Super Mario Bros. Wonder was exactly the breath of fresh air I was hoping to see in 2D Mario.
The amount of creativity is evident in every facette of this game: While the core formula of platforming design ultimately remains intact, it manages to feel new by including lots of new ideas and surprises all the way to the end.
Some of the most obvious examples may be the music levels, the wonder flower effects - which manage to shake up every level in a new way - and the new power-ups.
I'm especially fond of the new artstyle.
It adds so many new details and mannerisms to the characters and the world around them that make this game incredibly charming.
Looking back at the animations in the New-series makes those feel very stiff in comparison, so I'm glad a lot of extra time was spent on this aspect of Wonder.
All in all the way this game looks is very clean and polished, but still has its very own sense of identity.
The new badge-system was a good way of catering to every type of player, as you can make the game easier or harder for yourself or just go off and have fun with a new ability.
I was a big fan of the challenge levels that were specifically designed around badges, so I would've loved to see a bit more of those, but as it is, Wonder strikes a good balance in the kind of levels it offers:
There are your "standard" platforming levels, challenges, small gimmick stages and search parties which have you examining a confined area under a microscope.
Those tend to get a little easier though when using my favourite new feature in this game: The online multiplayer.
Online play is designed in such a way that it encourages positive interactions between players.
Competent players get to help out less experienced ones by reviving them, setting up checkpoints or giving them spare power-ups and receive points towards their online score in return (which doesn't really have much meaning beyond showing it off to other players).
I found that the way the system is designed brings out the best in everyone and I had a lot of fun goofing around with random strangers.
Unfortunately, while this does make for a very good experience with strangers, it's not a very good multiplayer with friends, which used to thrive under the chaos of being able to touch and grab other characters.
On a quick side note, I want to mention the parts of the overworld you can freely roam around in.
It's an excellent idea for players who may not want to take on more difficult stages and gives everyone a bit more freedom to play whatever kind of level they want to do next.
It also makes for some cool extra puzzles and secrets outside of levels.
The bossfights in Wonder felt a little like they were there out of obligation though.
If you look at how much thought went into everything else, it's strange that the bosses are so underdeveloped, reuse the same idea too many times or are just completely missing from some worlds.
There were some criticisms to be had against the bossfights in the last few games, but even compared to those, Wonder feels like a step-down in quality.
That's really the only major complaint I have about this game, as Mario Bros. Wonder was a fantastic experience from beginning to end and made me excited about the future of 2D Mario games.
The amount of creativity is evident in every facette of this game: While the core formula of platforming design ultimately remains intact, it manages to feel new by including lots of new ideas and surprises all the way to the end.
Some of the most obvious examples may be the music levels, the wonder flower effects - which manage to shake up every level in a new way - and the new power-ups.
I'm especially fond of the new artstyle.
It adds so many new details and mannerisms to the characters and the world around them that make this game incredibly charming.
Looking back at the animations in the New-series makes those feel very stiff in comparison, so I'm glad a lot of extra time was spent on this aspect of Wonder.
All in all the way this game looks is very clean and polished, but still has its very own sense of identity.
The new badge-system was a good way of catering to every type of player, as you can make the game easier or harder for yourself or just go off and have fun with a new ability.
I was a big fan of the challenge levels that were specifically designed around badges, so I would've loved to see a bit more of those, but as it is, Wonder strikes a good balance in the kind of levels it offers:
There are your "standard" platforming levels, challenges, small gimmick stages and search parties which have you examining a confined area under a microscope.
Those tend to get a little easier though when using my favourite new feature in this game: The online multiplayer.
Online play is designed in such a way that it encourages positive interactions between players.
Competent players get to help out less experienced ones by reviving them, setting up checkpoints or giving them spare power-ups and receive points towards their online score in return (which doesn't really have much meaning beyond showing it off to other players).
I found that the way the system is designed brings out the best in everyone and I had a lot of fun goofing around with random strangers.
Unfortunately, while this does make for a very good experience with strangers, it's not a very good multiplayer with friends, which used to thrive under the chaos of being able to touch and grab other characters.
On a quick side note, I want to mention the parts of the overworld you can freely roam around in.
It's an excellent idea for players who may not want to take on more difficult stages and gives everyone a bit more freedom to play whatever kind of level they want to do next.
It also makes for some cool extra puzzles and secrets outside of levels.
The bossfights in Wonder felt a little like they were there out of obligation though.
If you look at how much thought went into everything else, it's strange that the bosses are so underdeveloped, reuse the same idea too many times or are just completely missing from some worlds.
There were some criticisms to be had against the bossfights in the last few games, but even compared to those, Wonder feels like a step-down in quality.
That's really the only major complaint I have about this game, as Mario Bros. Wonder was a fantastic experience from beginning to end and made me excited about the future of 2D Mario games.