It’s been another massive week in the world of Nintendo with the company hosting a special Super Mario Bros. Wonder Direct.
Ahead of the game’s October release, Nintendo has also given a number of outlets the chance to go hands-on with the game. And now there’s a bunch of previews up, so we’ve decided to round them up into a single a post. So, without further ado, here are the very first previews of Super Mario Bros. Wonder for the Nintendo Switch:
IGN executive editor Ryan McCaffrey said everything about Nintendo’s new flagship 2D Mario game was worthy of Super Mario’s original legacy:
“Super Mario Bros. Wonder may have a unique name, unattached to any other games in the series’s long and decorated history, but after playing an hour of it, I think Nintendo could’ve gotten away with calling it Super Mario Bros. 4, and all of the weight of expectations that would’ve come with that. (Yes, Super Mario World was arguably Super Mario Bros. 4, but you get my point…)”
Axios Gaming author Stephen Totilo believes Wonder could be an absolute “smash” hit when it launches:
“During Axios’ hands-on time, Wonder felt more forgiving than Nintendo’s major 2D Marios. Power-ups are more plentiful and a new system lets players earn badges that can add powers (higher jumps, parachute hats) or protection (a badge that lets players automatically spring out of otherwise fatal pits, for example).
“The game’s four-player co-op options are less prone to sabotage this time around, too. In a change from the recent co-op 2D Mario game, players can’t bump into each other or toss each other around, as collision impacts are disabled (unless someone wants to ride on Yoshi).”
ComingSoon felt the latest entry in the Super Mario Bros. 2D series is shaping up to be something special:
“The game feels just like a side-scrolling Super Mario game should, but deviates from the norm just enough to make things feel incredibly new and exciting. Combined with new mechanics, power-ups, and ways to play, the next entry in the iconic video game series has the recipe for success.”
GameSpot called Wonder potentially the biggest “2D Mario Rethink” since the Super Nintendo era:
“The titular wonder of Mario Wonder comes from its fantastical stage effects: unique, tailored mechanics that are custom-made for each stage. When you find a Wonder Flower, the entire stage changes to conform to some wild new reality. Most if not all of the Wonder Flowers are entirely missable, which means that each stage is designed to function on two levels–as a regular, well-crafted Mario platforming stage, and also as a zany, mechanic-changing, one-off gameplay experience.”
” It’s the most Mario has ever looked like playing a fully animated cartoon, absent perhaps Paper Mario… Super Mario Bros. Wonder feels alive in a way that 2D Mario hasn’t for years, and may launch an entirely new trajectory for the series going forward.”
And The Gamer said Wonder felt like a “long awaited sequel” to Super Mario Bros. World on the SNES:
“It feels strange to think of Super Mario Bros. Wonder as a game Mario needs, when the series has just opened a massively successful theme park, a billion dollar movie, and continues to host the most recognisable video game character in the world. But 2D Mario did need a leg up to catch up to what its 3D and Kart racing brothers had been up to. Wonder is a super double wall jump up, taking the legendary series to new heights.”