Mario fans have been spoiled for choice ever since the Nintendo Switch first came out, to the point where I feel like I’m downloading a new title starring Nintendo’s mustached mascot to my Switch every few months. You can take Mario to a soccer field, to a racetrack or in the thick of an especially friendship-testing board game, and occasionally you’ll stumble on a system-defining game like 2017’s landmark 3D adventure Super Mario Odyssey. But while all those games are good — some are the plumber’s best — this fall’s Super Mario Bros. Wonder looks to be the game I really want: a fresh take on that classic 2D Mario platforming that many of us grew up on.
The first truly new 2D Mario game in more than a decade, Super Mario Bros. Wonder is both comfortingly familiar and excitingly innovative. And after getting to play an hour of the game ahead of its Oct. 20 launch, it’s shaping up to be an essential addition to any Switch owner’s library.
Launching for Nintendo Switch on Oct. 20, Super Mario Bros. Wonder puts a fresh spin on the classic Mario formula with game-changing new abilities and a robust set of online play options.
Classic Super Mario with a very cool twist
At a quick glance, it’s easy to mistake Super Mario Bros. Wonder for the many New Super Mario Bros. games that got their start on the Nintendo DS and Wii nearly 20 years ago. You’ve got the same classic 2D gameplay and modern 3D graphics, with colorful, cutesy takes on favorites like Mario, Luigi, Peach and Toad and the kind of sticky, satisfying platforming action that only Nintendo can pull off. I immediately felt at home as soon as I started wall-jumping and ground-pounding my way through the game’s vibrant levels, but it didn’t take me long to realize this wasn’t just another 2D Mario game.
Wonder ditches the iconic castles and ample fungi of the Mushroom Kingdom for the all-new Flower Kingdom, which is much more than just an aesthetic change. Find each level’s Wonder Flower and the game immediately transforms into something wildly different from just running and jumping. One Wonder Flower turned my teammates and me into slow, unathletic Goombas that had to stealthily sneak around enemies rather than aggressively attack them, while another turned us into bouncy spike balls that were thrust into a chaotic race to the top. You might see the series’ signature green pipes suddenly bend and morph, or have to deal with a sudden stampede of creatures you’ll have to ride to the finish line. These laugh-inducing moments forced me to approach a traditional Mario level in a completely different way, and just when I was starting to find Wonder’s opening levels a bit too easy, they ended up providing a legitimate challenge toward the end.
These exciting genre-twisting crescendos are complemented by lots of welcome — and in some cases, long-overdue — upgrades to the 2D Mario formula. Wonder has more playable characters than any Mario side-scroller before it, as you and up to three friends can choose between Mario, Luigi, Peach, Nabbit, various Toads and Yoshis and, at long last, beloved redheaded royalty Princess Daisy. Wonder’s marquee power-up turns you into a literal elephant, one that can suck in and blast out water in order to activate special plants and take out enemies. I especially loved the new drill power-up, which lets you burrow through rocks to avoid bad guys and burst through bricks with satisfying ease.
Wonder’s distinct take on 2D Mario is made even more unique by the Badge system, which lets you personalize your playstyle a bit by equipping one of many unlockable skills before entering a level. Some significantly change up the way you play — like a hat that lets you paraglide around levels or a boosted jump that lets you get to higher platforms — while others are more passive, such as an ability that increases the amount of coins you earn. These perks combine nicely with the game’s new power-ups to enable some truly creative ways to play, such as when I used the High Jump in tandem with the Drill to shoot to the top of a cave and immediately burrow into it for safety. I just wish you could equip more than one Badge at once, as it’s kind of a bummer having to choose between a cool new game-changing ability and one that may be more strategic than fun. Also slightly disappointing is the fact that everyone has to use the same Badge in local multiplayer, meaning there’s no opportunity to mix and match for maximum efficiency.
More ways to play with friends
Much like the last few New Super Mario Bros. installments, Wonder allows you to team up with up to three friends for cooperative action that almost always turns chaotic. I played most of my demo alongside two other colleagues, which led to lots of triumphant cheers when we successfully coordinated our way through a wild Wonder Flower sequence — and lots of laughs when things fell apart in grand fashion. I also appreciated some of the game’s multiplayer-centric side levels, which add a semi-competitive element by having you utilize your new moves to race toward a finish line. But while these experiences were often limited to your own living room in previous Mario side-scrollers, Wonder finally lets you romp around with folks all over the world via online play.
You can play through the entirety of Mario’s new adventure with faraway friends, and based on my demo, the whole process seems pretty easy to set up. You can take up to one local buddy with you to your online adventure, which is ideal for playing with a combo of friends both at home and afar. But Wonder’s online capabilities go beyond basic co-op: You also have the option of seeing other players’ “shadows” as you traverse a level, which lets you keep tabs on how other plumbers and princesses are tackling the same course in real time. Aside from giving you the sense that you’re competing with (and learning from) players from all over the world, this feature also provides an invaluable assist by letting shadow characters revive one another when they’ve been knocked out by enemies. This may prove distracting (or make the game too easy) for purists, but I found that the shadows made each world feel just that much livelier. And as someone with nephews who live across the country, I’m mostly just excited to have a new Mario game I can play with them whenever I want.
The takeaway
Super Mario Bros. Wonder might not end up being a genre-defining system seller like Super Mario Odyssey or this year’s phenomenal Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, but based on my playtime so far, it’s an excellent and genuinely surprising take on Nintendo’s tried-and-true 2D Mario formula.
The signature side-scrolling remains a joy, and it’s completely turned on its head in the best way when you suddenly find yourself playing as Elephant Mario or a hapless Goomba. It’s also shaping up to be the most connected 2D Mario game yet, with plenty of options to play with friends online or off. Whether you’re an aging millennial Mario fanatic like myself or you’re just looking for an accessible game to enjoy with your kids, Wonder seems poised to take a spot among the best Nintendo Switch games when it launches on Oct. 20.
Just in time for the new game, Nintendo is also launching a special-edition Nintendo Switch OLED that’s coated in signature Mario Red. There’s no word yet on preorders, but it’s set to hit stores on Oct. 6 for $350.
