Gaming @beehaw.org

1y ago

Super Mario Bros. Wonder Review Thread

Game Information

Game Title: Super Mario Bros. Wonder

Platforms:

Nintendo Switch (Oct 20, 2023)

Trailers:

Developer: Nintendo

Review Aggregator:

OpenCritic - 92 average - 97% recommended - 40 reviews

Critic Reviews

CGMagazine - Jordan Biordi - 10 / 10

Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a complete reinvention of everything that makes the franchise great, and the best 2D Mario game ever made.

Cerealkillerz - Julian Bieder - German - 8 / 10

Super Mario Bros. Wonder evidently impresses with its creativity and innovation! The best jump 'n' run action paired with the colourful presentation of the flower kingdom including new enemy types and unpredictable spectacles of a wonder flower leave hardly anything to be desired! The implementation of a selectable badge before the levels rounds off the game experience; and the multiplayer has clearly been given some thought too. Only in terms of scope one can sense the short playing time and the small amount of power-ups that can be found.

Checkpoint Gaming - Elliot Attard - 9 / 10

Super Mario Bros. Wonder is yet another magnificent showing from Nintendo. To take a concept that's so well understood but still find new ways to impress is no easy feat. Yet Mario Wonder excels in this field thanks to incredibly dynamic gameplay, headlined by the imaginative amazement of the Wonder Flower. It's hard not to fall in love with this new release, a game that's packed to the brim with charm and zest.

ComicBook.com - Marc Deschamps - 5 / 5

The game has set a new high bar for future Mario titles, offering an adventure that can stand with the very best games on Nintendo Switch. Nearly 40 years after the original Super Mario Bros., Nintendo has come along once again to prove that no one does the platforming genre better.

Console Creatures - Bobby Pashalidis - Recommended

Super Mario Bros. Wonder delivers one of the best 2D Mario games in decades, providing an experience unquestionably tied to Nintendo’s identity.

Daily Mirror - Scott McCrae - 5 / 5

Simply put, thanks to the inventive gameplay tweaks, and the absolutely gorgeous visuals and animation, Super Mario Bros. Wonder is the best 2D Mario since the SNES era, and a strong contender for the best one yet.

Destructoid - Timothy Monbleau - 9 / 10

Super Mario Bros. Wonder is the first Mario game in literal decades to live up to the plumber’s legendary 2D platforming legacy. It is a return to levels overflowing with creativity, a world rich with secrets to uncover, and controls that make the mere act of movement fun. Whether Wonder exceeds or meets the quality of Super Mario Bros. 3 or World is for the fans to debate. But that aside, I’m confident in saying that Mario’s latest adventure is one of the best side-scrollers you’ll find on the Switch. Long live 2D Mario!

Dexerto - James Busby - 4 / 5

While Super Mario Bros. Wonder doesn't revolutionize Nintendo’s beloved series, the charming 2D platformer successfully pays homage to its roots, paving the way forward with unique twists that keep the gameplay feeling fresh. 
Mario Bros. Wonder may not take the crown from Super Mario Bros. 3 or Oddysey, but the latest outing encapsulates the very essence of what a 2D Mario game should be. It’s silly, whacky, and most importantly great fun.
The fact that Nintendo can still deliver a great 2D Mario game 42 years after the first title hit our screens back in 1981, really is a wonder in itself.

Digital Spy - Jess Lee - 3.5 / 5

It is a game that tries to evoke a feeling of discovery at every possible turn, but in doing so loses the element of wonder fairly quickly.
Instead, Wonder's strongest moments are when it takes a breather, taking the time to set the scene while letting the platforming do the talking.

Digital Trends - Giovanni Colantonio - 4 / 5

With its wealth of unpredictable levels, Super Mario Bros. Wonder is the series’ best 2D entry since its SNES days. It’s still the same familiar platformer, but one that’s been given a new lease on life thanks to a fantastic new art style, delightfully absurd transformations, and flexible difficulty. It’s the closest I’ve gotten to recapturing those magic moments with the original platformers, even if there’s still room for Mario to grow into his new overalls.

Enternity.gr - Nikitas Kavouklis - Greek - 9 / 10

Super Mario Bros. Wonder is the game every Nintendo Switch owner should buy!

Eurogamer - Christian Donlan - 5 / 5

An endless cascade of ideas in a game that takes Mario to some wonderfully strange places.

Everyeye.it - Cristina Bona - Italian - 9.2 / 10

Several times we found ourselves postponing the conclusion of a game session, eager to see what surprise the next level would have in store for us.

