Super Mario Bros. Wonder Reviews
The first Super Mario sidescroller since 2012's New Super Mario Bros. Wii U adds satisfying new gimmicks to a blast from the past. Read on.
Mario is known for surprising you with new ideas and strong game design. Super Mario Bros. Wonder contains both in spades. Although it executes on the element of surprise in a way I hesitate to call an outright innovation, it always supports the strengths of both the expected and unexpected.
There’s no story to discover, no complex rules to learn; just instant, appealing fun. It’s fun you’ll have already experienced if you’re a Mario fan, but with enough novelty and unexpected twists to prevent it from feeling over-familiar. And for those new to Mario – kids just ageing into video games, friends or family members tempted into a multiplayer session – this is a wonderful introduction to the fizzy creativity and attention to detail that has made Mario a family staple for nearly 30 years.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder is one of this year's most exciting games, offering interesting gameplay mechanics and challenges of varying degrees of difficulty for audiences of all categories.
Review in Russian | Read full review
To be honest, I didn’t expect much from Mario Wonder. The 2D games tend to play it relatively safe, preferring to lean on nostalgia and mass appeal. Somehow I’ve been shocked at almost every turn. The visuals are consistently fresh and exciting. The mechanics blow the whole formula wide open. New powers, new skills, and new challenges had me immediately hooked. The soundtrack is mostly bangers by weight, just a hot mess of excellent music. Sure, the story is forgettable. I couldn’t tell you the name of your constant companion. He’s some sort of bug with a crown? And the bones of the 2D gameplay are well-preserved standards from several generations back. But the total package is an absolute blast. If you’ve been looking for a hot new Mario game, your prayers are answered. Super Mario Bros. Wonder is the best the series has been for years.
Nintendo reinvents the two-dimensional platform game with the sheer power of imagination, looking to the past and using it as a basis to create something new. No one else has done it so brilliantly, but after all, everything is easy when you're the king.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Super Mario Bros. Wonder is the plumber’s best platformer this generation. We haven’t been able to say that of a 2D Mario for a long time, but this game measures up to the best and most beloved side-scrollers Nintendo has ever made, delivering joyously-creative level design and rock-solid platforming in a gorgeous wrapper.
Simply put, thanks to the inventive gameplay tweaks, and the absolutely gorgeous visuals and animation, Super Mario Bros. Wonder is the best 2D Mario since the SNES era, and a strong contender for the best one yet.
It is a game that tries to evoke a feeling of discovery at every possible turn, but in doing so loses the element of wonder fairly quickly. Instead, Wonder's strongest moments are when it takes a breather, taking the time to set the scene while letting the platforming do the talking.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder is Exhibit A of Nintendo at its best. From its flashy new features to its attention to the little details, the game is an example of the kind of well-crafted and polished game that we’ve come to expect from the company over the years. Does it supplant Super Mario World as the best Mario 2D game ever? That’s a tough question to answer but I will say that it certainly comes pretty close. It’s definitely the best 2.5D Mario game to date and is a no-brainer not just for Mario lovers but video game lovers in general.
Thankfully, every inch of Wonder is bursting with personality, from Mario squeezing through a pipe after eating an Elephant Fruit to your being able to place cardboard cutouts to mark a path for others online and in co-op. That this short and relatively easy game never forces you to master (or even use) abilities like a grappling hook or gliding cap speaks to just how much it’s trying to do, but such minor flaws don’t come at the expense of joy. Wonder is a platforming playground for all ages that, at its best, redefines Mario’s world as one of unlimited potential.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder takes the 2D side-scroller in a fresh direction thanks to reality-bending Wonder Flowers that add fun gameplay-changing effects.
I simply loved playing Super Mario Bros. Wonder and don’t think another game this year has made me smile as much as this one. It’s a delightful platformer that continues Mario’s 2D legacy into the future with fresh design concepts and gimmicks you wouldn’t have seen a mile away. Now that Super Mario Bros. Wonder has proved that the 2D Mario format still has fresh new tricks up its sleeve, I’d love to see how they iterate on it in their next games.
At the moment, even though there are a lot of really good games, few manage to put a smile on your face as soon as you leave the main menu. Super Mario Bros. Wonder is one of those.
Review in French | Read full review
A triumphant 2D hopping adventure full of ideas and surprises that no Nintendo Switch should miss.
Review in German | Read full review
Just as it happened in 2017 when the Switch was debuting on the market, Nintendo has the luxury of having the same year in which the new The Legend of Zelda and new Mario are released, not to mention achievements of the size of Fire Emblem Engage, Pikmin 4 or the remaster of Metroid Prime. The Kyoto-based company has made it clear that it understands the business much better than its competitors, showing off launches that are not only consistent, but of enormous quality. To close this 2023, Super Mario Bros. Wonder appears to reaffirm all of the above and at the same time, make it very clear who is still the king whenever we talk about video games. The achievements at a technical and design level are outstanding and we believe that they deserve recognition and even study for the rest of those who are dedicated to creating what we love so much.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Super Mario Bros. Wonder is both a return to form and a delightful transformation of the classic 2D series.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a fantastic return to the Mario franchise, building upon all the features we know and love while adding a plethora of new abilities to keep things interesting. This is a must-have for Mario veterans and amateurs alike.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder is, quite simply, the best 2D Mario game since Super Mario World. This is the slickest, sharpest, and smartest that two-dimensional Mario has felt since 1991 and in its Wonder Flowers, badges, and online aspects, it serves up an endlessly inventive and impressive platforming adventure that we've been utterly hooked on. With local co-op and online fun adding to the replayability factor and nigh-on perfect performance in both docked and handheld modes, this feels like 2D Mario with its mojo back, and one of the very best platformers we've played in quite some time.