Super Mario Wonder Switch 2 Review

Introduction

Super Mario Bros. Wonder was my 2D platformer of the year when it launched in 2023. The Wonder Flower mechanic transformed what could have been a safe sequel into something surprising, with every level hiding a moment that rewrote the rules. Now, as part of the Super Mario Bros. 40th Anniversary celebration, Nintendo has brought it to Switch 2 with the Meetup in Bellabel Park expansion: new bosses, a playable Rosalina, Dual Badges, 17+ multiplayer attractions, and technical improvements that make the Flower Kingdom more vibrant than ever. With a Metacritic average of 86, critics have been largely positive while debating whether the additions justify another purchase. After spending a week with every new piece of content, I can tell you that for newcomers this is essential and for returning players it's a genuine improvement to an already outstanding game.

Gameplay & Mechanics

The core Wonder experience remains intact and remains brilliant. Every course in the Flower Kingdom hides a Wonder Flower that triggers an unpredictable transformation: levels shift perspectives, gravity reverses, Mario transforms into different objects, enemies change behavior, or the entire visual style warps into something surreal. After three years, these moments still surprise me. The level design is Nintendo at their creative peak, with each stage teaching, testing, and then subverting a mechanical idea within a perfectly paced runtime.

What the Switch 2 Edition adds starts with the Dual Badge system. The original game let you equip one badge, a modifier that altered Mario's abilities. Dual Badges let you combine two simultaneously. Parachute Cap plus Wall-Climb Jump. Dolphin Kick plus Super Star Sprint. The combinations create opportunities for speedrunners and creative players to approach levels in ways the single-badge system couldn't support. Not every combination is useful, some are redundant or contradictory, but the ones that click feel like discovering a secret the developers hid just for you.

The Super Flower Pot is the new power-up, transforming characters into a flower form that can throw projectiles upward, perform leaf-flutter jumps for extended airtime, and carry water in petals to spray at obstacles and enemies. It's more versatile than it initially appears, with the water-carrying mechanic in particular opening up puzzle-like sequences in courses that hide their best secrets behind environmental interactions.

Bellabel Park is the headline addition: a multiplayer hub with 17 local attractions supporting up to four players and six Game Room attractions supporting up to 12 players online. The Koopalings have stolen seven Bellabel Flowers and hidden across the Flower Kingdom in Brigade Tents, new levels where enemies continuously assault you while the Koopaling transforms using Wonder powers before the final showdown. IGN called these "the best bosses in any 2D Mario game," and while that's a bold claim, the transformations are creative. Wendy becomes a giant Cheep Cheep. Morton turns into a marionette controlled by Lakitus. Ludwig takes a cloudy form that attacks with lightning. Each fight is distinct and memorable.

Graphics & Performance

Super Mario Bros. Wonder already had one of the most appealing visual styles in Nintendo's catalog, and the Switch 2 bump to 4K resolution in docked mode makes every hand-drawn animation pop with even more clarity. The art direction, with its expressive character animations and imaginative Wonder Flower transformations, benefits enormously from the resolution increase. Colors are richer, details are sharper, and the Flower Kingdom has never looked better.

Performance locks at a stable 60fps, which was true of the original Switch version but feels even more consistent here. Load times between courses are faster, and the transition into Wonder Flower sequences is seamless. These are mild improvements rather than transformative ones, the original already ran well, but they're appreciated and contribute to an overall smoother experience.

The Bellabel Park attractions run well even with four players on screen in local co-op and up to 12 in online Game Room modes. I experienced no frame drops or connectivity issues during online sessions, though your mileage may vary depending on connection quality. The attractions themselves use the same gorgeous art style as the main campaign, maintaining visual consistency throughout.

Story & Narrative

The narrative setup is minimal and exactly what you'd expect. Bowser has stolen a Wonder Flower. The Koopalings have stolen the Bellabel Flowers. Mario and friends need to get them back. It's a framework for level design, not a storytelling vehicle, and Nintendo wisely doesn't try to make it more than that. The Koopalings' individual personalities come through in their boss fight dialogue and transformations, with each one getting a moment of characterization before you defeat them.

Rosalina's addition brings Co-Star Luma into the mix, which functions as an invincible companion character controllable via the second Joy-Con. It's primarily an accessibility feature, letting younger or less experienced players contribute to co-op sessions by collecting coins and defeating enemies without risking death. It's a thoughtful inclusion that makes the game more welcoming for families with mixed skill levels.

The Toad Brigade Training Camp provides single-player challenge missions with difficulty ratings from one to five stars, offering content specifically for skilled players who want to push their abilities. These missions aren't story-driven but provide a structured challenge framework that the original game lacked, rewarding completion with Bellabel Water currency and rank patches.

Audio & Soundtrack

The soundtrack retains the original's jazzy, playful energy with new arrangements for Bellabel Park attractions and Brigade Tent boss encounters. The Koopalings' battle themes have a bombastic quality that matches the spectacle of their Wonder-powered transformations. Rerecorded English dialogue by Patrick Seitz adds vocal personality to key moments, and the audio design throughout the new content matches the original's high standard.

Sound effects remain crisp and satisfying, the signature Mario coin collect, the Wonder Flower activation chime, the power-up acquisition jingle. These are sounds that have been perfected over four decades, and they still hit right. The Bellabel Park attractions have their own audio palettes that distinguish them from the main campaign while maintaining the overall cheerful tone.

Value & Replayability

For players who have never touched Super Mario Bros. Wonder, this Switch 2 Edition is the definitive package. The full base game plus Bellabel Park expansion, new bosses, new characters, new power-ups, new badges, and technical improvements for the price of a single game. It's one of the best platformers ever made, now made better.

For original Switch owners, the calculus is harder. The core single-player campaign is the same game you played in 2023. Bellabel Park adds multiplayer attractions and Brigade Tent boss fights, but the single-player additions are relatively modest. Dual Badges and the Super Flower Pot add replay incentive to existing courses, and the Toad Brigade Training Camp provides structured challenges. Whether that justifies another full-price purchase depends on how much value you place on the multiplayer additions and how much you missed the Koopalings in the original.

An upgrade path exists for digital owners, which softens the blow. But physical edition owners face the full repurchase, and the new content, while quality, isn't equivalent to a full sequel's worth of additions. Compared to the Xenoblade X Switch 2 upgrade, Wonder's Switch 2 Edition offers substantially more new content. Compared to a standalone expansion, it's asking a premium for incremental additions to an existing game.

Final Verdict

Super Mario Bros. Wonder was already one of the best 2D platformers ever made. The Switch 2 Edition makes it better in ways that matter: the Koopalings provide the boss fights the original desperately needed, Bellabel Park addresses multiplayer shortcomings, Dual Badges add creative depth, and the technical improvements let the art style breathe. For new players, this is as close to an essential purchase as platformers get. For returning players, the value proposition depends on your appetite for multiplayer content and your willingness to pay for quality-of-life improvements to a game you've already completed. Either way, the Flower Kingdom remains one of the most joyful places in gaming.

Buy if: You've never played Super Mario Bros. Wonder and want the definitive version, or you loved the original and want Koopaling bosses, Bellabel Park multiplayer, and Dual Badges.

Skip if: You completed the original and multiplayer additions don't interest you, or you're waiting for a deeper discount on the upgrade.