Super Mario Bros. Wonder Final Impressions: Another Game of the Year contender?

There's no beating around the bush, 2D Super Mario Bros. games have felt a bit predictable and too safe for years. It's been a long time since a new game in this series made its debut and really wowed, and this is precisely why Super Mario Bros. Wonder has such a lot riding on it. But, with launch coming up very soon, I've started my journey through the Flower Kingdom in this striking and delightful game, and judging by what I have been able to play and tell you about so far, it's very clear that Wonder is set to be a Mario game for the ages.

Because not only does this game pay homage to the 2D titles that came before it in a very compelling way, but it elevates and brings this series into the modern day with creative uses of sound and music, and new gameplay mechanics. Wonder doesn't look to inspire well... wonder in the player by just throwing new biomes and the occasional new Power-up at them (even though it does), instead it looks to draw you in with fantastic and colourful animations, interesting new challenges and objectives, modern iterations on beloved 2D formulas, and usage of music in a way that I don't think we've ever seen before in a Mario title.

Sure, the idea is still to work your way through 2D and occasionally 2.5D levels by constantly moving towards the right. There will be Goombas and Koopas, and various other enemies in the way, as well as environmental hazards, coins to collect, blocks to smash, Power-ups to acquire, and secrets to discover. The soul of former Super Mario Bros. games is preserved in Wonder, but it's also enhanced with ingenious new mechanics, such as the ability to push some pipes to solve puzzles, pull apart bits of the background, place stickers to mark your presence, and of course Wonder Seeds to grab that take you to different parts of courses and which are used to open the way to new worlds and levels on the overworld.

Speaking of the overworld, this isn't a rigid system like in former Super Mario Bros. games anymore. There are parts that you can only travel around in specific ways, but then there are also sections where you can run more freely, allowing you to interact with the world and to choose which level to face as you see fit. It's not a massive change to the formula, but it's noticeable and adds a lot of character. And as for the levels that you can dive into from the overworld, these are highly diverse and unique. The actual main courses aren't too long but are filled with opportunities to uncover secrets and complete additional objectives, such as picking up bigger Flower Coins (a new type of currency). The smaller side levels you can dive into are where the mini-games really come into their own, with some even being challenges that ask you to prove your skill with some of the Badges that are available.

Badges, for those unfamiliar, are essentially perks that you can activate before a course. This could be something as trivial as enemies now dropping coins when they are defeated, or the ability to more easily do wall jumps, with some even introducing new mechanics altogether, like the Parachute Cap, which does pretty much what it says on the tin - it allows you to use your cap as a parachute slowing your fall and allowing you to glide over gaps. There are tons of Badges to collect and each alter the gameplay quite extensively, and in a way that doesn't detract from the core and beloved platforming-first Super Mario Bros. gameplay that has stood the test of time. But that being said, it does feel like the Badges have impacted the presence of Power-ups, as there are a distinct fewer number of them, with the new additions being less powerful than we've seen in the past.

One of the other areas that Super Mario Bros. Wonder is building on past titles is in its playable cast. Here you can choose between Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Daisy, Blue Toad, Yellow Toad, Toadette, Blue, Yellow, Red, or Green Yoshi, and of course, Nabbit. The Yoshis and Nabbit are for younger folk as they are designed to avoid a lot of hazards, whereas the rest of the cast get the full untapped Wonder experience. Each character can also work together when playing in multiplayer, with this including being able to revive one another, and even give each other a ride if you have a Yoshi among your team.

But while this is all well and good, none of this truly blew me away in the same way that the incorporation of sound did. The soundtrack and the way that the world reacts to your presence, stepping on blocks, crushing enemies, picking up Power-ups (yes, the elephant is fun and can interact with courses in interesting ways but it's not a ground-breaking new Power-up like we have seen in past games), and so forth, it's all handled in such a way that adds so much character and charm to the game that you will consistently have a big grin plastered over your face. I'm yet to see how this will continue to be explored as the story progresses, but so far, from an early taste of this game, it's very, very clear that the sound design is unlike much else in Wonder.

We've had a lot of truly great games this year already, but if this early taste of Super Mario Bros. Wonder is anything to go by, this 2D platformer could be up there with the best. We're supposed to be in the Switch's sunset era, yet Nintendo doesn't seem to be able to stop itself from debuting some of the best games we've ever seen for the platform. If you've been missing the iconic red plumber and his friends, Wonder is shaping up to be a must play.