What parents need to know
Note: This test only evaluates additions from the Switch 2 version of Super Mario Bros. Wonder. If you are looking for a test of the basic version, click here.
Two and a half years after its original release, Super Mario Bros. Wonder is back in an improved version for Switch 2. What does this version offer us for Nintendo’s new console?
First of all, this new version of Super Mario Bros. Wonder obviously benefits from improved graphics in 4K, taking advantage of the greater power of the Switch 2. We are also offered a new mushroom, the flower mushroom, which allows us to transform our characters into a kind of walking plant. They can then use a floating jump and spawn flowers that attack enemies by running vertically across the screen.
Two new characters are also offered: Rosalina and her faithful sidekick, Luma. Luma, however, is not a character like the others. He cannot be the main player, he must accompany another player. He can also roam the screen at will (you can even control him with the Switch’s mouse mode) and attack enemies without fear of retaliation, since he is invincible. In short, this is really a character designed for the youngest who want to have fun without stress.
By the way, this new version also offers an assist mode, in which players cannot be hit by enemies or fall into holes. This is obviously a mode designed for toddlers who just want to have fun without breaking a sweat.
We are also offered new duo badgers, which combine two existing badges into one, which can make the adventure easier. Conversely, some badges combine powers that make the game more difficult if you’re looking for a challenge.
As the title suggests, the big news is Bellabel Park. This is a new area in the kingdom of flowers with mini-games made to be played with others. We are offered 10 types of competitive mini-games and 7 cooperative mini-games designed to be played locally. There are also 6 mini-games designed to be played online with strangers.
The pleasures are varied. Some mini-games offer us to race against our opponents, in a rocket or in a giant roller skate, for example. Another mini-game offers us to transform ourselves into an element of the scenery by trying to stay hidden for as long as possible.
If your friends don’t own Super Mario Wonder, the new Gameshare option allows your friends to play with you for free, from their console (Switch 1 or 2). A most interesting addition.
The Bellabel Park, in addition to serving as a hub to play with our friends, can also be decorated. By playing games, you earn Bellabel water which allows you to water plants. These plants, in return, will offer flowers to decorate the park, in addition to offering musical instruments for the park marching band, duo badges and emojis to communicate online.
Luckily for those who prefer to play solo, the new content isn’t just for multiplayer modes. We are offered 7 new levels, each concluding with a confrontation against one of the Koopalins transformed by the power of Bellabel flowers.
Finally, the Toad Brigade boot camp offers 77 challenges within the game’s levels. For example, you will have to eliminate all the enemies of a level in a very limited time, or complete a level without touching a single penny. These challenges are intended, well… challenges. They’re really designed for experienced players in the Mario franchise, and even those are likely to cringe.
Details
Level of experience required
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Evaluation
We find the same good-natured universe of Super Mario, colorful and magical.
Nothing to report.
Very little reading required. You can read some panels to learn more about the history of the game, but it’s very very optional.
As usual, Mario is a hero who saves the innocent from the clutches of the evil Bowser.
This expansion to Super Mario Bros. Wonder gives us both options to make the game more difficult and much easier.
We maintain that $109.99 for a game is expensive, but fortunately, this one is generous in quality and quantity.
Local game modes
In single-player, you can complete the challenges of the Toad Brigade or play one of the 7 new levels offered in this DLC.
In multiplayer, you can also complete these 7 new levels in addition to the ten or so local mini-games in the Bellabel Park.
Online Game Modes
You can play the new levels online with your friends or venture into Bellabel Park to play the Game Room mini-games.
Expansions/Add-ons (DLC)
Bellabel Park is an extension.
Our opinion
Bellabel Park is not a very focused additional content. The additions go in all directions: mini-games, new levels, new characters, challenges in the levels already present, etc. This makes the proposal a little more difficult to pin down, but it is still very generous.
The mini-games are interesting, some of them reminiscent of what you would find in a game like Mario Party. We particularly appreciated Run, Hide! Phanto Tag!, a hide-and-seek mini-game in which you take on the appearance of elements of the Mario Wonder setting.
On the other hand, it’s a shame that the mini-games have been separated into local and online multiplayer. We would have liked to have been able to play all the games regardless of our multiplayer configuration.
The new levels are well designed and have obviously benefited from effort. In fact, we’ve even designed new enemies for some of these levels. The boss fights are also very successful, some of them even being more interesting than the bosses in the base game.
The new transformation into a flower is pleasant, but it is not likely to mark history, as it is too much like transformations that already exist. But we won’t complain about this addition.
The challenges of the Toad Brigade are particularly appreciated, for our part. As game critics, you won’t be surprised that we’ve been playing the Super Mario franchise since we were very young. It is therefore easy to find the games of this franchise which is very accessible a little too easy, and this was particularly the case for Super Mario Bros. Wonder, whose creativity was matched only by his ease.
These challenges bring a welcome dose of challenge. We spent several hours completing them, often making it to the finish line with less than a second left on the clock.
At the other extreme, the many difficulty options make the game accessible even for toddlers for whom this is the first game in the franchise. With the upcoming release of the new Super Mario movie, there is no doubt that there will be many new players.
There remains the question of price. At $29.99 CAD, this update is worth the requested cost, in our opinion. The content offered is rather generous. Yes, we would have preferred these new features to be included with the base game on Switch 2. The total cost of Super Mario Bros. Wonder + Bellabel Park, if you don’t already have the Switch 1 version, is $109.99. It’s expensive.
But fortunately, Super Mario Bros. Wonder is one of the best titles in this franchise already renowned for its quality, so the (salty) bill goes a little better.
Note: A code has been given to us by the publisher for review purposes. It does not influence our opinion.
