Super Mario Bros. Wonder Reviews
Super Mario Bros. Wonder is bursting at the seams with personality and details. Small touches like the facial expressions of enemies are gratuitous and don’t enhance the gameplay, but they enhance the experience. It’s because of these details that make Super Mario Bros. Wonder more meaningful and enjoyable than any of the last 2D Super Mario games since Yoshi’s Island on Super Nintendo Entertainment System.
I have certainly enjoyed the NSMB games since their inception on Nintendo DS, but I must admit that Wonder had surpassed those games in virtually every way. I felt a sense of whimsy and joy playing Wonder that took me back to the days of Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World. The game is packed with secrets, filled with challenge, and entertained me for hours.The pacing, the graphics, the controls—this is a masterclass in game desing. Wonder has reconfirmed for any doubters out there that the Mario brand is still brimming with potential for new gameplay ideas. Wonder is an essential game for Switch players that is highly recommended.
It is hard not to be absolutely blown away by Super Mario Bros. Wonder. It is easily the best 2D Mario in over thirty years. It does this by not trying so hard to match the past, and instead focus on new ideas and learn from how Mario has evolved in other dimensions since then. That being said, it does make the areas where Wonder gets tripped up feel all the more egregious. Not because there are issues to be solved, but because none of them are inherent to any of the new ideas. Gating difficulty options behind certain characters, the locked-in multiplayer camera, and the extreme lack of boss variety are all issues that have been with Mario for years. It is one thing when bold new design brings up new challenges, but these are just old complaints that don't really have an excuse for not being fixed by now. Of course that doesn't take away from the excellence of this title, but they do stand out. However, even with these blemishes, at the end of the day Super Mario Bros. Wonder is an incredible breath of fresh air overall. It has reaffirmed that 2D Mario has the potential to be more than just good, it can be incredible. It sweeps away any concerns I had that my love of the best games in the series isn't just nostalgia and that a truly original 2D Mario absolutely has the potential to stand alongside Super Mario Bros. 3, and Super Mario World. While Super Mario Bros. Wonder isn't quite perfect, it is a gleaming star we can hopefully follow into a new era for 2D Mario.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder is exactly what fans hoped for from the return of a 2D Mario franchise. The tight, precise platforming has been mixed with the wild creativity seen in the 3D exploits of Nintendo's iconic plumber to create one of the best titles of the year.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a great example of how to take an enjoyable and beloved series to even higher levels. The game's world is so fun to explore and the new animations and creative ideas and abilities give this series a new breath.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
Nintendo turns its attention to 2D to craft one of the most joyful and inventive Mario titles and a reminder that 2D can be fresh, too.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
Super Mario Bros. Wonder once again proves that Mario is the king of the platforming genre. Much like his previous adventures did before, the amount of creativity and polish on display sets a new industry standard.
It has taken Nintendo almost 30 years to get its flagship side-scrolling series back on top, but that is exactly what has been achieved with Super Mario Bros. Wonder. Not since the days of the SNES has 2D Mario felt this original and fun, with the bizarre hallucination-like gameplay elements contributing to both the joy and hilarity all at once, coupled with brilliant character animations and a multitude of ideas that makes every level unique. Stages could have stood to be longer, and it may have been a good opportunity to go a bit wilder with the story and villains, but those are small complaints for what is an absolute blast from beginning to end.
We have spent more than a decade without a classic-style Mario Bros. that truly made us feel magic, that reminded us why the plumber is the king of platformers. Fortunately, the wait for these sensations is over and Super Mario Wonder arrives as one of the best games of the year and as one of the most magical installments of the entire franchise.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Today, my cousin is gone. But thanks to that charisma, that constant innovation, that seal of quality, that parental control, that philosophy of continuous perfection, that magic of continuing to create games for the whole family, I can not only experience the same emotion that 'Super Mario' transmitted to me more than 30 years ago, but now, I can repeat the experience, with joy, nostalgia and pride with my daughter.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a whimsical masterpiece, and I can say with utmost certainty that it is one of the greatest platformers that Nintendo has ever made. As the first 2D Mario game of the post-movie era, it sets an incredible precedent for the future of the series with its fresh new gameplay mechanics, expertly-crafted level design, gorgeous visuals, and lively animations. If you’re anything like me, you’ll repeatedly tell yourself “just one more level” while a joyful smile remains plastered across your face, all the way up until the end-credits roll.
