2D Mario is back

Wonderful

July 07, 2023

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The 3D Mario games are the absolute pinnacle of game design, in my opinion.

Sure, the likes of Mario Galaxy and Odyssey don’t have the seamless open worlds, elaborate crafting systems, ray-traced lighting or whatever else makes the headlines these days, but they’re arguably the most downright playable games out there - A character with impeccable controls dropped into environments designed specifically to stretch his move-set to the absolute limit. New ideas thrown at you at a relentless pace.

This was once true of 2D Mario, too. Back in the NES and SNES days, Mario games were synonymous with quality and experimentation. Each game adding new mechanics and design flourishes, subverting expectations and changing what we thought was possible from 2D games. But since then, the series has been coasting a bit.

Now don’t get me wrong, the New Super Mario games were good games in their own right (and sold more than their 3D counterparts, it has to be said). But they’d become samey and predictable, bland almost. Especially by Nintendo’s standards – a company full of devs renowned for creativity and flair.

2D Mario – once the standard-bearer for 2D games – has been well and truly surpassed by the likes of Rayman and Donkey Kong (and countless indies) over recent years.

But now, 2D Mario is back.

Announced a week or so ago, Super Mario Bros. Wonder is something different. It may not be quite as mind-blowing as seeing Super Mario World for the first time, but it looks exciting. It looks like everything 2D Mario should be.

The reveal trailer shows a game bursting with new ideas and new mechanics. Environments and characters morph and deform, items are plentiful and change the way the game plays, and delightful little animation flourishes show that, after years on autopilot, Nintendo’s developers are having the time of their lives.

Indeed, it demonstrates the kind of flair, imagination and outright pizazz usually reserved for Mario’s 3D outings. They’ve finally thrown out the New Super Mario Bros. rulebook, and for the first time in far too long, we can go into a 2D Mario game expecting to be truly surprised.

The Switch is already home to arguably the best Zelda, the best 3D Mario, the best Mario Kart and the best Smash Bros. Are they about to be joined by the best 2D Mario?

It’ll take some doing. But what is clear is that this new Mario brings the charm back to the series. It brings back the wit, the madness, the excitement, and yes - and I make no apologies for finishing like this - it brings back the wonder.

Welcome back, 2D Mario. You’ve been missed.

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As always, thank you so much for reading. I hope you enjoy the rest of the issue. Don’t forget to tell your friends!

Have a great weekend, enjoy your games, and I’ll see you next week.

Jeff

THE WEEK IN GAMES

The best news and gaming content of the week

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INDIE SPOTLIGHT

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Another week, another utterly gorgeous indie comes under the spotlight. NAIAD has been featured in The Week in Games before, but for good reason; it looks set to be one of the most beautiful games released this year.

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For more information, you can check out the game’s official website and Steam Page.

NEW RELEASES

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…and that’s it for this week!

If you have any comments or suggestions, or if you just fancy talking about games, you can get in touch at [email protected], reply to this email directly, or catch me over on Twitter. I’d love to hear from you!

Thanks again, and see you next week!

Jeff