GAMES.CH - Benjamin Braun - German - 90%

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GameSpot - Steve Watts - 9 / 10

This is the rightful successor to Super Mario World, and hopefully, will serve as a touchstone for 2D Mario going forward.

Gameblog - French - 10 / 10

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GamesRadar+ - Sam Loveridge - 4.5 / 5

Super Mario Bros. Wonder is an excellent 2D Mario game with easily the most impressive world-building we've seen in this style. The trilogy of new power-ups are brilliant fun, and regularly humorous, with Nintendo's finishing touches adding extra personality at every turn.

Glitched Africa - Marco Cocomello - 9.5 / 10

Super Mario Bros. Wonder takes simplicity and turns it into pure joy. It is Nintendo’s masterful level design at its finest. The game’s Wonder Seed system also delivers charming gameplay sections we have yet to see from the series to date. It is simply wonderful.

God is a Geek - Adam Cook - 10 / 10

Super Mario Bros Wonder is a masterclass in 2D platforming, refreshing a long running series in a tremendous way, with inventive new ways to play.

IGN - Ryan McCaffrey - 9 / 10

Super Mario Bros. Wonder looks and plays like the true next step for 2D Mario platformers. Wonder effects change each stage in both surprising and delightful ways, the Flower Kingdom makes for a vibrant and refreshing change of pace, and Elephant Mario steals the show.

IGN Italy - Mattia Ravanelli - Italian - 9.5 / 10

Super Mario Bros. Wonder paves a bold new road for the "classic" Mario experience. Never a 2D Mario has been so surprising and satisfying since Super Mario World.

IGN Spain - Laura Rey - Spanish - 9 / 10

Super Mario Bros. Wonder exceeds expectations. Get ready for endless fun playing a game that feels more Super Mario Bros. than ever, even while introducing important new features.

Metro GameCentral - David Jenkins - 10 / 10

A fantastic 2D platformer that immediately takes its place amongst the pantheon of Nintendo's very best titles, with such a constant stream of new and surreal ideas you want to stand up and applaud it by the end of it.

Nintendo Insider - Alex Seedhouse - 9 / 10

Super Mario Bros. Wonder left me spellbound. Nintendo remains at the top of its game, and the Flower Kingdom is the perfect playground for its sprightly reinvention of what we have come to expect from setting out on a 2D side-scrolling adventure with Mario and his pals. This world of wonder comes crammed with the most whizz-popping surprises, making for a kaleidoscopic trip to the Flower Kingdom that is simply unmissable.

Nintendo Life - PJ O'Reilly - 9 / 10

Super Mario Bros. Wonder is, quite simply, the best 2D Mario game since Super Mario World. This is the slickest, sharpest, and smartest that two-dimensional Mario has felt since 1991 and in its Wonder Flowers, badges, and online aspects, it serves up an endlessly inventive and impressive platforming adventure that we've been utterly hooked on. With local co-op and online fun adding to the replayability factor and nigh-on perfect performance in both docked and handheld modes, this feels like 2D Mario with its mojo back, and one of the very best platformers we've played in quite some time.

Polygon - Chris Plante - Unscored

Like the Switch itself, Wonder is a collision between the traditional and the new. A game that’s the same as it ever was and nothing like Mario has ever been.

Post Arcade (National Post) - 8.5 / 10

The first Super Mario sidescroller since 2012's New Super Mario Bros. Wii U adds satisfying new gimmicks to a blast from the past. Read on.

Press Start - James Mitchell - 10 / 10

Super Mario Bros. Wonder is just that. A wonder. It leverages tight and concise platforming with a robust set of power-ups and skills to offer a degree of flexibility to players like never before. While it's still slightly easier than I'd like, Super Mario Bros. Wonder is an incredibly engaging Mario game and one of the best platformers available on the Switch, if not ever.

SECTOR.sk - Matúš Štrba - Slovak - 8 / 10

Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a very good 2D platformer, full of little innovations, but it doesn't feel like a major revolution. It plays very similarly to Super Mario Bros. 2, and that's a game that's already 35 years old.

Shacknews - Asif Khan - 10 / 10

At its core Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a fun and fantastic escape from reality that will leave players smiling for years to come.

Spaziogames - Valentino Cinefra - Italian - 9 / 10

Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a new classic: charismatic, eclectic, lysergic, funny, entertaining and... entertained.

