Surprised by joy in Super Mario Bros. Wonder

“All joy reminds. It is never a possession, always a desire for something longer ago or further away or still ‘about to be’.” — C.S. Lewis

Nintendo has mastered the art of providing a very particular joy. To me, playing one of Nintendo’s Mario games creates a sort of magic akin to watching an old Disney movie. Seemingly effortlessly, Nintendo captures my imagination and pulls me into a world of joy. 

That said, I didn’t have much interest in Nintento’s latest 2D platformer, Super Mario Bros. Wonder when it was first announced. The last 2D outings for the Mario series have been less than stellar. Also, 2023 has been one of the best years in gaming, as big games delayed during the pandemic are being released. These factors had me less than eager to play Super Mario Bros. Wonder. That is until the reviews went live. 

Pretty soon after its release, Super Mario Bros. Wonder was sitting at 92/100 on Metacritic, a website that averages reviews from across the internet. Immediately, people were wondering if Super Mario Bros. Wonder could be a Game of The Year contender. There was even enough public interest in the game for midnight release events, something rare in the digital age. Taking note of the hype, I asked my daughter to change my birthday gift to this game.

I’m glad I did. Super Mario Bros. Wonder is now one of six finalists for the Game of the Year Award. The other games in the series are large, 3D, narrative-driven experiences. Super Mario Bros. Wonder, in an intriguing contrast, is a 2D platformer, where the villainous king of evil turtles known as Bowser has turned himself into a giant castle through the power of magic flowers. 

It is up to Mario (or any character the player chooses) to work alongside the characters of the Flower Kingdom to collect the Royal Seeds, which will defeat Bowser and bring peace back to the Flower Kingdom. The game has both local and online multiplayer options, although the online multiplayer is a bit lacking. 

The addition of the Wonder Flowers sets this game apart from its previous games. There’s one of these flowers hidden in each level and it’s up to the player to find it. Once they do, the level will radically transform and the original level will disappear. The developers seem to have embraced an almost limitless creativity. Experiencing these vibrant, joyous and whimsical new levels never gets old. Sometimes even the player’s orientation – moving from left to right – will drastically change. The player can never really expect what is coming next, which makes for a truly wonder-filled game. 

Super Mario Bros. Wonder is about seven hours long, which might be too short for some people. For me, one of the game’s strengths is its replayability; it invites the player to attempt 100 percent completion. Each level has at least one objective to collect and many levels have multiple objectives. There are also “badges” to unlock that influence how the game is played, like the flying cap that turns Mario’s hat into a parachute. There is even an entire secret world, which is not needed to finish the game, but which does have some of the most challenging levels. 

My only real criticism of Super Mario Bros. Wonder is the music. Typically, the Mario games are known for their iconic, memorable music. The first level in Super Mario Bros. Wonder does have a timeless song – but outside of that, the game’s music is not what I expected. 

Super Mario Bros. Wonder indeed commands wonder – the kind of wonder that I believe can even reach someone who is suffering. It might seem inappropriate to play a game about wonder while going through difficult times, but it’s precisely during those dark times that a person most needs something wonderful. 

Super Mario Bros. Wonder, with its childlike whimsicality and infectious humour, can be a source of light in the darkness – a source of joy, even for players whose trying circumstances have them relating to the Book of Job. After all, in that difficult book, there are also reminders to look with awe and appreciation at the power and creativity of a God who “performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted” (Job 5:9). This is a special game to marvel at and delight in.