Mario, in the form of an elephant, touches a flower to fall into a trance and go on crazy adventures in search of seeds? Developers from Nintendo came up with such attractions. Super Mario Bros. Wonder refreshes the basics, returns to the roots and provides great fun for several hours... although I would like this adventure to go on and on.
Review in Polish | Read full review
Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a very good 2D platformer, full of little innovations, but it doesn't feel like a major revolution. It plays very similarly to Super Mario Bros. 2, and that's a game that's already 35 years old.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
Super Mario Bros. Wonder certainly lives up to its name by offering a spectacle-filled and simply magical experience where you never know what sort of clever twist will pop-up next. Plus, it has a surprising level of challenge for anyone wanting to test their platforming skills.
Players looking for a challenge will also get their money’s worth, either through badges that increase the difficulty or once the game’s difficulty spikes significantly later on. However, the latter can sometimes feel like hitting a wall. While you may breeze through a four-star level on your first try, a five-star stage can easily cost you 20 lives just to reach the checkpoint. There are also levels where players are deliberately unable to place helpful markers, even if they would want to.
Review in German | Read full review
It’s not so easy to give this expansion a definitive verdict. On the one hand, we have to admit that the quality of the new content is undoubtedly excellent, further enriching what remains one of the best 2D platformers ever made; on the other hand, it’s impossible not to think that it could have been handled and integrated much better. Everyone to Bellabel Park remains, however, a highly recommended addition for anyone who loved Super Mario Bros. Wonder: it isn’t the definitive expansion it could have been, but it’s still a return to the Flower Kingdom that’s absolutely worth experiencing.
Review in Italian | Read full review
To say Super Mario Bros Wonder is the greatest 2D Mario platformer since Super Mario World or Yoshi’s Island would be an understatement. It takes the best aspects of the New Super Mario Bros games and combines them with high-quality presentation, creative level design, and gameplay decisions one would expect from the mainline 3D Mario platformers. All that, combined with a wide slate of new multiplayer modes and welcomed inclusions to the main adventure with this Switch 2 Edition release, and even at the high price tag of $80 for the physical release, this is an easy recommendation for anyone looking for an amazing platforming adventure.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a magnificent tribute to the Nintendo Switch. It’s a miracle, yes, that this console can still conjure up such a stunning game on its screen. But the gameplay of the latest Mario game is also absolutely brilliant. It’s an absolute must-play for young and old alike. So don’t let anything stop you – enjoy everything Super Mario Bros. Wonder has to offer.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
For players who never bought the 2023 version and/or only own a Nintendo Switch 2 console, purchasing Super Mario Bros. Wonder – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Together to Bellabel Park is almost a must. It’s the best 2D platformer you can get your hands on right now. It doesn’t matter whether you’re young or old, or whether you’re a fan of platform games or not. On the other hand, the €19.99 upgrade for players who did buy the 2023 game isn’t worth it, in my opinion. Even though the Switch 2 version looks a lot sharper and you get an extra playable character in Rosalina, the Together to Bellabel Park expansion is mainly focused on local or online multiplayer, something for which few players will buy this fantastic game.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a pretty darn good 2D platformer that demonstrates the old plumber can still hang with the best of the modern 2D gaming world. While it leans more on gimmicks than radical departures from series conventions, it still has immense charm, strong level design, and spectacular game feel. It’s chock full of stuff to do and ways to get enjoyment out of the experience, with levels having considerable replay value thanks to the many discoveries there are to find, keeping the game in line with 2D Mario at its peak. There are a lot of great experiences starring Mario on the Nintendo Switch, but Wonder is definitely one worth fitting in your library. The additions found in Super Mario Bros. Wonder – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup in Bellabel Park are nice bonuses to add to an already loaded package. However, unless you expect to get a lot of mileage out of Attraction Central with your friends or family, I don’t quite think the additional £17 GBP/ $20 USD price tag makes the upgrade a must for Switch 2 owners, especially given it raises the full price of the game up to £67 GBP/$80 USD.