Stevivor - Ben Salter - 9.5 / 10

Super Mario Bros Wonder is a resounding success. It reboots a 2.5D reboot, with far more personality and the best balance and pacing in the modernised side-scrolling Super Mario Bros series.

TheSixthAxis - Stefan L - 9 / 10

Super Mario Bros. Wonder puts a fresh new spin on the classic Mario side-scroller with wild and trippy level transformations. It's still Mario at its core, but it's fun not knowing what to expect from each level. This could be the start of a bright new era for 2D Mario games.

TrustedReviews - By Gemma Ryles - 4.5 / 5

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Unboxholics - Γιώργος Πρίτσκας - Greek - Masterpiece

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VG247 - Alex Donaldson - 5 / 5

Within the understood parameters of what 2D Mario can be, this has to be the single best entry since Super Mario World - and is the perfect first game to launch a new era of Mario games with his new-found elevation to movie star status.

VGC - Andy Robinson - 5 / 5

Inventive and full of heart, with a tight design and striking presentation, Super Mario Bros. Wonder is undoubtedly the plumber’s most memorable 2D outing since the 1990s.

Video Chums - A.J. Maciejewski - 8.7 / 10

Super Mario Bros. Wonder certainly lives up to its name by offering a spectacle-filled and simply magical experience where you never know what sort of clever twist will pop-up next. Plus, it has a surprising level of challenge for anyone wanting to test their platforming skills.

Wccftech - Nathan Birch - 9.5 / 10

Super Mario Bros. Wonder is the plumber’s best platformer this generation. We haven’t been able to say that of a 2D Mario for a long time, but this game measures up to the best and most beloved side-scrollers Nintendo has ever made, delivering joyously-creative level design and rock-solid platforming in a gorgeous wrapper.

We Got This Covered - Shaan Joshi - 5 / 5

Super Mario Bros. Wonder is an absolute masterpiece, offering up some of the most inventive, charming, and creative platforming action the genre has ever seen. It might have taken three decades, but Super Mario World has finally been dethroned.

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25 comments

A new Mario game blew the critics away? Who could have predicted this?
sarcasm aside, i've been sort of skeptical of scores on reviews of Mario games ever since the New Super Mario Bros series. Critics seem to be physically incapable of giving a Mario game a low score, as best immortalized by this videogamedunkey video.
- I have heard (and I forget the source) that it is advantageous for reviewers to give a new game a good score, otherwise they might not be invited to review early-access games in the future. With that in mind, the best reviews might come after launch.
  
  yeah this is an unfortunate part of the modern game review landscape. Probably the reason why many people just watch their favorite influencers for game opinions instead.
  
  Pretty sure this happens a lot with the Madden franchise and their competitors. All of them are terrible American football simulation games, but if you want a free and early copy for your channel, better be nice to them, I guess.
- I actually totally sympathize with that critic from your clip and don't think there's anything dishonest or otherwise cognitively dissonant about that review. There's nothing I can spend more time complaining about than something I really enjoy because I naturally fixate on things that stand out about a given experience and the flaws are what stands out in something that's overall very good.
  I would never in a million years rate that particular game a 9.1/10 but that's just me and the critic valuing different aspects of design different amounts.
  
  thank you for your take! you make a valid point. Also dunkey clearly edited that down to every critical thing he said about the game and none of the positive things. The point stands that I have trouble trusting review scores on Mario games, and this is me speaking as someone that loves Mario games and is hyped for Wonder.
- It's the Nintendo curve.
  
  It's not even a Nintendo Curve (They might have a stronger curve), but the vast majority of the time these large review sites are all in the pockets of publishers (event invites, interviews, exclusive first looks, review copies etc) and in order to keep that gravy train going so their review company doesn't fold means to not bite the hand that feeds too much, even if you have to lie.
  
  Eh, I ~~don't~~ (Edit: corrected) think the big review sites can survive if they get blacklisted by one or a few publishers. It has happened in the past already. There are so many games getting released, that missing one game or even a whole publisher probably doesn't really affect them. Same for the publishers, they get more eyes on the game, for pretty cheap probably, so it's also advantageous to them as well.
  From what I've heard over the years, the marketing departments on both sides know this as well, so most don't take a bad review personally.
  It's the small, one or two-man channels that are probably more prone to lying about a game. If JohnNintendoFan69 on Youtube manages to get some early copies for upcoming games (or a sponsorship, whatever), they want to ride that wave for as long as possible, if their livelihoods depend on these things.
  
