Super Mario Bros. Wonder Platform: Nintendo Switch Completion Status: 100%
”Wowie Zowie!”
Mario (technically Mario Mario, since his last name is bizarrely also Mario) is one of the most iconic characters in the history of mass media. He has transcended video games in a way that few characters do, going on to become a recognizable icon almost on par with the likes of Mickey Mouse. The character is arguably emblematic of video games in general, and certainly, for most people, is the go-to representative of Nintendo, the Japanese manufacturer that created him in the first place. Despite the omnipresence of this character, though, his 2D outings, which created and continually revolutionized the platforming game genre in the 80s and early 90s, have been weirdly tame and non-descript for almost two decades since Nintendo first revived this series in the form of New Super Mario Bros. back in 2006 on the Nintendo DS.
At the time of its initial release, NSMB was a big deal. The first real 2D Mario platformer since 1990’s Super Mario World! Even if you kicked the ball forward five years to the brilliant, late-gen SNES platformer Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, that’s still an eleven year gap after multiple regular 2D Mario entries. Finally, proof that the 3D outings hadn’t completely replaced the 2D ones! NSMB was well-received both financially and a popular level, and it remains a staple of Nintendo DS game recommendation lists to this day. Then came NSMB Wii. While it was largely the same sort of thing, it also introduced simultaneous four-player co-op, and it made since that the home console entry was similar to the smaller outing on their handheld.
If it had stopped here, the sub-series would likely have been well-received. But then came NSMB2 on Nintendo 3DS, and NSMB U on the Wii U, all broadly the same and playing it safe in terms of aesthetics and mechanics, and suddenly we entered the weird situation where one of the most creative franchises in video game history felt… cookie-cutter and generic. NSMB U back in 2012 was also the last traditional 2D entry for more than a decade. Nintendo innovated with adjacent Mario sub-series, like their out-of-left-field level creation/sharing toolsets in the Super Mario Maker games, or the Super Mario 3D Land / 3D World games, which combined a 3D presentation with design conceits reminiscent of the 2D games, but it felt like the traditional 2D Mario platformer had been swept into the dustbin of history.
That is, until earlier this year, when Nintendo surprised everyone with the imminent release of Super Mario Bros. Wonder on Nintendo Switch. Here was, seemingly, a Super Mario 2D platformer worthy of inheriting the arguably unfulfilled legacy of Super Mario World and Yoshi’s Island: from early trailer footage, this game has showcased a quality many of us thought had disappeared from the series… it was weird! And creative. Add to this an immediately apparent art-style shift that seemed to recapture much of the personality of the classic 2D sprites, and it wasn’t long before people were declaring this to be the true, long-awaited successor to one of Nintendo’s oldest and most formative video game series. Was it worth the wait?
As is typically the case with Mario titles, the game begins with the barest narrative context possible: Bowser is up to shenanigans, and you have to stop him by collecting macguffins from a variety of different worlds. Nintendo’s commitment to providing as little worldbuilding or interesting characterization as possible to its flagship franchise is almost admirable, although it does become tedious when you’ve fully played through all of these games. Super Mario Galaxy was the rare exception, but the development that game provided for space goddess Rosalina literally had to be snuck in under the noses of senior designers! Anyhow, it’s a Mario game, which means, just like back in the 90s, your character will be running around collecting coins, platforming, and crushing enemies mercilessly under their own body weight.
As in Super Mario 3D World, you’ll have a variety of characters to play through this game as, including, in a weird moment of mainline recognition, Princess Daisy, who is typically relegated to the benches except when the Mario crew decide to periodically drop their grievances and rivalries and go kart racing or play tennis together. She’s sort of like that weird relative who gets dragged along to social events, but goes unseen and unheard of otherwise, but I’m sure this is a treat for the couple dozen, probably not very well-adjusted Daisy enthusiasts out there.
The game appears to treat whoever the playable character is as the protagonist. Since I played through the campaign as periodic kidnapping victim Princess Peach, it was fun seeing Bowser greet her as his “beloved” at one point, and also having the narration refer to “Peach’s party,” making it feel more like her adventure and less like she’s merely an alternate skin for Mario. Unhappily, the game mechanics don’t help in this regard, as all of the characters play exactly like one-another, as far as I can tell. This is a pretty big departure from previous games with multiple playable characters, where each would control differently from one-another, giving the player an incentive to experiment with everyone.
