Super Mario Bros. Wonder Review Thread
Super Mario Bros. Wonder Review Thread
Game Information
Game Title: Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Platforms:
- Nintendo Switch (Oct 20, 2023)
Trailers:
- Super Mario Bros. Wonder – Overview Trailer – Nintendo Switch
- Super Mario Bros. Wonder Direct 8.31.2023
- Super Mario Bros. Wonder - Nintendo Direct 6.21.2023
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.
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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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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.
What I mean is even if a game looks interesting, but then I see it's mixed on Steam or has a bunch of 5/10 reviews, I'd probably give that a pass. There might be a chance it's some hidden gem or totally up my alley, but why risk it? I'd rather play it safe, and give the 9/10 game a chance, even if the premise isn't that compelling.
Once you are able to just not care about the money, this can definitely shift. If it turns out that interesting game sucks to play, doesn't matter, just buy something else.
What I mean is even if a game looks interesting, but then I see it’s mixed on Steam or has a bunch of 5/10 reviews, I’d probably give that a pass.
I don't see how letting other people's opinions on something you think looks interesting should matter. I play games for me, so I don't care if someone thinks something is a 1/10. If it seems interesting to me I'm going to play it, because that's what matters. Some of my absolutel favorite games are panned by reviewers and critics alike, and most of the games I can't stand are highly reviewed yearly rehashes. Scores meaning nothing.
There might be a chance it’s some hidden gem or totally up my alley, but why risk it? I’d rather play it safe, and give the 9/10 game a chance, even if the premise isn’t that compelling.
Because you're risking it with either purchase regardless, so why not pick the one that actually sounds interesting to you? Letting review scores bias your decision making on an entirely subjective medium of art expression completely takes the point out of art.
Once a generation you might get a Death Stranding 2 or something, and really enjoy it, but other times you're stuck with the original Lords of the Fallen, because you like Souls-likes, and that's your only game this month or quarter.
And yes, of course, just because a game is rated highly doesn't mean you'll enjoy it. Still, unless you have really specific tastes, the chance that you're going to enjoy a highly rated game, compared to a mediocre one, is much higher, in my opinion, doesn't matter if something looks interesting.
I'm also talking about a hypothetical, mainstream consumer here, because those are the ones that a review score is for.
A hypothetical mainstream consumer is the least educated person on the topic and is exactly the kind of person that gets swindled constantly by review scores. They're the ones that need to hear more than ever that following review scores as some objective truth is stupid.
Once a generation you might get a Death Stranding 2 or something, and really enjoy it, but other times you’re stuck with the original Lords of the Fallen, because you like Souls-likes, and that’s your only game this month or quarter.
And sometimes the original Lords of the Fallen is exactly what you want to play, even if everyone else says it's bad. That's entirely my point. General consensus of "good" and "bad" means nothing. Equating popularity and quality is dumb
Since I don't agree with your initial premise, that review scores are faked or kept high to please the publishers, I also don't agree that people are being lied to or swindled by them.
And sometimes the original Lords of the Fallen is exactly what you want to play, even if everyone else says it’s bad. That’s entirely my point. General consensus of “good” and “bad” means nothing. Equating popularity and quality is dumb
In a perfect world, where everyone has infinite time and money, sure, just do whatever. However, this world doesn't exist, so most people probably want to avoid wasting their time or money. That's why reviews exist.
I also think, most of the time you can equate popularity and quality to some extent. Not that the most popular are the best, but they're usually at a decently high level. There are always going to be exceptions, of course, and not everyone will like everything.