New Super Mario Bros U released in 2012 - a whole decade and a bit ago. That’s how long we’ve had to wait for a traditional side-scrolling return to the 2D platformer’s roots. And while it is true that a range of Mario games have been released since then, including the excellent Super Mario Odyssey and the Nintendo Switch version of Super Mario 3D Land, we’ve only had Super Mario Maker (1 and 2) and Super Mario Run to fill the 2D void.

It therefore comes as no surprise that Nintendo have really put a lot of effort into their flagship 2D Mario title for 2023. Super Mario Bros. Wonder lives up to its name since the game truly is a wonder. Upon launching the game on your Nintendo Switch, you’ll immediately be drawn into how accessible it is and how addictive it is to play. So ultimately, should you pick this title up? Let’s dive into it a bit more.



Opting to completely drop the “New” prefix from Mario titles that we’ve seen in the Super Mario Bros. series, Wonder immediately sets itself apart from the lot. The story of the game takes place in the Flower Kingdom, not the Mushroom Kingdom. This is a departure from the usual setting and the game makes this quite clear to you. The Flower Kingdom looks fantastic and features a very vibrant, bright, sunny aesthetic. Or at least it does until Bowser enters the fray.

The Flower Kingdom looks fantastic and features a very vibrant, bright, sunny aesthetic.

Upon meeting with Price Florian, Mario and his friends are interrupted by Bowser. He quickly uses a Flower Kingdom superpower and fuses with Prince Florian’s castle itself. Bowser, having now turned into a gigantic floating castle of doom, starts to wreak havoc across the Flower Kingdom. He wastes no time in imprisoning citizens and corrupting the land with terrifying Piranha Plants and more.



This is where you come in. Players will take on the role of one of the Mushroom Kingdom’s iconic characters. There’s Daisy, Mario, Luigi, Peach, Toad, Yoshi and Nabbit. Yoshi and Nabbit won’t take damage from enemies but they also won’t be able to transform with a powerup in-game. Toad and Yoshi also have different colours available.

Upon picking a playable character, players will be able to dive right into levels from the world map. Much like the recent Kirby and the Forgotten Land (and other Mario titles), there’s an overworld map which you can move around on. From here you can select the levels that you want to dive into and it’s extremely simple to do this. On the world map you’ll also encounter interactable or strange looking objects. These objects usually reveal themselves to be interactable or levels which are unlocked once you’ve completed all the other levels in the vicinity.



Progression in Super Mario Bros. Wonder involves traversing levels and obtaining Wonder Seeds. Wonder Seeds are then used to progress further in the game. In addition to this, Super Mario Bros. Wonder complicates matters with the introduction of “Badges”. Badges let you use a special ability unique to each badge obtained. You can select which badge you want to use before attempting a level and some levels require specific badge abilities in order to get all the collectibles contained within.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder takes the classic gameplay formula and infuses it with something special.

The actual gameplay of Super Mario Bros. Wonder involves some good old fashioned side scrolling action adventure platforming. Your playable character will move from the left side of the screen to the right and will have to jump, dodge, and collect as they go along. Super Mario Bros. Wonder takes the classic gameplay formula and infuses it with something special though. This being the pure unadulterated fun factor of the level design and the introduction of Wonder Flowers that warp the world you’re in.



The Wonder Flower is truly wonderful. And I mean that. When you pick one up, you’re in for a treat since the level you’re in will change. At first it’s quite trippy with distorted effects and variations on the level design being incorporated into the stage but you do get used to this as the game goes on. These altered effects truly make the come alive and you’ll want to immediately collect a Wonder Flower just to see what’s going to happen in a level.

Wonder Flower’s completely change the way you’ll be platforming in a level because of their varied effects. For example, in one level, collecting a Wonder Flower immediately infuses Mario with fire powers and lets him traverse almost invisible ramps that let’s you climb to the top of a tree. It therefore opens up brand new avenues of adventure and makes each level feel fresh.



Super Mario Bros. Wonder features a lot more voice acting that traditional Mario titles. The sunflowers that you run past in the game have fully voiced English lines and it’s very cute listening to their quips as speed on by. This is a title that is steeped in whimsical enjoyment and it makes it quite clear to you from the get go. Both younger and older gamers alike will have a blast playing Super Mario Bros. Wonder.

It really shows that Nintendo have done their best to make this game an unforgettable experience.

Graphically, Super Mario Bros. Wonder looks absolutely fantastic with so many extremely beautiful little touches of attention paid to the game. Even tiny animations that play when Mario or another character does something specific in a level make a world of difference. It really shows that Nintendo have done their best to make this game an unforgettable experience. An example of this is Mario crawling into or out of a pipe, or Daisy’s Elephant form spraying water from her trunk to make some plants in the environment grow.



Super Mario Bros. Wonder’s soundtrack is fantastic too with the sound effects being extremely on point. The music tracks that play are great too with so many themes that are very catchy. Nintendo have once again done a great job here.

The game runs flawlessly and is extremely fun to play. On top of the amazing single-player, the game also features a method where players can help others out too. You can place “Standees” in levels which serve as checkpoints for other players during online play. This is extremely reminiscent of games like Dark Souls, Bloodborne and Elden Ring where players could leave messages for others.



Speaking of multiplayer, playing Super Mario Bros. Wonder together with friends or family with the local co-op option results in some insanely fun moments. Especially when you’re chasing after collectibles in levels and competing against each other. It’s incredibly wholesome fun and exactly what makes Mario games a hit year in and year out.



Overall, Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a must-play title if you own a Nintendo Switch. It’s tonnes of fun and has enough longevity to it with its wide range of collectibles and unlockables. It’ll easily keep you busy for up to 15 hours or longer depending on your playstyle. This title gets my stamp of approval with the only downside being that the game can become a tad repetitive if you’re playing it over and over trying to get 100% completion.

*Nintendo Switch code provided by Nintendo