- Tested on Nintendo Switch.
- Game bought on the shop.
- Home gameplay captures.
- Main adventure finished in just under ten hours time.
- I still have to find access to some hidden levels of the secret world.
- Humor of the moment: burns a candle for a DLC with the difficulty noted.
Since the last Great. Mario Maker who had catapulted the legendary franchise in the infinite world of Do It Yourself, Many wondered what the little craftsman might do. Although the famous plumber has murmured since his debut in 1985, this new adventure borrows from the most hallucinated fringes of the Mario 2D and 3D combined. At almost 40 years old, the mustachu plumber embraces a new phase of his life by embarking with him Nintendo, finally inclined to push his licences towards new horizons. Has Big N become progressive with his mascots?
Overdose in the fungal kingdom?
After the lean cow of the GBA era where only remakes (despite excellent) of the Super Nintendo opus were born, the Mario 2D will be desired until the episode DS soberly entitled New Super Mario Bros, as a new era during a spring launch in 2OO6. Since the 2D episodes seemed modelled and declined on the same model and threatened to wean fans despite their academic qualities. This lasted until the beautiful day when Nintendo developers made one – amazing – brainstorming. No stars or moons to collect this time, you will now have to go through the levels to collect wonders seeds and flowers to see the world completely transform, as if Mario were taken from a sudden rise of acids, reverse of the medal after 38 years eating all the fields that pass. And yes, we don't talk enough about the psychotropic risks of plumbering...
In an interview with the newspaper The World, director Shiro Mouri explains how the idea of wonderful flowers sprouted: « Rather than transport the character elsewhere [with the warp zones], as we have always done, why not find a way to transform the level where we are? [...]. I thought about it and I thought that at a specific moment, we could trigger a drastic change that affects the whole level. » In the face of a real hallucinating trip, Mario can then turn into a strange creature or see its environment radically transform. The sharp senses, the decorations are lined with acidulated colors, the piranhas plants begin to sing and everything seems strange but familiar. So crazy gameplay ideas that we would never have imagined a few years ago, even in the Mario Galaxy.
Tell them to put on their fucking golf shoes!
We feel how much the differences of the last Mario Odyssey irrigated the development of this 2D opus. It is so generous that many single-use animations have been created for the occasion thanks to a new graphic motor different from that of New Super Mario Bros. This gives a cartoon side of the most beautiful effect. The game also borrows from the burlesque side of mimics of the heroes of the saga Mario and Luigi. Mario Wonder draws wherever he can while freeing himself from his original prohibitions. Until now, the bestiary of the Mario 2D had always remained very locked up without a doubt so as not to push the game reading promoted by the initial formula of Shigeru Miyamoto, today more confined to the role more in withdrawal of supervisor and advisor. Nintendo's watch master is no longer a producer of the series since Super Mario Bros 3 and gradually takes over the main parts of the Nintendo catalogue.
Far from the usual opponents of the saga, here is radically the opposite, the Gombas are almost in the process of extinction as each level is renewed both visually and in terms of enemies. Every world has its own ecosystem beyond the classic Wiggler, Thwomps, Koopas and co, which will still have the right to fun variations. Many enemies are rollerblading as already shown by the concept arts of the game.
New creatures come to dance and the sbire of the venerable Bowser will surprise you with their mischievous attitudes. Cherry on the cake, their expressions change when you enter their line of sight or by falling into the holes. Deplored by the harshness of life, the Gombas even have expressions of ras-le-bol. The attention to detail is thus maximized. Even the backgrounds in the background are in motion. On Switch OLED, the result is splendid and you are strongly advised to pair the experience with headphones to enjoy incredible soundtrack and enjoy stereo spatialization. Special mention at shady passages where contrasts are of all beauty.
Here too Nintendo seems to be loosened and new very rock themes give punch to the whole. The singer Pauline had already set the tone in the Unlearned concert of the Mario Odyssey and its New York level. Among the 2000 beasts thought and other documents produced during brainstorming, audio creation also occupied a central place and shook our habits in depth. Audio director Koji Kondo himself spoke about « great upheaval »
« Instead of using analog sounds to the synthesizer in New Super Mario Bros, we chose sounds of musical instruments and synthesizers to offer a musical genre never heard in Mario's history. »
To understand the revolution at work in Super Mario Wonder and whose premises were already felt in OdysseyWe need to read Koji Kondo's intentions. The audio director gave a distinct sound to each character with variations depending on the actions performed. It has even incorporated instrument sounds into effects like « a ukulele made in Japanese spruce for the Mario jump ». Rope instruments accompany Mario's race with sound inserts to signify elevation. Having a substantial delay and absence of deadlinerare in an environment eaten by the crunch, the developers had the attention to detail. Koji Kondo adds:
« This is the first time that the sound of the jump changes according to the way it is made, a bit like the different sounds produced by a stringed instrument depending on the strength or softness with which the strings are pinched. »
... Feel like a feather flying in the wind
Often little chatter, the saga today chooses to go against its heritage; strange plants challenge us in the background with full dubbing in many languages. We advise you to play in Japanese for fun. The latter encourage you or give up stupid jokes at times while cading our progress. And I must say, it's a fly. Super Mario Wonder also do not hesitate to multiply the blinks of eye to Mario VS Donkey Kong during mini-boss, while crushing the coin player to gogo way New Super Mario Bros 2, probably the most mercantile of 2D episodes!
