Super Mario Bros. put to the test: Mario’s best jump ‘n’ run

Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of famous series such as Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda (Tears of Kingdom Review) and Pikmin, is still considered one of the most influential video game developers of all time. Just eight years after joining the video game company Nintendo, the little plumber with the red hat was born under Miyamoto’s leadership. In 1987, Super Mario Bros. was released on the Nintendo Entertainment System and soon became a bestseller.

After 37 years and countless spin-offs, the franchise still finds itself at the top of sales. Nothing changes with Super Mario Bros. Wonder, released last fall. Once again, Mario and his friends embark on a fantastic adventure that begins with Prince Florian’s personal invitation to the Flower Kingdom.

However, the idyllic situation in the kingdom doesn’t last long after Mario’s arrival, as Bowser escapes with one of the mysterious Miracle Flowers and brings disaster to the land in the form of a fused Castle Bowser. Once again it’s up to Mario to hold Bowser accountable and slowly free the Flower Kingdom from Castle Bowser’s control. Accompanied by Prince Florian and the talking flowers, a journey through different worlds and crazy levels begins.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder does the same as its predecessors and sticks to the franchise’s tried and tested formula. Divided into different worlds, you must complete all the levels and locate Castle Bowser. Each world culminates in a boss battle against Junior Bowser, who, like his father, has access to powerful powers thanks to the Miracle Flowers. Once it’s defeated, you move on to the next world to conquer another series of levels. In total, Nintendo offers 152 levels with Super Mario Bros. Wonder, spread across seven different worlds.

In addition to the classic levels, in which the main objective is to locate the miracle seed and the corresponding miracle flower, the action platformer also offers other activities to explore. In badge trials, players have to prove their dexterity with a certain skill of Mario, the Wiggler races offer a time-based race against an oversized caterpillar, and the Breather levels focus more on entertainment than difficulty level. Search parties and battle parties are also available for players to explore, meaning each world within the kingdom offers a strong variety of activities.

The above badge tests demonstrate one of the new gameplay mechanics in Super Mario Bros. Wonder: badges. They give players a unique ability or bonus that can be used during the level run. The Parachute Cap slows down any fall, the Coin Magnet automatically attracts all coins in the area, and the Tendril Shot acts as a grappling hook that players can use to pull themselves up walls. Before starting a level, all the badges you have already earned are available to choose from. Once chosen, the unlocked ability or bonus is available for the entire level.

Badge tests constantly unlock new badges, and new badges can also be purchased from shops that keep appearing. Especially players who are looking for a challenge or who like to investigate levels in detail for secrets will have a lot of fun with the various badges. These are also a nice addition in other ways and offer a new alternative to the classic power-ups. Anyone who wants to be particularly skilled or measure themselves against the performance of others will also be happy with the new multiplayer function.

In the local level, up to four players go on an exploration tour around the world. In online multiplayer, players can explore levels as usual or even organize races in an online room with up to 12 friends. An online connection can also be established independently of their group of friends, with which players can see other players from around the world as “ghosts” within the levels. Semi-transparent game figures show the way to the other players in the respective level. The points of contact between the players themselves are the so-called Standees. These can be freely placed by any player in a level and serve as a revival point for any other person who comes into contact with them. In the age of online and multiplayer titles, Nintendo has found an attractive online multiplayer function that is suitable for the Super Mario franchise. Not only is the fighting spirit encouraged when competing against the skills of other players, but indirect cooperation is also introduced with the new online function. A small but nice addition.

As players progress through their first levels, collecting badges and getting a taste of the online features, some may notice a bright flower within the levels. Anyone who touches the flower will see the eponymous charm of the latest branch: the Miracle Effect.

Because Bowser isn’t the only one who can enjoy the strange Miracle Flowers. Every level has a Miracle Flower that players have to find. If they succeed, a visual spectacle unfolds that once again reveals Nintendo’s talent for playful but well-designed mechanics. The Miracle effects produced by collecting are primarily of a visual nature and vary completely depending on the level. Suddenly the game world turns upside down, pipes come to life, or Mario rolls around the game world like an oversized ball.

However, the entertaining gameplay of the miracle flower sequences is short-lived and ends as soon as players have collected the miracle seed they found. Still, finding miracle flowers is always one of the biggest attractions when beating levels and provides a strong incentive for them to explore the level thoroughly. Ghosts of other players also come in handy here to reveal the alleged whereabouts of a miracle flower or other level mysteries.

Miracle Flower as a game mechanic is yet another testament to Nintendo’s ability to combine fun and clever mechanics. With each level having a unique presentation, collecting Miracle Flowers brought a smile to our faces every time we suddenly found ourselves free falling collecting stars, jumping over a herd of buffaloes or forming a formation on a moving platform.

With its colorful and dynamic levels, only one question remains: how does Super Mario Bros. Wonder perform technically on the Nintendo Switch, which is starting to show its age with its release in 2017? Short answer: excellent.

Even during the craziest miracle flower scenes, the frame rate always stays stable at 60 frames. In TV mode the title offers a resolution of 1080p, in handheld mode 720p. The colors look bright and the animations are snappy, making Super Mario Bros. Wonder always a good figure both on the go and within the four walls of the house.

The price of Super Mario Bros Wonder ranges from 40 euros to 45 euros. As with all games directly from Nintendo, the price here is quite stable.

With its charming and wonderful interludes, Super Mario Bros. Wonder lives up to its name and manages to deliver a fantastic adventure once again even after all these years. The classic Super Mario formula that fans have loved over the years remains intact, while new elements like the focus on badges or cooperative online multiplayer provide ample innovation.

Miracle flowers and their effects make up a relatively small portion of the actual play time, and yet they always serve as a great incentive for extensive exploration of a level. In turn, the desire to explore is well supported by visible paths to badges and other players, so that Super Mario Bros. Wonder delivers a solid, consistent gaming experience.

Whether you’re a Super Mario fan or not, Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a must-play for any Nintendo Switch owner who appreciates a playful yet challenging action platformer.