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In 1983 the burgeoning video game market crashed in a monumental fashion. Often attributed to the release of ET for Atari, although more likely caused by market saturation, a number of OTHER terrible games and the rise of Personal Computers, the future of video gaming was on a knife edge.
The term ‘console’ had become synonymous with failure, and were it not for Nintendo’s pioneering efforts to rebrand their Famicom console for the West, the very concept of digital gaming may well have become obsolete.
But the Nintendo Entertainment System (that’s ‘Entertainment System’, definitely NOT console) swept in to save the day, and leading the charge was a chubby Italian plumber in red overalls named Mario.
Since then, the franchise has (largely) gone from strength to strength, especially with 2017’s Super Mario Odyssey still holding the moniker of one of the best games on the Switch.
A mid-year Nintendo Direct promised news of a new Mario title, and it was then that the world got their first glimpse of Super Mario Wonder. Not a free-roaming title similar to 64, Sunshine or Odyssey, but rather something that would be more at home in the stale Super Mario 3D Land line.
Wonder certainly wasn’t the game fans were expecting, but is it an instant classic, or merely a lonely Goomba, stuck between two pipes?
Wonder-fully Stylish
The first thing players will likely notice about Super Mario Wonder is how it doesn’t look quite like other Mario games that have come before it.
Wonder exudes polish, with a new art style for both the levels and the sprites that inhabit them. Subtle in places, and massively obvious in others, Wonder even draws on aspects of games like Yoshi’s Wooly World for certain assets, creating a completely new, yet familiar look in the Mario universe.
But this new style is just the tip of the iceberg. Wonder has new forms for the characters to take, new environments to explore, new enemies to take on and some beautiful new animations.
This can be seen almost immediately with the humble Goomba. In previous games Goomba’s would waddle back and forth, just waiting to get squashed or hit with a Koopa shell. Their animation was basic and rarely changed no matter what situation they found themselves in.
But now you can sometimes catch them having a quick snooze, and should you try and jump on them they will look up in horror as Mario’s boot comes crashing down to stamp them out of existence.
Overall, it’s as nice as a Mario game has ever looked.
Wonder-ous Sounds
Over the years music in Mario Games has become almost as iconic as the character himself. You only need to hear the first few bars of the classic theme and you’ll be humming it all day.
The Castle Theme, Delphino Plaza, Bob-omb Battlefield, The Slider Theme, even the Gameboy’s incredibly catchy Superball music to name just a few, are almost instantly recognisable to even the most casual fans of the franchise, and Wonder doesn’t miss a beat.
It may take a while for Wonder’s soundtrack to hit the levels of familiarity that the aforementioned tracks have, but they certainly have that ‘Mario’ feel. ‘Piranha Plants on Parade’ is the obvious standout, and experiencing it for the first time is a gaming moment players aren’t likely to forget.
Badges Of Honour
Wonder’s gameplay doesn’t deviate from the classic sides-crolling Mario formula TOO much, players still have to run and jump across various platforms, avoiding or taking out enemies while collecting coins and whatever McGuffin each title presents (this time around it’s Flower Coins and Wonder Seeds.)
However, there are some more subtle changes that make Wonder stand out from its predecessors. The most obvious being the Wonder Seeds themselves, which implement a new gimmick into almost every level when collected.
Sometimes the Piranha Plants will burst into song, sometimes a huge fish will stalk you through the level and crash through walls to create new paths, sometimes Mario and his cohorts will transform into completely different creatures with new abilities and moves.
It constantly keeps players wondering what will come next, and actively makes them seek out each level’s seed to trigger these often trippy, fever dream-like events.
Super Mario Wonder also has badges for players to collect as they make their way around the all new, and often stunning Flower Kingdom. These badges imbue the player with various abilities, such as a double jump or a parachute that can be used to float in mid-air, but only one badge can be equipped at a time. This is a great addition for most players, but even more so for those who like to go back and better their previous level times, being able to experiment with badges to see which one has the best outcome.
Wonder For Everyone
It’s said that variety is the spice of life, and Wonder has that in spades thanks to a whole host of characters that are available to be picked from. Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, Toad and Toadette all handle the same but with cosmetic differences, while Yoshi and Nabbit act as the games ‘Easy Mode’.
This is because Yoshi and Nabbit won’t take damage from enemies, and are practically invulnerable unless they fall into a pit or get squished. Perfect for little brothers or sisters that want to play but haven’t quite got a handle on gaming just yet.
This invulnerability comes at a cost though, as neither Nabbit or Yoshi can use the various powerups dotted through the game, which includes Mario staples like the Fire Flower, as well as a few new toys like the much-advertised Elephant suit.
Mario Wonder also features up-to-4-player co-op action, which can be incredibly fun but also infuriatingly chaotic, as the camera often struggles to figure out who to follow. This does help in certain levels though, as each character has various ‘hidden’ blocks scattered through the levels that only they can see.
A Modern Wonder
Mario Wonder is a triumph in old-school platforming, managing to change things up from the stale Super Mario Brothers 3D World and bring a fresh, new experience for fans of the pudgy plumber to enjoy.
No, it wasn’t the Odessey successor fans were clamouring for, but it IS an enjoyable outing with plenty of replayability, an unexpectedly nice difficulty curve and a beautiful but familiar look.