The reason for this, I imagine, can be found in the game’s Badge system. Players will unlock and purchase (via in-game currency) special equippable badges throughout that often impact how the player controls the character. These can be subtle (maybe making the player dash a little faster) to extreme (making the player character invisible) in terms of their impact on the experience. It’s an interesting experiment, and more than a little reminiscent of the tonics from Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair, but, in my experience, too many of them feel like crutches for inexperienced players, meaning I played through much of the game without engaging too much with the system. The ones that aren’t crutches just feel sort of useless.
The game’s primary gimmick is the unlockable Wonder Flower which can be found in nearly every level. These collectibles will warp the fabric of the level itself, often leading to the creative and wacky setpieces that featured heavily in the game’s marketing. These sequences are unique, varied, and are arguably the big draw for this particular game, as you never know what effect they’ll have. Sometimes they turn the player into another sort of character entirely. Sometimes they cause the game’s enemies to break out into song, like in a musical. Sometimes they lead to alternate challenge areas. It feels like there’s a thousand weird ideas crammed into the Wonder Flower sequences throughout, and it was a genuine joy discovering them firsthand as I played through the game.
Otherwise, the level design itself is… adequate, but a bit on the easy side. Apart from the mind-numbingly brutal final post-game level, this isn’t a game that’ll be giving one too much of a challenge, and I’d argue the levels here often feel less involved than they did in something like New Super Mario Bros. U. That’s not to say they’re bad or poorly designed, persay, but it’s clear the bulk of the love went to the Wonder Flower sequences, and the rest of the game feels a bit vanilla in comparison. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze this is not.
Nintendo does have a few other new additions to help distinguish this entry from previous 2D Marios. For one thing, the game is filled with these… profoundly irritating talking flowers, who will provide commentary as you travel through the game’s various levels and worlds. Thankfully, they allow you to both change the language the flowers talk in, or remove their audio entirely. I switched the language to Japanese and had a much better time. No offense to whoever voiced these flowers in English, but it’s like they specifically scouted out someone with a subtly irritating voice.
Wonder’s coolest innovation, by far, is its online mode, which allows you to see fellow players and communicate with them in a limited manner as they play the game in real time, sort of like the online interactions in Journey. This gives the game world a very… populated feel that’s absent from previous Mario outings. If you die in a level, other players can actually help revive you within a very limited scope of time by touching your ghost as well, making it an addition that has a meaningful impact on the gameplay. I guess you can use this as a sort of crutch as well, but, honestly, this aspect of the game was so cool that I don’t mind at all. And unlike something like Dark Souls, you also don’t have to worry about other players entering your game world and killing you, so there’s very little reason not to just leave the mode on all the time.
It’s just too bad this spirit of innovation wasn’t extended to the game’s bosses. 2D Mario games have very boring, samey boss fights, and Wonder does nothing to break with that tradition. I was hopeful the first time I fought Bowser Jr. and he transformed in interesting, unexpected ways, but nothing else is done with future encounters in this regard. It’s truly weird, since the 3D Mario games since Sunshine have been filled with weird, memorable, unique bosses, while 2D Mario has adopted an almost totally opposite approach. One would hope a game like Wonder would have seen fit to buck this trend, but alas.
Wonder’s new transformations aren’t anything to get too excited about, either. The new elephant transformation is interesting for a few moments, but the game does very little to take advantage of its properties in the same way as, say, the cat suit transformed much of Super Mario 3D World. The drill powerup is cool, and very akin to something from Super Mario Galaxy 2, but, again, the game’s levels don’t do a lot to exploit its potential. Ditto with the bubble powerup, which allows you to blow bubbles that can be used as temporary platforms.
