Unexpected guest of Nintendo’s 2023 schedule, Super Mario Bros Wonder seduced from its very first presentation last June: gameplay full of surprises, bold artistic direction, stunning attention to detail… the Japanese manufacturer’s promises augured the best, but remained to be seen. see if this new Mario had it in the long term.
A month and a half after the release of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom which everyone imagined would be the swan song of a Switch at the end of its life, Nintendo once again surprised the world by announcing Super Mario Bros Wonder, which no one expected. Obviously, the hybrid console still had something under the hood, to the point of offering us a sort of second reboot of his most famous license to offer him a farewell with fanfare.
Indeed, this is not the first time that Nintendo has given Super Mario Bros a new lease of life. In 2006, a certain New Super Mario Bros had already played this role on Nintendo DS, modernizing the concept of platformer in two dimensions to which the mustachioed plumber had given his letters of nobility twenty years earlier. Quite quickly worn out, the “New SMB” style has in fact not been used since the end of 2012 and a launch title on Wii U, honest but without genius. Super Mario Maker will then take over in the large 2D Mario family, suggesting that Nintendo will never again design an original episode in this form… to better surprise us with the announcement of Super Mario Bros Wonder.
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Mario in bell bottoms
What is most surprising about this new Mario is its graphic style. After years of purring, without any audacity, exploiting an effective but redundant visual identity, Nintendo decided to turn everything upside down with a title with completely crazy artistic direction. Described by some as “Mario on LSD”, a psychedelic trip by others, Super Mario Bros Wonder makes a completely different use of the bright and shimmering colors which until now characterized the universe of the license. With this new Mario, we are treated to a truly unpredictable kaleidoscope, where everything seems possible, and where nothing can ever be guessed in advance.
Door by an extraordinary style, never seen in the history of the license, Nintendo’s latest game takes us on a journey through seven seemingly classic worlds (plains, desert, caves, seabed, etc.) but systematically innovative. The richness of the settings is astonishing, as is this astonishing overall coherence, which is really tricky to ensure for a game with such crazy ambitions. The Kingdom of Flowers, a new imaginary country which finally allows us to visit something other than that of Mushrooms, is a fascinating world in which each country offers its share of refreshing experiences, and where almost no level is like another.
Super Mario New World
In this whole new universe, worlds do not necessarily have to be explored in the order in which they are numbered, and the same goes for all the courses that you unlock. As long as you have accumulated enough prodigy seeds, you can unlock access to certain levels, and so on. Furthermore, the latter know how to renew themselves even in terms of concept, not limiting themselves to the traditional process. We will find arena fights against the best representatives of an original and finally renewed bestiary, puzzles to rack our brains or even challenges to master badges. This gameplay mechanic, which gives a (very) small light-RPG aspect to the title, is as interesting as it is frustrating: if it allows you to diversify the gameplay and personalize it according to the player’s preferences, the impossibility of combining two badges is clearly one of our big regrets, and it’s even more frustrating in multiplayer (see below).
The game also offers musical “interludes” without any challenge but which have the merit of highlighting another confusing facet of Super Mario Bros Wonder: its original soundtrack, unbridled and terribly inspired, which for once does not involve much repetition. Like Tears of the Kingdom, the homages to the cult themes of the franchise are rare and, above all, often subtle: only the biggest fans and fervent music lovers will notice them, in a burst of surprise mixed with Leonardo-style satisfaction. di Caprio in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Moreover, on several occasions, the title allows itself sequences mixing platform and music, where NPCs and other enemies dance to the rhythm, in a style which is reminiscent of the excellent Rayman Legends. Generally speaking, Nintendo seems to have looked quite a bit at what Mario’s heirs have done best over the past 10 years to improve its own formula.
