Super Mario Bros. Wonder was a real return to form for 2D Mario, following the fun but increasingly underwhelming series of New Super Mario Bros. games across multiple consoles. Our original review praised the wealth of new ideas and imaginative level design but lamented the somewhat restricted multiplayer aspects. Well, Nintendo must have read that review and with SMBW–NSW2E+MIBP (a title that is too much of a mouthful even for Yoshi) there is a clear focus on added multiplayer antics. From an expanded way to play with friends in campaign mode to an entire party game area, this update is all about sharing the wonder, with some performance upgrades on the side.
Let’s start with those Switch 2 enhancements. This upgrade is available as a full release or as a DLC upgrade for owners of the original. The pricing structure for such Switch 2 upgrades remains inconsistent, with some games receiving free updates whilst others range from £8 to £17 when Nintendo think they can justify it. With Meetup in Bellabel Park in tow, this game falls on the higher side of that and, as such, it’s important to know what you’re getting for that price. If all you want is the single player additions then it’s difficult to justify that cost. While the 4K resolution upgrade and smoother frame rates are always welcome, the cartoony style of this game already popped and I never really found the original’s load times to be an issue. Also, you can now force the Switch 1 game to play at 1080p with the Handheld Boost Mode even without this upgrade.
The real meat of the upgrade, though, lies in the extra game additions. While the multiplayer minigames at the titular Bellabel Park are the main attraction there are some neat extras for the main campaign too. Captain Toad’s Brigade have set up camp and have 74 separate challenges to complete for completionists. These can be taken on solo or with up to three friends and there are some well designed levels here. Challenges require specific skills to be tested from eliminating all enemies in a time limit to not touching any coins whilst completing a level. Successfully completing these awards Toad patches for bragging rights and also the water needed to grow flowers in Bellabel Park.
A brand new power-up is added in the form of the Super Flower Pot, a costume that transforms you into a flower that can launch attacks upwards which can be extremely useful or largely redundant depending on the level layout. Given the game allows for more verticality than earlier Mario titles, this is a good addition to the loadout.
You can also now play as Rosalina and co-op players can use Luma, a support character who cannot take damage or transform but can collect coins and defeat enemies. This seems to be a response to the issues with the original’s multiplayer whenever one player couldn’t keep up. Further to this, an assist mode is available that makes characters immune to all damage and falls so that newcomers can enjoy playing with more experienced players. These aspects are a great antidote to some of the main criticisms of the original title and general difficulties of sharing a platformer experience.
Bellabel Park itself can be found after the early levels of the campaign, and is a completely separate area of the map purely for multiplayer. If playing solo you can’t play the minigames at all – there’s no bot or practice modes which feels like an oversight. You can, however, play all these games in either local or online multiplayer and the GameShare feature does let multiple players play with only one copy of the game.
The Park needs to be replanted and completing any game rewards you with more of the aforementioned water. This lets you grow new flowers which can give you new badges for the main game, emotes, decorations, or instruments for the Toad Marching Band. The randomisation of this aspect does feel a little grindy, but using fountains rather than individual flowers can speed things up.
As for the games themselves there are distinct areas within the Park for local play and online game rooms. Competitive and co-op games are available as well, so there is a good amount of variety to be found with 10 Vs. attractions, 7 co-op and 6 locked to the online Game Room. I mostly spent my time in the local attractions with my teenage kids, with online aspects being obviously limited before the full release. We had lots of fun with the coin collecting challenges, and even took part in some Smash Bros. style knock-out fights. It remains to be seen how much longevity there is in these modes to become a party gaming staple, but the variety and polish is as you would expect from a Nintendo title.
Last, but not least, the campaign mode and Bellabel Park are linked through the return of the dastardly Koopalings. These mischievous foes have stolen the magical Bell flowers from the Park and scattered them across the world map. As you explore the main campaign you’ll find Toad Brigade members who will point you towards each of the siblings upon which you can enter new levels which culminate in boss fights with new gimmicks and attack patterns. These are a particularly welcome addition as they offer even more variety to the main game.
