Super Mario Bros. Wonder

Mario has been in a rut for years, at least when it comes to his 2D adventures. Since 2006, every side-scrolling release has been under the “New Super Mario Bros.” label, and they’ve all felt similar besides a few gameplay tweaks and new power-ups. New Super Mario Bros. games aren’t new anymore, so Mario needs something different. Super Mario Bros. Wonder for the Nintendo Switch ($59.99) is his first non-New outing in nearly two decades, and it injects much-needed personality into the series, along with a level-warping gimmick that adds visual and mechanical variety. Wonder isn’t the longest Mario adventure, but it feels fresh and fun as ever, earning it our Editors’ Choice award.

Badges Shake Up the Gameplay

Super Mario Bros. Wonder starts with Mario and his friends visiting the neighboring Flower Kingdom, where the impending conflict is familiar and predictable. The new kingdom has its own magical power source, Wonder Seeds, and Bowser swoops in to steal them. His malevolence transforms the realm into a strange and sinister land, so Mario must recover the Wonder Seeds and thwart Bowser’s plans. No surprises there. At first look, the game might seem like just another New Super Mario Bros. game. But it's far from it.

(Credit: Nintendo)

Most of Mario’s standard moves, as well as familiar power-ups like the fire flower, are on display, and every playable character can use them. Running, jumping, and stomping feel especially responsive and satisfying. Notable power-ups include a flower that lets Mario throw bubbles that turn enemies into coins; an item that transforms Mario into a block-smashing elephant; and a mushroom that lets Mario drill into floors and ceilings. 

You can add another trick of your choosing to Mario's repertoire with the game’s badge system. Each time you enter a level, you select a badge that provides a bonus ability. Move badges enable an additional action, such as jumping higher or swimming through faster by leveraging a dolphin kick. There’s even a grappling hook badge that lets you toss a piranha plant vine to scale surfaces. Bonus badges, another type of badge, don’t grant additional moves, but they provide a tangible benefit. For example, one signals when a Wonder Flower is nearby. You earn badges by completing short badge challenge stages that show you how each one works. Alternatively, you can buy them from Poplins (Flower Kingdom versions of Toads) using purple coins you collect while playing.

(Credit: Nintendo)

Mario is obviously the star, but you don’t have to play as him. Whenever you start the game or load a save file, you can choose from 12 different characters. Luigi, Peach, Daisy, Yellow Toad, Blue Toad, and Toadette all play identically, just like Mario. Green, Yellow, Red, and Blue Yoshis, along with Nabbit, don’t take any damage from enemies or non-lethal stage hazards, but they can’t use power-ups. The Yoshis can flutter jump like in the Yoshi’s Island games, carrying other characters on their backs (they're useful in co-op multiplayer). Nabbit converts power-ups into purple coins, making him handy for farming money for badges, extra lives, and collectible character standees you can show off when playing with friends.

Wonder Flowers: A Magical Gimmick

Badges add consistent mechanical variety, but Wonder Flowers facilitate a truly significant gameplay change. They're not power-ups, but rather reality-altering objects that drastically twist levels in wild ways. Each stage has a unique Wonder Flower gimmick, and those gimmicks vary more than the differences between any two stages in any other 2D Mario title. Wonder Flowers are usually hidden, but finding them is required to collect certain Wonder Seeds and open paths to other levels. At their simplest, Wonder Flowers can make pipes do something wacky, such as move up and down or crawl like worms. But that's not all they do.

(Credit: Nintendo)

In one level, a Wonder Flower turns Mario into a Goomba who can barely jump. Instead, he walks on spikes, giving you the ability to waddle across hazards (he can also hide behind trees to avoid getting attacked while he’s helpless). In another stage, Mario inflates into a balloon and floats upward, bouncing around and collecting Super Stars to plow through obstacles. A level’s name might give a hint about the Wonder Flower’s gimmick, but you’ll still be surprised by the effects. The different effects don’t outstay their welcome, since they only appear in particular stage sections and rarely repeat. As a result, some actually feel a bit underutilized, as a few are intriguing enough to invite deeper exploration.

Wonder is relatively short with six main worlds that you can beat in around eight hours. Super Mario Bros. Wonder has fewer worlds than New Super Mario Bros. U or Super Mario 3D World, both of which received additional content in their Switch ports. There might be more mechanical variety thanks to the Wonder Flowers, but Mario’s last few games just feel bigger.

2D Mario Looks Better Than Ever

Although its aesthetic is largely the same as the New Super Mario Bros. games, Super Mario Bros. Wonder features a considerable personality upgrade. It’s much more willing to use glittery, sparkly, glowing effects, especially when Wonder Flowers are activated. Even when reality isn’t distorting, the different worlds and stages feature many varied palettes to make each feel at least slightly distinct.

(Credit: Nintendo)

The environments and general flashiness aren’t the only ways Super Mario Bros. Wonder’s visual design feels fresh. Each playable character is far more expressive than they were in the New Super Mario Bros. games (and newcomer Daisy displays a slightly bolder personality than Peach). Movement and facial expressions are fluidly animated and filled with fun little touches, like Mario’s hat falling off when he walks into a pipe and his hand popping out to grab it before the screen transition. Enemies also look a bit better, with even Goombas stomping along with more gusto.

Graphical complexity isn’t Nintendo’s strong point, but it doesn’t have to be when visual design is so eye-catching. You don’t need photorealism in a Mario game, and stepping away from a cartoony look would actually hurt it. Super Mario Bros. Wonder is colorful, varied, and gorgeously animated, and those aspects help carry it while keeping it running smoothly on the aging Switch.

Multiplayer: More Fun Through Phasing

Super Mario Bros. Wonder supports simultaneous co-op multiplayer, either local or online. I was unable to test these features with the final version of the game, but I did try them at an earlier preview event.

(Credit: Nintendo)

Side-scrolling Mario games have had local cooperative multiplayer since New Super Mario Bros. Wii. Although fun, they’ve also had the potential to be hilariously toxic play sessions that devolve into tormenting your friends. For example, you could use the Wii U gamepad to create platforms in New Super Mario Bros. U, ostensibly to help fellow players reach higher levels. However, you can also do that to troll other players by making them bump their characters' heads during jumps and fall into pits. Add characters getting in each other's way and a scrolling screen that causes people lagging behind to die and respawn, and it's a frustrating (though funny) way to play.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder makes massive multiplayer advancements through a simple change. Characters now phase through each other instead of bumping into one another. They interact with the same enemies, items, and objects, but they can’t knock each other into hazards. That alone makes a huge difference in the cooperative experience. You can’t jump on each other to boost up higher, but that’s a minor trade-off for removing one of the biggest sources of frustration when playing with friends.

Screen scrolling is still an issue, though—everyone needs to keep at the same pace, or players who lag behind will be dragged forward as floating ghosts.

(Credit: Nintendo)

Side-Scrolling Mario Feels Fresh Again

Super Mario Bros. Wonder is an excellent Mario game that finally takes the 2D format in a new direction. Thanks to perked-up graphics and interesting new mechanics, this Mario feels fresh and enjoyable from start to finish. The new variety offered by the badges and Wonder Flower effects keep it engaging, despite being somewhat short compared with Super Mario Odyssey, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury, and New Super Mario Bros. Super Mario Bros. Wonder doesn’t completely revolutionize side-scrolling Mario, but it’s a fun and charming platformer that easily earns our Editors’ Choice award.

Want in-depth video game discussion? Visit PCMag's Pop-Off YouTube Channel.