Flower Power
Another part of Super Mario Bros Wonder’s charm lies in one of the specificities of this brand new universe made of flowers. By seeking to give more personality and warmth to its lore, Nintendo hit hard with the famous cancan flowers, which the Internet loves to hate. These famous flowers present throughout the adventure serve as both recurring NPCs and valuable allies, somewhat breaking the fourth wall. Without ever assisting the player excessively (right Aloy and Atreus?), they make very varied comments that are always related to the situation as your character passes, dubbed into many languages including French, which often make the situation amusing and above all more lively. Playing a Super Mario game has never been more immersive, and honestly, while we initially considered silencing these flowers (since the game allows it), we enjoyed the adventure in their company, and we recommend against it even to silence them as their contribution is pleasant and – once again – full of surprises.
You will have understood, in Super Mario Bros Wonder, the change of scenery is total, and almost permanent. During our adventure, very few levels seemed too classic to us, except perhaps during a final straight line that was a little less inspired than the rest. Overall, the feeling of déjà vu is almost absent from this game with its innumerable twists and turns, which respects with edifying care the slogan displayed on its advertisements – “Expect the unexpected”. It must indeed be recognized: over the course of around fifteen hours of play, the surprises were innumerable, and we prefer to leave you the pleasure of discovering for yourselves the astronomical quantity of eccentric (and ingenious!) ideas. that Nintendo slipped into this little cartridge.
Easy mode
Wait, what do you mean, “about fifteen hours”? Yes, it’s a bit short, and this is probably one of the only points on which Super Mario Bros Wonder can possibly disappoint. Of course, this will greatly depend on your experience of the series and what you expect from a game of this genre, but we have to admit a small hint of frustration after finishing this completely crazy adventure too quickly. Like any successful and terribly addictive video game, Super Mario Bros. Wonder makes you want to chain the levels, explore everything, and as it is unfortunately sorely lacking in challenge for anyone who has already played a few 2D Mario games, the adventure really folds. quickly. And we’re talking about fifteen hours… to unlock everything 100% or almost.
If these numbers don’t mean much to you, here are two more meaningful comparisons. Whether it’s just finishing it or completing it 100%, the lifespan observed for this new Mario is in every way comparable to that of New Super Mario Bros and several hours shorter than that of New Super Mario Bros U. “Post-game” content (bonus levels not required to complete the game and of much higher difficulty), often tvery rich in Mario games, is very interesting here and will offer almost the only challenge of the game, but also turns out to be too short.
Very Good Trip
However, let us be reassured: if Super Mario Bros Wonder ends a little too quickly, it is only for two (good) reasons. First, we clearly emphasize that your experience with games of the genre has a certain impact on its lifespan. Players experienced in 2D Mario games will devour it with, perhaps, insolent ease. The fact remains that they will enjoy it without a shadow of a doubt, as the proposed adventure is exotic and addictive, like the mysterious powers of wonder flowers which offer a hallucinogenic trip that we ask for more at each course with delight. As for those less accustomed to the genre, it’s a safe bet that they will take even more time (and pleasure) to explore the dozens of fabulous courses that Super Mario Bros. Wonder offers, blocking out the well-hidden location of certain exits alternatives, think about the good ones builds most suitable depending on the situation…
Finally, for those who are struggling too much, Nintendo’s game offers an easy mode that doesn’t say its name with (almost) immortal characters: Yoshi and Carottin. Enough to cross the Kingdom of Flowers in complete peace of mind if they are a little put off by the concept of a 2D platform, casually increasingly associated with hardcore gaming – between die & retry, speedrun and independent scene. And then, in the worst case, to help each other, there remains the multiplayer with many facets, up to 4 locally and online. The online mode also relies on ingenious asynchronous features to help each other without acting directly (who said “like Death Stranding”?). The only downside, if of course it is one for you: no more collisions between players on the same screen, you will no longer be able to push your playmates into the void. Finally, we can vaguely regret not being able to combine badges with several people, so that everyone has their role… but if we end up complaining about something so insignificant, it’s a good sign for the rest.
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