A Wonderful New Twist to 2D Mario

With the 2D Mario games getting stale back on the DS, I love how Nintendo FINALLY revamped the series on the Switch. This game comes with a new, bubbly, brighter art direction that makes the foreground characters stand out better. Not only is the art style new, but we also get new characters, abilities, and even a new kingdom to explore.

Characters

Mario Wonder has a plethora of characters for you to choose to play as. The classic options of Mario and Luigi are there, two options of Toads, and not one but two princesses with both Peach and Daisy are playable. This game also allows younger or new gamers to play with the options of the four colors of Yoshis and Nabbit. The unique thing about these characters is they do not take damage from enemies, yes, they can't use the power-ups throughout the game, but not dying constantly is a fair enough trade-off.

The Flower Kingdom has so many new characters that it seems every level has some new creature. Poplins are scattered all over the map, some simply being burdened by Bowser's attacks, and some are being held hostage in their homes. One of the best uses of the new Poplin characters is the Poplin shops that sell badges, standees, and extra lives.

Allies are not the only new faces to find. New enemies run rampant. Some of my favorite new buddies are the ice block pushers, the stampede guys, and the balloon hippos. The array of enemies made each world feel fully new instead of just a theme change like some of the previous 2D Marios.

Gameplay

A Mario game wouldn't be complete without power-ups. The Fire Flower makes a comeback but gets overshadowed by the three new power-ups. The least talked about one is the drill power-up. This allows you to drill underneath the ground, break the glass structures, and even kill enemies that drop on your head. The next power-up, and my favorite, is the Bubble Flower. This one gives you the ability to... blow bubbles. I like it because the bubbles can give a little extra height or catch enemies in the bubbles. Of course, the power-up everyone loves (or hates) is the elephant apple. I don't love this one, but it's a nice change. Becoming an elephant lets you flick away enemies, break bricks, and collect water in your trunk to water plants. This one gives the most benefits.

Each new section has its theme. More than just the standard grasslands, beach, and desert (that are there still), Wonder has fluffy cloud lands, a poison swamp, and don't forget the Poplin shops to help out when you need a little something. Poplin shops seem to be pulled from Super Mario Odyssey in which you purchase seeds, and now you can also buy all the lives you need. And with how hard some of the levels are, you will need as many lives as you can get. With the levels all getting their 1-star to 5-star rating, the level of challenge varies the perfect amount to keep you engaged.

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