Nintendo It’s been 11 years without a release of “Super Mario Bros.” in 2D, from that distant “New Super Mario Bros. U,” the fourth installment that closed this latest and profitable incarnation of the plumber and his fauna outside of a 3D environment. It seemed to be the last word in Mario’s native genre, and it’s no wonder: the mechanics haven’t changed much since the inception of Super Mario Bros. NES, and it makes sense that Nintendo didn’t want to squeeze more than necessary out of a game (almost a concept) loved by generations of fans.
We had a chance to try out (announced just a couple of months ago) the new Mario adventure for Switch, Super Mario Bros. Wonder,” and even though it was a demo for only a few levels, the sensation is so pure 2D Mario: every jump, every platform, every enemy is a blow to the preconceived ideas we have about the franchise. This is a special feeling of good Mario games, in which every moment the game can turn to new challenges and challenges, here. This is pure classic Mario.
And just like good classic Mario, it all starts with a map from which you can choose scenarios. From there situations, objects and recognizable enemies: pipes, walks on clouds, coins, mushrooms… For some time now, every new “Super Mario” almost a catalog of common ingredients that we already know how they will behave and how they will react to our presence. However, this time in “Wonder” Nintendo plays more than usual and disappointed our expectations.
And this happens primarily with the Miracle Flower: we will find one in each level, and they will have different effects (although always the same in each level). Psychedelia and lack of control will invade the level when you catch them, and we will have pipes that crawl, enemies that become huge and destroy the whole stage, stampedes that we will have to ride, showers of stars and instant immunity.. .. Each level of Super Mario Bros. will include one of these flowers, guaranteeing lasting surprises.
Everything is different, so that everything remains the same
That’s just the high note of each level, but along the way Nintendo makes sure there’s not a single decision that doesn’t have a surprising effect. And that’s all with a delicious, accessible and intuitive design common to Mario gamesalmost a canon of how to teach the game without the need for long tutorials or secondary icons: rewards that show the way, invitations to experiment without punishment, natural elements (water, gravity, movement) that have logical behavior… as always, master- video game theory class.
Part of that, and part of Nintendo’s commitment to surprise and light entertainment, is there bonuses What the characters can win. Sometimes they turn into animals (we tried the almighty elephant), sometimes into tools (we saw a drill cap, very useful for opening new routes, but also for moving around at ground level, in a fun feature that fools around with the idea of open spaces in a maximally enclosed space ), sometimes insignia. These can be equipped in turn on a character of our choice and provide a simple but welcome strategic component to the action.
Finally, multiplayer. We played the game for four, and while the obvious appeal is very obvious (family games, no risk – Yoshi and other characters are immortal if chosen), we also There is a certain tendency toward chaos that already existed in New Super Mario Bros..’ and it can end up being overwhelming. Of course, now the capabilities are marked this way so that some players can’t mess around. There is no competition on this trip.
And perhaps that’s the inevitable flaw that can be placed on Super Mario Bros. Wonder: It’s extremely accessible, designed down to the last millimeter so that anyone can come and play. Nintendo obviously won’t let its most famous IP put anyone off, but perhaps the die-hard gamer or anyone looking for an experience on par with the old Super Mario World will have to look elsewhere. Maybe in 3D incarnations? It’s nothing short of fun for the whole family. Of course, pure fun at its finest.
Title: Nintendo
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