Mario, ever since my mid-teens, hasn't been what I wanted.

I grew up with Mario. Mario 64 was my first game ever. I was a GameCube kid through and through and an early Wii adopter. The GameCube represented Nintendo doing their own thing. Creating wacky games with strange gimmicks that innovated and kept you wondering. Sunshine was my favorite mainline Mario game. Luigi's Mansion was one of my favorite spin off series. Paper Mario was my favorite video game series ever. Paper Mario represented everything I loved about the Mario I grew up with. Interesting, playful, subversive, full of character. You never knew what to expect.

And then Sticker Star happened.

And then Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon happened.

And then New Super Mario Bros began to slowly embed itself as the new face of Mario.

Mario very suddenly changed. It wasn't my Mario. It was someone else's.

One of the most scathing lines I've ever written about a video game was against Sticker Star. It's emblematic of the bitterness I felt towards this new direction.

"Sticker Star is a game about the IP coming first. Mario must forever be what he was from Super Mario Bros 3, a game from 30 years ago."

Mario's IP had become stagnant with the amount of character put into it. Whether it be because Miyamoto desired this, or Nintendo's higher ups requesting brand consistency, Mario was no longer allowed to break the mold from himself. Mario had to be one exact way. Plain vanilla without any toppings.

Up until Super Mario Bros: Wonder's announcement, I thought Mario Odyssey was a fluke. Mario was trying a style of game they've long since abandoned. Mario Odyssey has become one of my favorite games of all time, but in the gaze of hindsight, it always felt like Nintendo was just throwing me a bone. "Here's what you wanted, " they'd say, "now we'll just continue with New Super Mario Bros." Back to the milquetoast.

Super Mario Bros: Wonder broke that perception. This wasn't just a fluke. This was my Mario again.

I haven't been this excited about a 2D Mario game since Super Mario World. And that's a really good feeling. Mario Wonder is vanilla with sprinkles, chocolate, cherries, oreoes, and all the little treats you'd stick in your dessert. Each and every moment in this game has brought me second guessing what's to come next. Just from the trailer, the sight of Mario with cartoony expressions and animations set my heart ablaze. Seeing Mario in this new, strange style was so bizzare and new — and most importantly — exciting. When the game was finally in my hands, I found there to be so many free form, creative ideas mashed condensely into such a small package that you'd think your copy would burst at the seams. My preferences towards 3D Mario has completely gone out the window at the sight of pure love poured into this game.

The Wonder Seeds sprout up some absolutely adorable ideas. At one moment you could find yourself suddenly in space, or riding a Yoshi-like dragon, or within a musical number. This game makes great use of musical motifs, having gameplay and music sync up with the beat. You have your standard Mario power up variations, all of which are fun, but badges to shake up the mix significantly with some really fun variety. Self imposed challenges are now a thing you can try, the player is more in control of their own playstyle. This makes for something new each time you decide to play, or even while you're playing. Everything just feels solid to control. Level design runs on all cylinders, each idea staying and leaving just enough to make you feel satisfied. The online functionality gave me a wonderful sense of community, steering my fellow ghostly players into the right direction, and coming out the other side of a tough level together, a sense of comradery between us. The final encounter with Bowser had me smiling ear to ear with just how cool it all was. Every musical orientated gimmick made my heart flutter with joy.

There was a moment leading up to Bowser. His final level is a strange mish mash of all the gimmicks you've encountered, all coming together. Music built up, musically encorporating into the level itself, and then suddenly silence as you switch over to floating into space. One of the flowers said something that really struck a chord with me.

"Look how far you've come."

Upon these very simple words, I nearly teared up.

This game felt like a journey. Like a sense of discovery. A newfound identity has been molded and reconstructed from what Nintendo has learned and built up over the years since the GameCube. The spirit of the Gamecube lives on, only in a more constructive manner.

And I couldn't be happier to say that my Mario is back.