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: ★★★★★
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: ★★★★★