Super Mario Bros. Wonder is set for release next week and I had the pleasure to put it through its paces at EGX 23. It’s going toe to toe with Sonic Superstars in a classic 90s platformer-off. Both games are released next week and you can check out my preview of Superstars in my other preview blog. On the face of it, Wonder is a decent Mario game that plays well but doesn’t do anything to upset the apple cart.
In the demo, I was able to play through four whole levels and chose to play as Toad. Every character can transform into a giant elephant which makes you almost invincible. In the giant elephant form, you can use fountains to suck up a little water and spit it at enemies or water flowers to produce coins and pickups.
I wasn’t overly impressed with the elephant gimmick if truth be told. There is nothing wrong with how it works but I didn’t understand its place in the context of the game. This is the next edition of the New Super Mario Bros. series and plays very much like a modern 2D Mario game. In that regard, I was able to speed run a level and it was fun to do so.
Fans of classic Mario gameplay will love how great the controls and general mechanics feel. It was natural to run, jump and bash bricks from below. There are a few secrets to be found in each level that make up a star system, or blue flowers in this case, to fully finish each stage. There are the usual underground pipe sections and familiar enemies to bounce on.
The level design felt safe but the game may open up more with interesting mechanics as you progress. There was an interesting feature around purple points that granted access to new areas and it seemed that you would need to collect certain amounts to open bosses and finish worlds. This means that there should be plenty of replay value for those worried they may finish it too quickly.
I didn’t get the sense that Wonder was going to reinvent the series or give us anything particularly new to experience but the expected quality was present and it was fun. I had a second go with a colleague and we played the multiplayer but this felt a bit forced and Wonder seemed to play better as a one-player experience. It’s nice to have the option though even if it made the screen a little cluttered.
The graphics and music are excellent and everything is here to appeal to Mario fans old and new. Some of the enemies seemed a little small on the screen but once you get your hands on the elephant powerup it all starts to make sense. You can simply plough through these sections and it’s fun to steamroller a bunch of goombas while spraying water.
Overall, Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a polished title that feels like Mario’s last outing on the Switch. It’s not doing anything particularly new and doesn’t feel like one of the best games in the series from the short preview I played. However, Mario fans will want to grab this, and if you follow our news you will be aware that you can pre-order from Currys with 25% off.
