Every aspect of Super Mario Bros Wonder is meticulously crafted to exude positivity, a sentiment that resonates with me through features like the ability to deploy standees aiding fellow players in my session as I advance through each level. The blossoms adorning the course also catch my attention, frequently offering words of encouragement as I traverse past them. This delightful detail further contributes to the overall charm of Wonder.
Upon concluding my experience with Super Mario Bros Wonder, I realize I've maintained a continuous smile throughout. This leaves me eager to explore other unforeseen occurrences that await in this inventive take on the 2D side-scrolling concept within the Mario universe.
Upon concluding my experience with Super Mario Bros Wonder, I realize I've maintained a continuous smile throughout. This leaves me eager to explore other unforeseen occurrences that await in this inventive take on the 2D side-scrolling concept within the Mario universe.
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00:00Nothing can quite rival the joy I feel when I see Toad transform into an elephant during
00:09my hands-on session with Super Mario Bros. Wonder. I was instantly taken by the new power-up
00:14when Mario's upcoming 2D scroller was first announced back in June, but I'm elated to
00:19see first-hand that it can be used by any one of the famous cast of characters, with
00:24the likes of Peach, Daisy, Luigi, Yoshi, and of course Toad joining Mario in the line-up.
00:29Every character's elephant form retains their signature attire, such as Toad's mushroom,
00:34or Peach's crown, and let me tell you, seeing the transformation and using its abilities
00:39never gets old. Everything looks polished, bright, inviting, and distinctly Mario, but
00:45as I soon see, this is a fresh 2D side-scroller that's shaking things up in a unique way.
00:51Alongside the introduction of some brilliant power-ups, Super Mario Bros. Wonder takes
00:55us to the new setting of the Flower Kingdom that's home to some rather trippy, game-changing
01:00Wonder Flowers. I don't know what to expect the first time I encounter a Wonder Flower,
01:05but that, as it turns out, is the whole point. You can find these flowers in each course,
01:10and jumping up to one will trigger events known as Wonder Effects. Witnessing one won't
01:14make you any wiser to what's in store in the next course, and I'm continually surprised
01:18by what unfolds each time we come across one throughout the session. It's quite a spectacle,
01:23making everything go a little topsy-turvy. It essentially feels like these Wonder Flowers
01:27throw out the rulebook of the course. The only thing you can know for certain is to
01:31expect the unexpected.
01:33After messing around as an elephant and experiencing my first Wonder Effect event, we're taken
01:38to another course which gives me yet more reasons to smile. I begin by jumping out of
01:42the way as balls barrel across the level. When I reach the next Wonder Flower, the course
01:46once again turns on its head, and what happens next is chaos. The balls have now formed what
01:52appears to be a psychedelic conga line as they swirl and soar through the air in our
01:56direction, leaving me and my fellow players to try and dive out of their path. In a moment
02:00of quick thinking, I leap on top of them and ride them like a train through the remainder
02:04of the course, jumping as I go to collect coins in the air. While I don't get to spend
02:08overly long with Super Mario Bros. Wonder before my session ends, in just these two
02:12courses alone, I get a sense of how much variety the Wonder Flowers and power-ups bring to
02:17the side-scrolling adventure, and open it up in a fresh way.
02:22As we navigate from course to course, we see how we can freely run around the hub world
02:25map. As a co-op experience, you can play Super Mario Bros. Wonder with friends and family.
02:30Up to 12 players, including you, can be visible in the world, and 4 players can venture through
02:34a course together. Every course has a difficulty star rating, but there are ways to customise
02:38the difficulty. The adventure features badges that can change up the abilities or properties
02:42of a character, which means you can swap abilities around to help you on your way. Everything
02:46about Super Mario Bros. Wonder is designed with positivity in mind, which I see reflected
02:51in the option to place down standees that help out other players in my session as I
02:55progress through the level. I also notice that the flowers that decorate the course
02:59often shout out encouragement as I pass them by, which is a welcome little touch that just
03:03adds to Wonder's charm.
03:05By the end of my time with Super Mario Bros. Wonder, I realise I haven't stopped smiling
03:08for a single second. I'm left with the desire to see what other unexpected events are in
03:13store and in what looks to be a creative twist on the 2D side-scrolling formula in the world
03:17of Mario. I can't wait to return to the Flower Kingdom when it releases on October 20th, 2023.