Super Mario Bros. Wonder (Nintendo Switch)

One of the oldest and most stubborn criticisms of Nintendo is that they like to rehash and reheat old and stale (albeit commercially successful) formulas in each console generation. Anyone who is acquainted with the likes of Mario Galaxy will know this to be an unfair criticism, but it is a persistent one all the same.And when it comes to the 2D Mario platformer might there just be a grain of truth to this critique? Super Mario Bros Wonder's answer to this is a resounding no.It would have been so very easy for Nintendo to release another solid but perhaps unremarkable entry in their gloriously retro New Super Mario Bros series. But when it came to the Switch’s take on a 2D Mario platformer, we instead got a game that is both weird and wonderful in equal measure.Determined to be different in every way except the predictable paper thin plot (not a criticism- this is Mario after all) the game dispenses with the familiar Mushroom Kingdom with all its cliched biomes. In its place are a plethora of new enemy types intertwined with the usual Dry Bones and Piranha plants. It's a small addition in some ways but after more than forty years of Koopas and Chain Chomps it adds some much needed variety.Of much greater significance is the game's new signature mechanic in the form of collectible Wonder Seeds. These provide for innumerable, ingenious and entirely unpredictable changes in gameplay.Indeed some of the transformations are so gloriously random that they can best be described as akin to a psychedelic experience. Whilst playing the game my favourite pass time (when not stomping Goombas of course) was to try and predict what that particular level's transformation would be based off of its signature theme or mechanic. The fact that not once did I get it right is testament to Nintendo's enduring ingenuity and creativity in game design.If all of this was not enough we have the addition of not only three new power ups (of which the Elephant Fruit is quite possibly the coolest new entry to grace the series in years) but also innumerable "badges" that are unlocked in exchange for Purple Coin collectibles, another innovation that provide a much improved incentive and reward system on the traditional gold coins with all their surplus 1-Ups.The badges, only one of which may be used in each level, add a new sense of strategy, assistance or challenge depending on your mood. It not only caters for all ability levels but adds a much greater dimension of player freedom and choice.Super Mario Bros Wonder combines the best of 2D Mario platforming with a new sense of wonder. It is perhaps the most aptly named Mario Game in years and has yet again proved Nintendo's unsurpassed ability to reinvent, refresh and renew. Now that is a wonder.

Good game

This game is brilliant!! It’s really fun and goes on for a perfect amount of time!! Try and defeat Bowser and he traps all the poplins in their homes!!! Finish loads and loads of hard and easy courses and you’ll you incredibly amazing!!

Bought this game for my nephew. He really loved it. Packaging is good. Price is reasonable. Delivery was quick.

Like many Mario and/or platform games this is fun but can get very frustrating! You will die/fail a ton of times - don't expect anything else. Even people who lie on the internet that they're the world's best gamer will die a lot in this game.It is a vibrant and colourful sidescrolling platformer as you would come to expect from the Mario franchise. As much as it is kid-friendly in spirit I'm an adult and I find it quite difficult so I'm not sure how kids could handle playing it, although I'm something of a completionist so perhaps kids would be happier to run through the levels without collecting everything than I am.I do like it but it gets frustrating at times, but hey maybe it's just me getting old!

Great game, I love playing this with my 5 year old daughter as she can pick the character that doesn't die when they get hurt so she doesn't get scared like she does in other games. But at the same time, I can play as normal and enjoy the game as an adult. Otherwise so far, it seems like a very cookie-cutter Mario side scroller game, just with a few new enemies and power-ups, so if you like the other Mario side scroller games, you'll like this one too.

Overall I find this game a bit easy, but there's enough hard levels to test your platforming skills amongst it.

Nice game