2023 has been an incredible year for games, but none can quite match the joy that Super Mario Bros. Wonder can deliver. It's the most inventive Mario platformer yet, with Mario's latest adventure capable of continually gifting you unexpected delights.
There's a reason why Super Mario Bros. Wonder is sitting at a whopping 92 on Metacritic right now and received 4.5 stars from us here at 12DOVE. We likened it to heading down to Disneyland, with Super Mario Bros. Wonder managing to capture the same sense of magic with its brilliant unpredictability. It's a sentiment so many of our peers agree with too, with IGN calling it the "true next step for 2D Mario platformers", VGC declaring it "inventive and full of heart", and Eurogamer stating it's an "endless cascade of ideas".
That's all thanks to the Wonder Flowers that give the game its name - and how you'll feel while playing. Find a Wonder Flower in any of Super Mario Bros. Wonder's numerous levels and you'll trigger a Wonder Effect, which have the power to completely change the level around you. Whether that's everyone bursting into song and dance or seeing Mario and friends transform into Goombas, Wonder Flowers have the potential to introduce brand-new game mechanics, so you'll never know what to expect next.
You can also experience that delightful chaos with your friends both offline and online. In local co-op you can play with up to three friends, with you all able to experience the Wonder Flowers in full effect with seamless co-op. Go online and you can have a unique shared experience where you can choose to help other players find all the game has to offer or beat that tricky level, or just play with your pals.
You'll want everyone to see how wonderful Super Mario Bros. Wonder is too, because there's so much to see here. Alongside the Wonder Flowers and the ingenuity they bring, there are also new power-ups like the Elephant Fruit that turns Mario or any of the other playable characters into chunky elephants or the Bubble Flower that lets you blow bouncy bubbles to reach new heights.
It's all about the details in this game, and you won't want to miss a thing. That might be exploring to find every single Wonder Flower or hidden area, but it's also about noticing all the little things. Watch Elephant Mario's butt squeeze into a pipe, the bubble emerging from a sleeping Goomba's mouth, or the stern look an attacking Koopa has on its face. Every element of the Mushroom Kingdom is brought to life with such creativity here, and it absolutely sings on the Nintendo Switch OLED too. The game does well to have fun with the contrast between light and dark, and you will be able to truly appreciate just how good this looks on that OLED display. It's a fantastic reason to upgrade.
You can buy Super Mario Bros. Wonder right now for £49.99 on My Nintendo Store or Nintendo eShop exclusively on Nintendo Switch. Or if you want to treat yourself to the best Super Mario Bros. Wonder experience yet, there are also some excellent Switch OLED bundles available from £359.98 available on My Nintendo Store.
