Mario’s return to Switch 2 has made me fall in love with Nintendo’s console all over again

There have been many epic Mario games over his enduring 40 years, securing everyone’s favourite Italian plumber as ruler of home videogames (even cinema in a more recent turn of events) – and cementing Nintendo’s reputation as the best in the business.

A lot of the most famous are Mario’s 3D escapades, but it’s the long-established 2D tiles that really shouldn’t be overlooked. After all, Super Mario World is now decades old, yet still stands the test of time as a masterfully crafted side-scrolling platformer.

In many respects, Super Mario Bros Wonder – which this week launches on the Switch 2 in an upgraded and reissued format – pays homage to that all-time classic, yet brings a fresh and vibrant take on the Mario formula. Indeed, it’s made me fall in love with Nintendo’s latest console all over again.

See what's coming to Super Mario Bros. Wonder on Nintendo Switch 2 on March 26th! - YouTube

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I get the feeling that many players missed out on Wonder when it first launched on the original Switch back in 2023; it’s only been two-and-a-bit-years since that original launch, but here comes Mario once again, replete with zippier-looking visuals for you to enjoy – whether as a first-timer or you’re revisiting.

I’ve been playing Wonder for a number of weeks ahead of the Switch 2’s launch date, quickly falling under its pick-up-and-play spell. Unlike many of the Princess Peach-led storylines, Wonder goes largely gonzo – often zany, rarely explaining itself, yet all the better for it.

It translates well on the big screen or in handheld mode, the simplistic side-scrolling run-and-jump mechanics in play ensuring accessibility for all player abilities. Yet it’s not actually as simple as it first seems.

For me, this is Wonder’s stroke of genius: as you progress through its worlds, you acquire new skills, in the form of Badges, which change the capacity of your character’s behaviour. Whether that’s jumping higher, swimming faster, being able to thread together wall-jumps, and so forth, you can only apply one Badge at a time – which can unlock how a level is traversed and conquered.

Whichever Badge you choose doesn’t affect the available power-ups in the game – including the inexplicable (and never explained) ‘Elephant Mario’ – as you can apply your chosen one to aid in collecting the relevant Wonder Coins and bonuses throughout a level.

Ultimately, though, it’s the Wonder Seed that you’ll want to find in most levels. Doing so briefly transforms your experience into something altogether different and always unexpected – whether a shift to top-down play, a cacophony of singing flower plants, or a charge of the buffalo train – furthering Wonder’s frankly psychedelic feel.

It’s unlike any other Mario game you’ll have ever played, bar the nods to Mario World, as mentioned, giving the game a familiar yet all-new feeling. Even having played the Switch original, playing once again on Switch 2 feels entirely new to me – as if it was all some kind of fever dream the first time around.

Better still, the multiplayer remains intact, whereby up to four players can participate on screen at any one time. There are a multitude of classic Mario characters to choose from (even in single player), including Yoshi – who can gobble up enemies, carry companions, but who cannot benefit from in-game power-ups – to the invincible Nabbit, adding a sense of ease to newer or less able players.

The Switch 2 package also wraps in the Meetup In Bellabel Park add-on, furthering the game’s range, bringing in yet more online multiplayer components and additional bosses to combat. There’s always a baseline Super Mario World essence underpinning play here, with that zany flavour of Wonder applied.

So if you’ve never played Super Mario Bros Wonder and haven’t picked up your Switch 2 for a little while then, believe me when I say you won’t regret delving into this fantastical 2D side-scrolling adventure. It’s perfect escapism, which will cater for the whole family or seasoned solo player. It’s like no other Mario game I could name across all those decades of stellar releases, adding yet another string to the Switch 2’s bow.