If you thought modern-day Mario’s best gaming moments were reserved for his three-dimensional outings, it’s time to stop and smell the Wonder Flowers
Discounting the DIY-tastic Super Mario Maker and the mobile-only Super Mario Run, it’s been 11 years since the world’s most beloved plumber has returned to his side-scrolling roots for an all-new 2D adventure.
So Super Mario Bros Wonder is a bit of a big deal.
It starts as most good Mario games do, with Bowser spoiling a perfectly pleasant day by stealing a magical Wonder Flower… and, as usual, it falls to the mustachioed handyman to stop his nemesis from doing evil business with it.
Wonder is completely crammed with weird and wonderful ideas, not least a load of new power-ups, including one that transforms your character into a trunk-flipping, butt-stomping elephant. In any other game Elephant Mario would be the main attraction, but here it’s just the starter.
Every level in the game has a hidden Wonder Flower that, when touched, will often dramatically alter things in some grin-inducing way. Expect perspective-flipping obstacle courses, zero gravity, chaotic musical numbers and all manner of chase sequences. These little sugar rushes are the heart and soul of Wonder, so if you miss one you’ll be going straight back in to find it.
As you make your way through the Flower Kingdom’s six distinct worlds and battle their various enemies, you also unlock a series of badges that give Mario a special ability or perk, such as being able to parachute down using his cap or bounce back out of a pit after a badly timed jump. You can only use one at a time, and because they change how you play each level they’ll keep you coming back over and over again.
Mario’s trippiest, strangest and funniest outing yet is everything a 2D platform game should be in 2023, blending masterful level design with true unpredictability… and the chance to be an elephant. It deserves to become a new generation’s Super Mario World.
