PLATFORM: SWITCH | RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
Super Mario Bros. Wonder finds Mario and his pals paying a jolly visit to the Flower Kingdom, by invitation of Prince Florian. However, never one to miss an opportunity to muck things up for everyone else, Bowser appears and steals the kingdom’s Wonder Flower, merging with the Prince’s castle and throwing the land into chaos. Jumping into action as he always does, Mario vows to help the Prince by defeating Bowser once again.
Each level follows the usual formula of running from left to right to reach a flagpole at the end, but the new Flower Kingdom setting means that we’re visiting places we’ve never seen before in the series and facing brand new enemies, making SMB:W feel more fresh and exciting than other recent entries yet with enough callbacks to previous games to amuse and entertain longtime fans. The Wonder Flowers add an extra bit of fun to proceedings – there’s one to be found in every level, and all manner of weird and wonderful things happen when you pick one up. Saying too much about their effects would take the… well, wonder, out of experiencing things for yourself, but they range from adorably silly to (only very occasionally) rage-inducing and pretty much always leave you with a massive grin on your face.
A few new power-ups bring further daftness and whimsy, with Elephant Mario (because why not?) being a particular highlight. The big lad uses his trunk to bat enemies away, break blocks and squirt water, and the sound and visuals that accompany his transformation are an absolute joy to witness as he lumbers around the screen while the background music takes on a decidedly more parpy tone. A range of badges provide another new addition – these are earned in challenge levels or bought from the in-game shop, adding a variety of abilities like wall jumps, easier swimming, floating through the air and much more besides. Any character – of which there are 12 in total – can wear any badge in any level, encouraging exploration to discover all of the game’s secrets.
A classic 2D side-scrolling Mario adventure with a modern twist, Super Mario Bros. Wonder very much lives up to its name right from the start and doesn’t let up until the end credits roll. One of the most joyful and inventive games in the entire series, this is absolutely a top-end Mario game, up there with Super Mario World and Super Mario 3, although some very brief levels and an overall lack of challenge means that it falls ever so slightly short of quite reaching those heights. Despite those couple of nitpicks though, it’s an easy five-star recommendation without a doubt!