Even some sequences viewed from above remind spin-off like Captain Toad and the video passage below directly refers to the plumber's doctor's past with these little pills that the bug swallows like dragibus. (Drugs are bad!) The game seems to communicate (and commune) with its predecessors while installing an complicity with the oldest players. However, the title never falls into permanent tribute and Super Mario Wonder knows how to assert through a sincere identity.
Generally speaking, it is also felt that the developers wanted to give speed to the whole. Many passages may recall the musical parts of Rayman Legends. The title is not a bad noise; Each movement is immediately recognizable and acoustic even varies according to the place visited. Inside, a slight echo changes the legendary sound of jumps. A treat that links graphics and interactive gameplay by the sound design. Since Mario Odyssey, the plumber's range of movements is always richer and augurs great speedruns. Specificity of this episode requires, in addition to the classical transformations with the fire flower, Mario can spit bubbles, turn into pachyderm or pass underground with a drill planted on the skull.
Mario rehabilitates the pine
Nintendo has also implemented a badge system that allows you to choose special movements that are supposed to help us or give style to your adventure. If you are strongly advised not to use those too assisted such as the parachapeau that allows you to float or the grapple liana, others bring a lot of dynamism to the whole. This is particularly the case with speed badges, double jumps or the perilous rear jump. It is up to everyone to modify their custom experience. More aerial than these predecessors, Super Mario Wonder is distinguished by details which seem anodizing but which multiply the pleasure controller in hand. The singular physics of the franchise is also renewed by foothills at full speed, rotating attacks in the air or the possibility of preparing a perilous jump by sliding at the end of the race. It's crazy how much fun it takes to take risks just for fun.
2023 obliges, the systematic rescue of Princess Peach seems definitely over. She will soon save her butt by herself in Princess Peach : Showtime. Alone or in multi, we can also choose to embody the princess, Mario, Daisy, Toads and carotins. The latter will not be of interest, except for your uncle Timmy who never touched the video game. Apart from bluffing, one wonders what it's for to put such options, except to destroy any idea of perseverance among the younger ones, especially since the game is very far from being difficult. Accessibility at any price has good back. And this may be the only reproach we can make for this new episode: the main game ends in a few ten hours without time dead but the whole is particularly easy.
A game too much casual friendly ?
Some levels are fast and end a less than a minute, as if the developers had wanted to pick up the experience. Super Mario Wonder is designed for the portable game and does not hide. If the publisher was long reluctant to play online, an on-line mode can still facilitate the experience with a system of panels to pose to save your progeners from an accidental fall. With 152 levels in total, of which only 69 are required to complete the end credits, the blotter would have deserved to be more loaded. In return, the generic end fantasy still leaves opportunities for completist players to continue collecting prodigy seeds. Too bad the developers ruled out the idea of changing the difficulty during the game. A system like that of excellent Kid Icarus Uprising would have been an excellent compromise to satisfy players on all sides. If only the winged angel of Masahiro Sakurai could get a new opus...
A special world and many secret passages make it possible to discover new levels that are otherwise more corsed, certainly, but nothing insurmountable compared to the Lost levels of Elders Mario. Emotional thought for the extra levels extremely difficult Yoshis Island: Super Mario Advance 3, probably unrivalled in terms of the challenge to date. How many bitter failures before the 11-year-old KillerSeven triumphs over the distant sadism of developers? The problem is not a problem of age. Assistant accessibility.
Trailer of Super Mario Wonder
On form, Super Mario Wonder has everything of Mario 2D that we've been dreaming of for ages. With this new opus completely freed from the legacy of the world's best-known plumber, Nintendo proves that he is perfectly capable of joking players' habits, even with his flagship mascots. After Zelda Breath of the Wild, who renewed the franchise, Super Mario Wonder is part of the same vision, where the only horizon is the unbridled imagination. Each level equals an idea. Generous in its construction, the title is a little less for its ricket life and its limited challenge. Without looking at Kirby's side, the title would have earned to extend the experience for veterans. And yet, impossible not to fall under the charm of this episode thanks to a gameplay of remarkable fluidity and a renewed discovery. There is more than just to cross your fingers for the legendary publisher to offer a DLC or second game to the most experienced players. Come on, a little Nintendo effort and you will manage to reconcile casual and hardcore gamers! With Super Mario Wonder, we play a crazy score of the same symphony that started almost forty years ago. A new breath for the license and the sign of a beautiful future. Super Mario Wonder is a new stage as was Odyssey in his time.
For
- Beautiful graphics
- Exemplary Fluidity
- Animations in tune
- Rich gameplay
- Hyper original soundtrack
- One level an idea
- No recycling
- New bestiary
- psychedelic DA assumed
- The idea of badges
- Dynamic World Map
- Choice of characters
- The singing and dancing coast
- The Jasting Flowers
- The multi-crazy
- Bowser always as classy
- 1080p 60 fps constant in docked version
Against
- Rare and too easy mini-boss
- The wonders seeds to buy
- Challenge (quasi) non-existent
- Much too short
- Limited and underexploited on-line mode
- Assistance options
[...] tastes with very large sizes such as Balduras Gate, Final Fantasy, Zelda, Starfield, Super Mario Wonder, Alan Wake 2 and the great remakes of System Shock and Resident Evil 4. Some [...]
[...] sold itself by an avalanche of titles: Baldur