Super Mario Bros. Wonder

Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Official logo
Developer(s)	Nintendo EPD
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Director(s)	Shiro Mouri
Programmer(s)	Hiroshi Umemiya
Artist(s)	Masanobu Sato
Composer(s)	Koji Kondo Shiho Fujii Sayako Doi Chisaki Shimazu
Series	Super Mario
Platform(s)	Nintendo Switch
Release	October 20, 2023
Genre(s)	Platform
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer

Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a platform game for the Nintendo Switch that released on October 20, 2023.^[1] It was published by Nintendo and is the first original side-scrolling Super Mario game since New Super Mario Bros. U, which released in 2012. The main mechanic is the Wonder Flower, which transforms the level or the player character. There are 12 playable characters.

Plot

Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Princess Daisy, Blue Toad, Yellow Toad, and four Yoshis are invited to the Flower Kingdom by Prince Florian to see a demonstration of the Wonder Flower. Just then, Bowser attacks and uses the Wonder Flower to combine himself with Prince Florian's castle. Mario decides to help Prince Florian, and his friends do the same. The prince rides in Mario's cap, and the group sets off to stop Castle Bowser. Meanwhile, Castle Bowser wreaks havoc on the kingdom by imprisoning the Poplins (the people who live in the Flower Kingdom) in fortresses.

They go to six different worlds (sections of the Flower Kingdom) to find Royal Seeds, which weaken Castle Bowser. After collecting all six, Mario and co. enter Castle Bowser to face him. After Bowser's defeat, he and the Flower Kingdom go back to normal.

Gameplay

Super Mario Bros. Wonder is similar to previous Super Mario games; the player goes from left to right and must reach the goal pole at the end while collecting coins, hitting blocks, and defeating enemies. This time, the Wonder Flower appears once in every level, often being hidden. When a Wonder Flower is collected, its effect is different for every level. Wonder effects include blocks coming alive, enemies singing, the player character transforming, gravity changing, among many others.

After reaching the goal pole, players are rewarded with Wonder Seeds. These can be used to unlock required levels.

The game also includes a new multiplayer mode where the player can see other people as ghosts playing in real time. They can exchange power-ups, place standees, and rescue each other from dying.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score Aggregator Score Metacritic 92/100[a][2] Review scores Publication Score Destructoid 9/10[4] Eurogamer 5/5[6] Famitsu 36/40[7] Game Informer 9.25/10[8] GameSpot 9/10[9] GamesRadar+ 4.5/5[10] IGN 9/10[11] Nintendo Life 9/10[12] Nintendo World Report 9/10[15] The Guardian 4/5[13] VG247 5/5[14]
Awards Publication Award The Game Awards Best Family Game (2023) New York Game Awards Central Park Children's Zoo Award for Best Kids Game (2024) D.I.C.E. Awards Family Game of the Year (2024) British Academy Games Awards Best Family Game (2024) Best Multiplayer Game (2024)

Super Mario Bros. Wonder is one of the most liked Mario games of all time. Nintendo Life said in their review of the game that it was best one since Super Mario World (1991).^[12]

Notes

1. Based on 122 reviews. 116 (95%) are "positive". 1 (1%) is "mixed". The remaining are unscored.
2. Based on 128 reviews

References

1. Stewart, Marcus (June 21, 2023). "Super Mario Bros. Wonder Is The Next 2D Mario Platformer". Game Informer. Archived from the original on October 3, 2023. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
2. "Super Mario Bros. Wonder". Metacritic. Archived from the original on October 18, 2023. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
3. "Super Mario Bros. Wonder Reviews". OpenCritic. October 18, 2023. Archived from the original on October 13, 2023. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
4. Monbleau, Timothy (October 18, 2023). "Review: Super Mario Bros. Wonder". Destructoid. Archived from the original on October 18, 2023. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
5. Colantonio, Giovanni (October 18, 2023). "Super Mario Bros. Wonder review: the transformation Mario needed". Digital Trends. Archived from the original on October 26, 2023. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
6. Donlan, Christian (October 18, 2023). "Super Mario Bros. Wonder Review Nintendo's magic at its most powerful". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on October 18, 2023. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
7. Romano, Sal (October 18, 2023). "Famitsu Review Scores: Issue 1820". Gematsu. Archived from the original on October 18, 2023. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
8. Shea, Brian (October 19, 2023). "Super Mario Bros. Wonder Review - Getting Its Flowers". Game Informer. Archived from the original on October 27, 2023. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
9. Watts, Steve (October 18, 2023). "Super Mario Bros. Wonder Review - A Badge Of Honor". GameSpot. Archived from the original on October 18, 2023. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
10. Loveridge, Sam (October 18, 2023). "Super Mario Bros. Wonder review: 'Like your first magical visit to Disneyland'". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on October 18, 2023. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
11. McCaffrey, Ryan (October 18, 2023). "Super Mario Bros. Wonder Review". IGN. Archived from the original on October 18, 2023. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
12. O'Reilly, PJ (October 18, 2023). "Super Mario Bros. Wonder Review (Switch)". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on October 18, 2023. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
13. MacDonald, Keza (October 18, 2023). "Super Mario Bros Wonder review – an all-levels multiplayer with madcap moments of delight". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on October 28, 2023. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
14. Donaldson, Alex (October 18, 2023). "Super Mario Bros. Wonder review". VG247. Archived from the original on October 25, 2023. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
15. Rairdin, John (November 2, 2023). "Super Mario Bros. Wonder (Switch) Review". Archived from the original on November 3, 2023. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
16. Robinson, Andy (October 18, 2023). "Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a stylish and striking Mario evolution". Archived from the original on January 26, 2024. Retrieved January 26, 2024.