Credit: Nintendolife.com
Mario has been stepping Goombas, crushing blocks and running from left to ideal for damn almost 40 years. How is Nintendo expected to keep its exemplary side scroller feeling new after so much time? To start with, you shift the area to a pristine realm. Then, you present a lot of new foes and enhancers. In any case, what truly drives things off the top is the presentation of another specialist that turns all that you assume you are familiar Mario games on its head. What you get is Super Mario Brothers. Wonder, a game that stuns and pleases while satisfying its name in different ways.
Caution: This survey incorporates a few light spoilers, including the quantity of universes and portrayals of a few secret levels.
The game beginnings basically enough with Mario and team (Luigi, Peach, Frog, Yoshi, Nabbit and, interestingly, Daisy) visiting Ruler Florian of the Blossom Realm. However at that point Bowser jumps in and takes a Marvel Blossom, which some way or another permits him to converge with Ruler Florian's palace to make a drifting mecha post of destruction. From that point, your responsibility is to gather Miracle Seeds (this game's variant of stars and sparkles) as you assist the Florians with reestablishing request to their disturbed land.
Right away, this has some subtle but important implications for the rest of the game. The first is that you immediately Wonder Flowers have wild and unpredictable effects. The second is that, because you’re not simply recusing a princess trapped in a castle, the whole Flower Kingdom is working with you to take down Bowser. Sometimes that means you might be rescuing some trapped miners. But other times the Florians are the ones helping Mario (who also has a new voice actor for the first time) by rebuilding a bridge or donating a Wonder Seed at the beginning of a new world. The friendly little flowers scattered across each level will even shout words of encouragement or funny quips as you run by. But the impressive part is that, even in a relatively straightforward platformer like this, there’s a sense of community that makes this world feel more lived in than a lot of epic RPGs.
You'll track down various comfortable baddies alongside a few new enemies across an unbelievable scope of conditions and levels. Wonder highlights six primary universes each with an unmistakable subject. However, inside those, you'll in any case run into reconsidered spooky places, privateer ships, submerged stages and that's just the beginning. One turn for this game is the expansion of identifications, which are procured by finishing explicit levels and some might try and be expected to track down mysteries or uncover substitute ways out. Some permit you to hop farther or float, while others make additional coins show up.
However, the biggest twist in the game is the Wonder Flowers themselves. In addition to the one Bowser stole, there’s also one hidden in almost every stage. And if you find it, you better be prepared for the unexpected. Touching them transports you to an alternate dimension where the rules of the Marioverse have been completely rewritten. In one level Super Stars rain down from the sky, while in another you might be transformed into a giant slime. You may also run into Wonder Flowers which converts the game from a side scroller into a top-down 2D maze or suddenly find yourself the target in a shooting gallery.
Almost every flower is different and the possibilities are seemingly endless. In a recent volume of Nintendo’s Ask the Developer, I learned that the team had a wall of sticky notes with over 2,000 ideas, and after playing Wonder, I believe it. Wonder Flowers feel like they add an extra half a level to every stage; they’re a delicious dessert on top of an already bountiful meal.
Even without the aid of a Wonder Flower, the sheer variety of level types is impressive. Alongside classic stages that are capped off by grabbing a flag, there are also races, badge challenges, puzzle levels and more. There are KO Arenas that let you pick your power-up of choice (Fire Flower, Elephant Suit, Bubble Mushroom or the Drill Hat) before taking down waves of enemies, while Break Time levels provide quick 30-second bursts of excitement. You’ll never be bored, even if you want a change from standard platform jumping.
I also have to say that this might be the best Mario and friends have ever looked, and that includes recent 3D titles like Odyssey. There is just so much detail packed into every level and character. From the determined face Mario makes when he runs around, to the little flames that sprout from your feet every time you jump.
Wonder’s map is also surprisingly engaging. In the beginning, I wasn’t sure if the ability to freely roam around added all that much. But as I progressed, I found a number of secret nooks and crannies that wouldn’t have fit if the game was locked to a handful of paths. And with Wonder Flowers giving Nintendo the freedom to mix and match mechanics and enemies, there’s just so much to see.
Nintendo even managed to address a gripe I had about the pacing of previous 2D Marios. Since they’re meant for both experienced gamers and children who might be new to the franchise, they often locked more challenging levels behind the story’s completion. This meant the beginning of the game could be a slog as you rushed through easier levels to get to the more challenging bits. But with the addition of difficulty ratings and hidden paths that lead to 5-star levels long before you finish the game, there isn’t the same rush to get to the “good stuff.” And I should say that 4- and particularly 5-star levels are balanced just right. Completing one feels like a rewarding challenge, without crossing over into punishing.
I do have some very minor complaints about things like mummy enemies (pulling their wraps feels a bit tedious) and I fear the Elephant Suit might be a bit overpowered in comparison to the Drill Hat. The 5-star levels and rhythm stages are also so good I wish there were more of them, I just can’t get enough. And I’m slightly disappointed the adorable penguins from the movie didn’t make an appearance somewhere in Wonder’s ice levels.
Screenshot by Uttam/Upbdigital
But on the whole, Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a marvelous game. Its art and animations have a level of polish that’s practically unmatched by rival titles, and the addition of Wonder Seeds subverts your expectations and keeps this 40-year franchise feeling new and innovative. In a lot of ways, Wonder reminds me of my favorite 2D Mario game: Super Mario World. While I wish it didn’t take more than 10 years for Nintendo to create a proper sequel to its last mainline platformer, if that’s what it takes to get a game like this, I’m happy to sit and wonder what’s next for Mario.
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