  Eh, I don’t think the big review sites can survive if they get blacklisted by one or a few publishers.
  Then those review sites shouldn't exist. It directly conflicts with their entire business model of "reviewing products objectively" when they can't review products objectively without fear of the hand that feeds getting mad at them for saying the truth
  A review site that lies isn't a review site. It's advertising
  
  Don't know if you can see my edit, but I removed the "don't." The big review sites can easily survive getting blacklisted by a publisher or two.
  Also, reviews are never objective.
  
  Also, reviews are never objective.
  I agree, which is why I think creating companies around subjective reviews by boiling things down to a score that people are expected to take objectively as a measure of a product's worth is entirely asinine and silly. ESPECIALLY when the general triat of capitalism allows these review companies to have their bias and subjections swayed by not wanting to bite the hand that feeds their comapny's existence
  Review scores and review sites are dumb
  
  ESPECIALLY when the general triat of capitalism allows these review companies to have their bias and subjections swayed by not wanting to bite the hand that feeds their comapny’s existence
  And my argument is, that a site like IGN, Gamespot, whatever, doesn't care if they don't get the latest Ubisoft game prior to release anymore. There are so many games coming out, that they are picking and choosing anyway. One less game on the pile, big whoop.
  I mean, Kotaku apparently has been blacklisted by Sony, Bethesda, Ubisoft, and Nintendo at some points (not all at the same time), and they still exist.
  Also, with how many freelancers run reviews for all of them, you'd have heard something credible over the years, that scores get artificially inflated to keep the publishers happy, but the only thing I remember is the Kane & Lynch thing at Gamespot, which lead to Jeff Gerstmann getting fired, because he didn't change his score.
  Review scores and review sites are dumb
  You could argue that scores are outdated, because too many people just look at the number and don't read the review and how this rating came to be. However, sites dedicated to reviewing games, still have a place out there.
  
  For me I just don't get how anyone can realistically extrapolate a game's score to anything about the game itself. Reviews are fine, and people providng their own experience and interpretations of and pros/cons is fine, but then boiling that perosnal subjective into an interpretive score that somehow is supposed to convey they same information just makes no sense.
  I do agree that most people just see a score and don't bother to look further past that, it's very annoying to see comment sections just talk about the score itself and how it might be "right" or "wrong".
  That's the part I don't get, when people think that someone giving CoD a 6/10 is "wrong" because another reviewer gave it a 9/10. Like, seriously, who cares what the score is. I don't play games because the score is high, I play games because they sound interesting to me. I don't care that some website gave Death Stranding a 4/10 because they didn't "get it". I still liked the game and their review doesn't tranish that in any way, neither of us is right or wrong because not every game is made for everyone and people's own subjective tastes and stuff will obviously affect the kinds of games they like.
  I just overall think people care WAY too much about some arbitary scores that ultimately don't mean shit. IGN giving a game I didn't like a high score doesn't mean I was "wrong" about the game, but too many people want to just use scores to argue with other people. Like bro, just go play the games that interest you, stop caring about scores
  
  Scores are just too engrained in this whole review thing at this point, not even just in video games. There was a small movement a few years ago to get away from scores, but not enough big publications joined in, so it didn't catch on.
  just go play the games that interest you, stop caring about scores
  Sometimes it's not that easy, mainly if you can't just afford every game that catches your eye.
  
  Sometimes it’s not that easy, mainly if you can’t just afford every game that catches your eye.
  I'm not sure how a review score will change that. The entire point of my discussion is that anyone who extrapolates a subjective review score as some objective quality measure is just wasting money.
  It's better to play a game that interests you than play a game because it's scored high. "Scoring high" isn't a metric of what makes a game fun.
  
  eeeeexactly. I'm not gonna say they haven't earned that respect, but it's still frustrating when you just want good, honest reviews.
  
  It's not that the reviews are dishonest. It's just that natural biases are more likely to show up that push those scores higher.
  
  totally. I'm sure that if you're a reviewer reviewing the 3rd New Super Mario Bros game, and you come out of it feeling like the game was pretty mid, it can feel scary to post a review with the lowest score. It's easy with something like an Ubisoft game, where the quality of their games has been in question for years now. But with a Mario game? We all know the internet is full of assholes that will tear you apart for giving a bad score to bad game from a beloved franchise.
  I swear i watch more videos than just dunkey, but this recent vid of his actually captured this other side of the coin pretty well.
  
  Not even that, but just that you're more likely to put someone on the review who is more likely to enjoy the game.

25 comments