Super Mario Bros. Wonder – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup in Bellabel Park Review
Super Mario Bros. Wonder – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup in Bellabel Park
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo
Genre:
PEGI:
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Super Mario Bros. Wonder came out a lot longer ago than I remember, but while my timelines might be jumbled, I do remember it being an absolute gem on the Nintendo Switch. Wonder was a one-off experience for me: I played it through once, got about 90% completion, and never touched it again. Super Mario Brows. Wonder – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup in Bellabel Park was the perfect opportunity to jump into one of my favourite 2D Mario experiences ever and play it again, this time with more content.
There is a lot of content added into the game, but whether you care about what they added is going to be up to you to decide. And the highlight for you is likely different from the highlight for others. The most fun for me was running back to all the worlds, locating the Captain Toad Brigade tent, and tackling a boss fight with each of the Koopalings. These fights are some of the best to ever grace a 2D Mario experience, taking the Wonder feature and applying it in unique ways to all the Koopalings. I’d argue none of these fights are inherently hard to complete, but they are fun and engaging none-the-less.
This all ties into the Toad Brigade Training you can do in a brand new camp setting. There are 74 challenges to complete spread across the games levels, and these challenges have a variety of win conditions. They can be done alone or with up to three other players. I love how many there are, but those who have played Wonder a lot are going to see the same levels they’ve experienced before, just cut into a chunk with a time limit slapped on. Some will love this, some will call it lazy. I’m somewhere in between: a worthwhile addition, but probably not for everyone.
Bellabel Park is where you and friends can engage in some Mario Party-esque minigames, both competitively and cooperatively. Again, how much you get out of this mode will vary; me personally, found this engaging for a while, but when I can so easily play Mario Party, it’s hard to reach for this when I want some chaotic, multiplayer fun. The games on offer here are fun, although end way too quickly. Standouts like Run, Hide! Phanto Tag kept me engaged for a while, but others are not as exciting.
With all of these new areas comes collectibles to find and things to accomplish, and even providing a little decoration excitement. Unlocking new things and checking boxes has always been something I’ve enjoyed, so even when the games themselves weren’t keeping me as engaged as I might like, the opportunity of seeing something new in my park was enough to push forward.
The Nintendo Switch 2 version of the game comes with a few other things as well. We get a slight resolution bump, although the change isn’t as noticeable as other titles since Super Mario Bros. Wonder already looked so good the first time around. Rosalina has been added to the cast of playable characters which is nice, and is an obvious tie-in to the upcoming Super Mario Bros. Movie. Assist mode is also included, allowing all characters – not just Yoshi and Nabbit – the opportunity to run through levels without taking damage from enemies. There is also a new powerup as well, and the ability to have two badges active at once with a dual badge. There are also quality of life improvements to local multiplayer, giving players a better view of the map by zooming out. No more fighting for all that screen real estate! There are also other options buried a bit deeper in the settings that allows you to focus the camera on one player, and get people who fall off screen back into the action faster.
Telling someone whether or not they should buy Super Mario Bros. Wonder – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup in Bellabel Park is not easy. Have you never played Wonder before? Pick it up. Have you played before but want to play again? Well, should you just grab your Switch version and go, or pay for these extras? Content wise, I think the price here is justified. What I don’t know, however, is if what is being offered is going to be interesting to everyone. It’s a mixed bag for me – I’m happy to have experienced it, and my kids are having fun, but I’m unlikely to come back to this package once my second playthrough of Wonder concludes.
Article By Adam
