Do Mario's Wonder Worlds Stray too Far from the Formula?

Highlights

Super Mario Bros. Wonder brings new elements to the series, such as the Flower Kingdom and Wonder Flower, but its world design sticks too closely to the classic formula.

The Flower Kingdom's courses incorporate the Wonder Flower and music, infusing the gameplay with a mix of spontaneity and meticulously planned timing.

While Super Mario Bros. Wonder introduces innovative ideas, its overall world design adheres to the traditional format, with the exception of Bowser Castle, which beautifully showcases the immense potential of the game's unique concepts.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder takes what fans love about Mario's 2D adventures and brings it to the next level. In this game, Mario and his friends embark on a journey to the Flower Kingdom, encountering new power-ups and an amazing cast of voice actors for beloved Nintendo characters. The Flower Kingdom is a vibrant and unique place, with the Wonder Flower adding exciting effects to each level. However, despite the potential for innovative world design, the game sticks too closely to the classic formula.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a celebration of Mario's history and the start of a new era. The game follows Mario and his friends as they team up with Prince Florian of the Flower Kingdom to stop Bowser's conquest. Bowser uses the Wonder Flower to create a massive Bowser Castle and corrupt the Kingdom. Mario and his friends, including Luigi, Peach, Daisy, and Yoshi, must explore the Flower Kingdom's worlds to find Royal Seeds capable of defeating the Cloud Piranhas guarding Bowser Castle. Unfortunately, the exploration of these worlds falls short of being as captivating as it could be.

The Flower Kingdom's Courses are Centered Around Two Distinct Concepts

Super Mario Bros. Wonder's Flower Kingdom sets itself apart from the Mushroom Kingdom in several ways, with a particular emphasis on two key aspects. The first concept revolves around the Wonder Flower itself, which adds spontaneity and character to each of the courses in the Flower Kingdom. At the heart of Super Mario Bros. Wonder's storyline is the Wonder Flower, along with its potentially devastating powers. Almost every course in the Wonder Kingdom offers the chance to experience a Wonder Effect, which can either alter the level design or transform the player character, all in an optional attempt to obtain an extra Wonder Seed.

The second concept, which is more intricate and central to the Flower Kingdom, is music. Super Mario Bros. Wonder incorporates music, beats, and synchronized timing throughout many of its courses. For instance, in courses like "Piranha Plants on Parade," the Wonder Effect triggers complex musical sequences, while in other courses, the in-game music serves as a cue to utilize specific badges or abilities. Furthermore, each world in the Flower Kingdom presents Break Time courses, where players can assemble classic Super Mario musical arrangements. While Super Mario Bros. Wonder successfully embodies these distinctive concepts in its courses, its world designs do not align with the same level of creativity and uniqueness.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder's Worlds Are More of the Same

Despite featuring plenty of fresh ideas, Super Mario Bros. Wonder disappoints with its repetitive world design. After a brief introduction to the Flower Kingdom, players are transported to the first-world Pipe Rock Plateau, which offers the same simple and green platforming found in previous titles. Unfortunately, this formula continues throughout the rest of Wonder's lands, including the standard Sky, Water, Desert, and Lava worlds, before finally unlocking Bowser's Castle as the final battleground.

Bowser's Castle, however, stands out as the most interesting world in Super Mario Bros. Wonder. It fully embraces its two central concepts and presents a unique heavy metal aesthetic. The Koopa King challenges the player character to lose themselves in his beat and claims that his final Wonder will captivate the entire universe. Bowser's Castle showcases the potential for innovative world concepts that Wonder could have explored. Ultimately, the decision to stick to the same formula for world design as previous titles is a surprising misstep in an otherwise fresh and unique game.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder is available now, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.