aura of dread surrounding every new challenge... not because the plot is especially dire for the franchise (it is) but because I never knew if I would have the tool necessary to complete a challenge or be compelled to aimlessly backtrack after missing a clue or not intuiting a solution.

Majora's Mask is the most opaque 3D Zelda. The only Zelda where I felt progressing was more of a challenge is Oracle of Ages. While I fundamentally did not enjoy engaging with the Capcom puzzles, I loved the problem solving in Majora's Mask... when I had the right tools. The game is routinely creative and very clever. I imagine I would appreciate the game much more if I were willing to engage with it on it's terms: obtaining upgrades, having the bunny hood, interacting with characters and learning their schedules, but that would require work beyond acknowledging they are clues whose importance doesn't match my schedule (work I didn't want to put in).

The game's inhabitants demand their own focus and concentration, forcing your attention from the primary goal. The central time travel mechanic is suited very well for this, thematically. It always felt ludicrous to fish in Ocarina of Time... there's a world-ending threat, but I need to spend 6 hours catching for the Hylian Loach. In Majora's Mask, you can take your time and it not feel like an indulgent detour but legitimate preparation. However, the opposite side of that is everyone you help is reset, unless you are willing (if it's even possible to be able) to resolve every conflict in three days before venturing to the moon, ultimately rending the experience meaningless at best and selfish indulgence or exploitation at worst.

The game's greatest strength is its willingness to be weird. Like Link's Awakening before it, Majora's Mask is untethered from the expectations of Hyrule while piggybacking on the stature of its immediate predecessor. Both games are subversive and genuinely interesting, compelling enough to want to see the journey through its conclusion. There are jokes that land and legitimate surprises. Probably the best story structure in the series until Breath of the Wild.

Tatl is absolutely the best fairy companion in the series, correcting from the overbearing presence of Navi, and choosing a preferable path to what would follow with Phantom Hourglass's Celia who's an obnoxious vocal surrogate for a protagonist who isn't mute. There's light teasing, enough to make you think when stuck, but it's seldom too intrusive. It goes a long way in improving the user experience.

I think I prefer the 3D remaster. I played it long enough ago to forget a lot of the details (but I think I had an easier time with the game's progression, which could be attributed to having more leisure time at that point in my life). I absolutely don't get the gripes about lily pad hopping or Zora swimming, especially on balance with the benefits of gyro aiming... that said, they're all relatively insignificant details, and, in my case, one only misses what isn't there. The second screen is a blessing though, considering how frequent and annoying incessantly jumping in and our of menus is.

- Played in the NSO app for 22 hours, main story only. Near fine: ★★★★☆