It’s been nearly three years since we covered Super Mario Bros. Wonder and it first turned the platforming world upside down. Well the Switch 2 Edition, Super Mario Bros. Wonder Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup in Bellabel Park, feels like the “Director’s Cut” we didn’t know we needed. This isn’t just a simple resolution bump; it’s a packed expansion that finally addresses the original’s lack of variety in the boss department while making us all “Wonder” why this wasn’t the version we got to begin with. Whether you’re a returning veteran or a first-time visitor to the Flower Kingdom, this version makes the case for why Nintendo’s latest hardware was the missing piece of the puzzle.
The narrative picks up as Captain Toad stumbles upon the ancient, overgrown Bellabel Park within the Flower Kingdom. Naturally, the Koopalings, of which were largely MIA in the 2023 release, end up showing up to crash the party, stealing the seven legendary Bellabel Flowers and scattering them across the world. The highlight here is the arrival of Rosalina, who joins the roster after a crash-landing in her Starshroom. While the “Bowser is a castle” plot from the base game is still the driving force, the sub quest to restore the park adds a much needed layer of world building and character interaction that makes the Flower Kingdom feel like a lived-in place rather than just a series of stages. The inclusion of Rosalina and Luma really help to round out the story of the game nicely.
Gameplay remains as tight as ever, but the new Flower Pot power-up is a total game-changer for exploration. It grants you a plant type suit that lets you toss flowers vertically; perfect for those annoying airborne enemies. This new power up also gives every character a Yoshi-like flutter jump that adds a whole new dimension to platforming. Beyond the stages you get to play in the park while tracking down the Koopalings, you get access to The Toad Brigade Training Camp.
This training camp offers 74 brutal challenge missions that have various objectives like gathering all the coins or defeating all of the enemies before the timer runs out. Completing these challenges awards you Bellabell water drops. The water drops are used to spend on flowers to make the park look good. They can also be used to water flower spots to collect different flowers or even new badges you can use while completing stages; either the main game stages or those in the training camp.
A second section of the park is Attraction Central. This new area is pretty neat. This section gives you access to 17 mini games that can either be played solo, cooperatively, competitively when it comes to local play, or you could play them in a 12 player online races and games of tag. This section of the game really makes the game feel more like Mario Party rather than a traditional platformer. I think it’s a really nice addition to the game and makes for a very fun and enjoyable experience.
The last aspect of the game I want to bring up is the Assist Mode. This mode can be activated from the title screen before you start the game. This mode lets you become essentially immortal, and it’s like taking the benefits of playing as Nabbit and cranking it up to eleven. This lets you play as any of the characters and makes it so that you can take damage or fall down pits. This mode makes it infinitely easier to collect all of the Wonder Seeds.
On the Switch 2, Wonder is visually stunning! Seeing the game in native 4K at a locked 60fps in docked mode reveals details some may have missed on the original hardware; I know I did. While you may not be able to notice the subtle stitching on Mario’s cap, you can definitely notice the fluid movements and animations of the Poplins, along with really the animation of all of the enemies on screen too. Everything seems to move much more flawlessly and smoothly than it ever did or even could on the now aging original Switch hardware.
Aside from how smooth everything is, one thing you notice right away are the colors. The colors in the Switch 2 port of Super Mario Bros Wonder pop with an intensity that’s almost psychedelic. When it comes to the base game, the best fix to this latest port of the game is the new zoomed-out camera option for multiplayer; it finally stops the “camera priority” frustrations that plagued the 2023 version. Now when playing with multiple people, you’re constantly not being teleported every five seconds and can see much more of the screen and what’s going on with you and everyone else.
The audio remains a whimsical delight, with the interactive music system still reacting to every jump and dash you make. The new expansion adds fresh arrangements for the Koopaling boss fights, each themed around the “Wonder Effect” happening in the arena; Roy’s heavy bass thumping arena being a standout track. You can also unlock musical instruments in Bellabel Park to jam out with other players, adding a social, rhythmic layer to the hub world. And yes, the Talking Flowers are back with even more snarky commentary, now fully localized in Polish and other new languages added for this edition.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup in Bellabel Park is the definitive way to experience one of the best 2D platformers ever to come to Switch. While the $20 upgrade price (or $79.99 for the full package) might feel a bit steep if you only care about the single-player content, the addition of the Koopalings, Rosalina, and the punishing Toad Brigade challenges makes it feel substantial. It really kinda feels like you’re getting two games for the price of one. Super Mario Bros. Wonder Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup in Bellabel Park is the definitive way to play this game and really should have been what we got with the initial release. Better yet, this could have been the game bundled with the Switch 2 at launch.
If you are on the fence about buying a Switch 2, Super Mario Bros. Wonder Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup in Bellabel Park is a reason to buy one! If you’re a fan of Mario and have a Switch 2, you need to pick up this game, it’s fantastic! Play the Switch version of this game on your Switch 2 already? Then pay the extra $20 (or regional equivalent) and get the upgrade pack! It’s more than worth the upgrade price. I can’t recommend Super Mario Bros. Wonder + Meetup in Bellabel Park enough! This is a must have game in your Switch 2 library!
Disclaimer: A review key was provided
In addition to writing articles, Ryan Byers also creates content for his YouTube channel called "Obscure Games and Consoles", collects video games, and dabbles in video game development.