Bowser is at it again! Instead of kidnapping Princess Peach and trying to take over the Mushroom Kingdom, he's targeted the magically wonderful Flower Kingdom! He's stolen their wonder seeds and used them to make himself into a flying castle of destruction! Kinda random, but it works. Now, it's up to Mario and friends to take back the wonder seeds and save the day!
Visuals
Super Mario Bros. Wonder is the prettiest Mario game ever. And one of the prettiest games in general. I absolutely love this new artstyle! It's so bright and crisp and colorful and has so much depth! This is a 2D side scroller, but the backgrounds and character sprites are 3D so they just POP! Every single world and level is packed with details and look simply fantastic!
Sound Effects + Music
Yes, Mario has a new voice actor. Did I notice? No. I didn't play as Mario, but I'm sure he sounds like Mario from the little I head in cutscenes. I'm a Peach girl, and she sounds like Peach, which is all that matters to me. She sounds adorable. And Bowser sounds like Bowser.
The talking flowers are such a fun addition! They're scattered throughout the levels and say random things. They might comment on the level, offer a hint, or just say something silly. I always looked forward to what they had to say. The only negative is that they say the same thing over and over if you trigger them more than once.
The music is also great. There are a lot of familiar tunes, but remixed. I was especially happy to hear a favorite song from Super Mario 64 in a "hidden" level. And the new music for the musical levels?! Amazing! I absolutely loved those!
Gameplay + Controls
The basic controls are exactly what you'd expect from a 2D Mario game, or really any 2D platformer. You'll move your selected character left to right, jump around, stomp enemies, and collect coins, But there are some really fun additions here. First, there are new powerups and badges. The powerups are found in the levels, just like the ones we're use to, like the fire flower. But now we can also turn into an elephant! Or a drill!
Meanwhile, badges are earned by completing challenges or purchasing with flower coins, and one can be equipped before entering a level. These grant new abilities such as floating and a new wall jump. They'll let you find secret areas, so be sure to revisit levels after earning new badges. While badges are an interesting new addition, I didn't find myself using them much. A lot of the advanced movement ones were a bit hard to control, so I never used them outside of the challenge level. It wasn't until I was going back to 100% that I used them to get stuff that I missed.
But the biggest change in Super Mario Bros. Wonder is the addition of wonder flowers. Sometimes they're out in the open, sometimes they're tucked away, but these collectibles will completely change the level. Maybe the enemies transform, maybe your character transforms, maybe stationary objects start moving, you never know! And the best part is, unlike previous 2D Mario titles, there is no time limit, so you're free to enjoy the wackiness and seek out every secret at your leisure! Unless the wonder flower triggers a time-based challenge...
Replayability
Super Mario Bros. Wonder has a lot of replayability! Other than just going back to levels to pick up things you missed, you can play the level with or without using the Wonder Flower to see how it's different. You could also use different badges to create your own challenges within the levels. And it's just a fun game to play!
Overall
I adored Super Mario Bros. Wonder! It's not perfect, and I did get annoyed with it at a couple points. But it's absolutely my favorite 2D Mario. Sorry, Super Mario Bros. 3!
Visuals
Super Mario Bros. Wonder is the prettiest Mario game ever. And one of the prettiest games in general. I absolutely love this new artstyle! It's so bright and crisp and colorful and has so much depth! This is a 2D side scroller, but the backgrounds and character sprites are 3D so they just POP! Every single world and level is packed with details and look simply fantastic!
Sound Effects + Music
Yes, Mario has a new voice actor. Did I notice? No. I didn't play as Mario, but I'm sure he sounds like Mario from the little I head in cutscenes. I'm a Peach girl, and she sounds like Peach, which is all that matters to me. She sounds adorable. And Bowser sounds like Bowser.
The talking flowers are such a fun addition! They're scattered throughout the levels and say random things. They might comment on the level, offer a hint, or just say something silly. I always looked forward to what they had to say. The only negative is that they say the same thing over and over if you trigger them more than once.
The music is also great. There are a lot of familiar tunes, but remixed. I was especially happy to hear a favorite song from Super Mario 64 in a "hidden" level. And the new music for the musical levels?! Amazing! I absolutely loved those!
Gameplay + Controls
The basic controls are exactly what you'd expect from a 2D Mario game, or really any 2D platformer. You'll move your selected character left to right, jump around, stomp enemies, and collect coins, But there are some really fun additions here. First, there are new powerups and badges. The powerups are found in the levels, just like the ones we're use to, like the fire flower. But now we can also turn into an elephant! Or a drill!
Meanwhile, badges are earned by completing challenges or purchasing with flower coins, and one can be equipped before entering a level. These grant new abilities such as floating and a new wall jump. They'll let you find secret areas, so be sure to revisit levels after earning new badges. While badges are an interesting new addition, I didn't find myself using them much. A lot of the advanced movement ones were a bit hard to control, so I never used them outside of the challenge level. It wasn't until I was going back to 100% that I used them to get stuff that I missed.
But the biggest change in Super Mario Bros. Wonder is the addition of wonder flowers. Sometimes they're out in the open, sometimes they're tucked away, but these collectibles will completely change the level. Maybe the enemies transform, maybe your character transforms, maybe stationary objects start moving, you never know! And the best part is, unlike previous 2D Mario titles, there is no time limit, so you're free to enjoy the wackiness and seek out every secret at your leisure! Unless the wonder flower triggers a time-based challenge...
Replayability
Super Mario Bros. Wonder has a lot of replayability! Other than just going back to levels to pick up things you missed, you can play the level with or without using the Wonder Flower to see how it's different. You could also use different badges to create your own challenges within the levels. And it's just a fun game to play!
Overall
I adored Super Mario Bros. Wonder! It's not perfect, and I did get annoyed with it at a couple points. But it's absolutely my favorite 2D Mario. Sorry, Super Mario Bros. 3!