had a lot of fun playing this while my toddler brother was dazzled by the wonder effects.

2D Mario is the sort of thing that is very much "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" but that's led to a lot of stagnation over the years. we haven't had a 2D Mario game that wasn't "new" since like... 2006?

anyways, this game isn't the revolutionary 2D Mario that discards conventions and does something crazy like giving Mario a glock, but it absolutely breathes new life into this genre of Mario game, primarily through the wonder effects.

these soft power-ups/environmental fucker-uppers help each level stand out more than they would otherwise. lots of music-themed effects, too, which tended to be my favorites. i also quite liked the shadow mario and weird elongation effects.

the only area where the game really sags is the boss fights. aside from the final boss being pretty good, everything else is either bowser jr. or an airship detonation. the latter of which i could probably do with my eyes closed, and the former just being kind of mediocre. i didn't mind the deep magma bog fight, though.

but these are small potatoes. i had a really good time! i hope subsequent 2D Mario games aren't afraid to break even further outside of conventions.