The best 2D Mario since Super Mario World on the SNES, yet it still never really reaches the platforming highs of other 2D platformers both old and new.
Look, it’s not that the platforming in Mario Wonder feels bad, it’s just not really as fun or as tight as other games like Super Mario World or Celeste. Things like the wall jumping feel off, and the actual platforming level design was good but not great. That said, none of that really matters because the platforming is absolutely not the star of the show in Mario Wonder - the Wonder Flowers are.
From the very moment you grab your first Wonder Flower, the game transforms from just another modern Mario 2D Platformer, to a delightful spectacle that you’re either the main performer in, or just along for the ride. The actual core gameplay of Mario Wonder did nothing to really grab my interest or compel me to keep playing, but every time a level finished I wanted to jump into the next one for no other reason than to see what kind of wacky fun they’d think up for the next stage - be it a fun transformation, surfing on a stampede, taking part in a musical, or any number of delightful experiences.
For a while, my wife and I were playing this co-op, but we found it difficult to play together when we’re playing on very different levels. I’d want to race ahead and finish the level as fast as possible, but that would inevitably result in her becoming a ghost leaving us only 5 seconds to connect or lose a life. It just ended up not being a very fun way to play the game for either of us. However, playing this game single player online with a bunch of strangers is an absolutely stellar experience. It turns it into a collaborative platformer where everyone is helping each other out - similar to the online features in the Fromsoft Soulslike games. On the hide-and-seek levels, there would often be the ghost of a character running around and helping you find the hidden coins you were missing. On the more difficult platforming levels, people would wait at the beginning of difficult sections so you could do them together and help each other along. I lost track of the amount of people I carried through the challenge levels, but then some other stranger would return the favor in a section I was having difficulty with. It’s a really fun, and different way of playing Mario.
Overall, while the actual core platforming of Super Mario Wonder isn’t maybe the best the world of platforming has to offer, the game more than makes up for it in fun and creative ways that kept me playing with a giant smile on my face.
+ Wonder Flower level transformations are delightful, creative, and unique.
+ Online cooperative gameplay with strangers rules. It’s like Journey meets Elden Ring
+ Some fun and surprisingly challenging levels
- Platforming itself is good but not great. Controls not as tight as I would like
- Ghost timer on local multiplayer is unforgiving
- Accessible characters like Yoshi can’t use any of the powerups which takes the fun out of using them
- Some of the 100% game requirements are annoying
- No actual Yoshis in the game outside of the playable characters. Lame
Look, it’s not that the platforming in Mario Wonder feels bad, it’s just not really as fun or as tight as other games like Super Mario World or Celeste. Things like the wall jumping feel off, and the actual platforming level design was good but not great. That said, none of that really matters because the platforming is absolutely not the star of the show in Mario Wonder - the Wonder Flowers are.
From the very moment you grab your first Wonder Flower, the game transforms from just another modern Mario 2D Platformer, to a delightful spectacle that you’re either the main performer in, or just along for the ride. The actual core gameplay of Mario Wonder did nothing to really grab my interest or compel me to keep playing, but every time a level finished I wanted to jump into the next one for no other reason than to see what kind of wacky fun they’d think up for the next stage - be it a fun transformation, surfing on a stampede, taking part in a musical, or any number of delightful experiences.
For a while, my wife and I were playing this co-op, but we found it difficult to play together when we’re playing on very different levels. I’d want to race ahead and finish the level as fast as possible, but that would inevitably result in her becoming a ghost leaving us only 5 seconds to connect or lose a life. It just ended up not being a very fun way to play the game for either of us. However, playing this game single player online with a bunch of strangers is an absolutely stellar experience. It turns it into a collaborative platformer where everyone is helping each other out - similar to the online features in the Fromsoft Soulslike games. On the hide-and-seek levels, there would often be the ghost of a character running around and helping you find the hidden coins you were missing. On the more difficult platforming levels, people would wait at the beginning of difficult sections so you could do them together and help each other along. I lost track of the amount of people I carried through the challenge levels, but then some other stranger would return the favor in a section I was having difficulty with. It’s a really fun, and different way of playing Mario.
Overall, while the actual core platforming of Super Mario Wonder isn’t maybe the best the world of platforming has to offer, the game more than makes up for it in fun and creative ways that kept me playing with a giant smile on my face.
+ Wonder Flower level transformations are delightful, creative, and unique.
+ Online cooperative gameplay with strangers rules. It’s like Journey meets Elden Ring
+ Some fun and surprisingly challenging levels
- Platforming itself is good but not great. Controls not as tight as I would like
- Ghost timer on local multiplayer is unforgiving
- Accessible characters like Yoshi can’t use any of the powerups which takes the fun out of using them
- Some of the 100% game requirements are annoying
- No actual Yoshis in the game outside of the playable characters. Lame