How Super Mario Bros. Wonder Ended a 17-Year Nintendo Tradition

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Nintendo’s Super Mario Bros. Wonder on the Switch is a surprisingly creative game. It’s a fresh take on the classic Mario formula, introducing wonderfully strange and unpredictable elements. The game completely reimagines the series, moving away from the established direction of the last 17 years. This gamble paid off, as Super Mario Bros. Wonder received widespread critical acclaim and was even considered for Game of the Year awards, leaving many to question what prompted this change in direction.

For almost twenty years, Super Mario Bros. games have stuck to a pretty predictable formula: vibrant graphics, upbeat music, and expertly designed platforming, usually under the title New Super Mario Bros. However, Super Mario Bros. Wonder breaks from that tradition by dropping the “New” from the name, essentially bringing an end to a series that began on the Nintendo DS and continued on the Nintendo Switch. This change signals that Nintendo isn’t looking to simply recreate past Mario games, but instead wants to explore a new level of imagination and innovation for the future of 2D Mario.

The End of the “New” Era for Super Mario Bros.

The 2006 release of New Super Mario Bros. for the Nintendo DS was a huge event. It brought Mario back to classic 2D side-scrolling gameplay after more than ten years of 3D adventures like Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine. The title itself signaled a fresh, updated version of the familiar Mario formula. With improved graphics, new power-ups, and better multiplayer, it felt like a brand new Mario experience for the time.

I was so thrilled when the original New Super Mario Bros. took off! Nintendo clearly saw how much we loved it, and they kept making more! We got New Super Mario Bros. Wii in 2009, then New Super Mario Bros. 2 on the 3DS, and New Super Mario Bros. Wii U after that. They were all huge hits with fans like me! They even made a New Super Luigi Bros. U which was awesome, and then brought New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe to the Switch – it’s been amazing to see the series continue!

After so many years, the “New” Super Mario games had lost their appeal. Fans had experienced 17 years of the same look and feel, and what was once innovative now felt repetitive. Players were growing weary of the familiar art style, music, and levels that, while slightly different, weren’t truly new. This is a key reason why Super Mario Bros. Wonder was so successful – it offered a revitalizing change, much like the original New Super Mario Bros. did when it first came out.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder Is a True Reinvention of 2D Mario

Right from the start of Super Mario Bros. Wonder, I knew this game was special. The art style is amazing – it looks like someone actually hand-drew everything, which just makes the whole game feel so much more lively and gives all the characters and enemies tons of personality. The levels themselves feel really alive and full of surprises. And that’s because of the Wonder Flowers – these things change the rules of the game while you’re playing! They warp the levels in crazy, unexpected ways, and honestly, it just makes the whole experience so much more imaginative and creative. It’s unlike anything I’ve played before.

Honestly, everything just feels more alive in these games. The sounds and animations are so much more energetic and realistic – something the later “New” games didn’t quite capture. I love how Mario and his friends actually react to what’s happening around them – their jumps are so bouncy and over-the-top, and you can really see the surprise on their faces when a level changes! It just feels like Nintendo remembered how to make games purely fun again, and that’s what these games are all about.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder isn’t just a new game – it marks a turning point for 2D Mario. While the previous ‘New’ series of games did well, they were starting to feel stale, and players wanted something different. Wonder delivers that change, bringing a fresh and exciting feel to classic Mario platforming.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder felt like a major turning point for 2D Mario games, similar to how Super Mario 64 was for 3D Mario. It was full of color, imagination, and introduced a lot of new ideas after 17 years of familiar gameplay. While we don’t know if Nintendo will make a sequel, a new installment on the more powerful Switch 2 would make a lot of sense.

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2025-10-24 18:10