In terms of the presentation, much has been made of the game’s lovingly animated character models, and… yeah, they look great. I was especially stunned the first time I saw the sheer fluidity of the animation when a character was electrocuted. It’s reminiscent of a somewhat higher budget Rayman Legends. Nintendo has injected life and personality into the game visually in a way that we haven’t seen since the 16-bit era. The game’s lighting and general aesthetic is also just lovely to look at. And at a crisp 720p, this looks pretty awesome in handheld mode, and especially on the Switch OLED.
The music is less… impressive. Yet another way this doesn’t deviate from traditional 2D Mario. Considering the often incredible effort put into the soundtracks for the 3D games, it’s a little weird to me that Nintendo insists on making such basic OSTs for its 2D mainline titles. It’s better than what you’ll hear in other 2D Marios, but… c’mon.
I know the tone of this review is a bit negative, but it really is a fun game. Quite fun at times. It’s a good experience, and, unlike a lot of recent games, one you can fully complete in 15 - 20 hours. I’m only down on it insofar as it could have been a legendary game. As it stands, it’s absolutely a solid entry in the series, but it won’t set the world on fire in the same way previous entries did, or even some of the more recent 3D games have. Still, if you enjoy the gameplay loop of these titles, you’re in for a beautiful game that’s a joy to play.
She’s sort of like that weird relative who gets dragged along to social events, but goes unseen and unheard of otherwise, but I’m sure this is a treat for the couple dozen, probably not very well-adjusted Daisy enthusiasts out there.
... I don't know how to feel about this line despite the fact I ended up having a good chuckle about it... Poor Daisy and the poor Daisy enthusiast too
It's a great, well written review otherwise and to be honest it does make it seem like Wonder is a case of style over substance which is a darn shame.
Unimaginative bosses, Unispired level design, gimmicky transformations that are underutilised and rather bland music...
It seems like all the effort was put into the Wonder Flower set pieces and the animation for mario and co with everything else suffering greatly for it.
A real shame Ral but at least you still found enjoyment in it despite everything.
Hopefully with this new foundation in wonder the next game can actually do something about it's rather milquetoast parts and elevate them to a proper gold standard!
@HallowMoonshadow It doesn't help that the few really loud Daisy enthusiasts I've met have been people who won't shut up about her. Like people who join a new religion. Or vegans.
It's a good platformer, but my standards are rather high with Mario. Super Mario Galaxy, Super Mario Odyssey, and Super Mario 3D World are three of my favorite games of all time. For some reason, the 2D games just aren't on the same level. Nintendo is a company almost synonymous with amazing, memorable boss fights, so I don't know why they feel the need to make literally every boss except for the last Bowser Jr.
In comparison, in Super Mario Odyssey, at one point you turn into a tank and fight against a gigantic Mecha-Wiggler that creates wormholes in the space-time continuum.
@Ralizah I'm just glad it was Daisy catching strays and not Rosalina! You gave her the compliment she deserves. Unfortunate to hear of your experience the game overall though. At least it was mostly just a case of disappointment rather tthan he game itself being totally unfun. Somewhat surprised however as I've seen many tout it as one of the best iterations of 2D Mario there is, but it doesn't sound like any of your criticism was necessarily undeserved. Wish you'd have had a better time with it, but I'm glad you can still appreciate it for what it is! I'll have to give it a go at some point when the price goes down a bit, haha.
It is kind of a shame Rosalina isn't here. Although I guess it wouldn't have mattered too much, since characters don't really control differently. And I suppose the less Nintendo dilutes Galaxy's legacy by using Rosalina as spare cast fodder, the better.
I think it's a decent game when put up against other 2D Marios. Currently, I'd rank them:
Yoshi's Island > SMB 3 > NSMB U Deluxe > Wonder > NSMB U > SMB 2 > NSMB2 > Mario Land 2 > NSMB > World > SMB > Mario Land
It's not a bad game by any stretch of the imagination. Things just... should have evolved more since the 90s, like they did with 3D Mario.
@Ralizah This reply made me wonder what games Rosalina does even show up in as a playable character. I've only ever seen her in Mario Kart, though I have to admit I haven't played all that many Nintendo games of the last decade. I've been playing bits of Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope over the last few weeks and there I've finally been introduced to Rabbid Rosalina. I was... disappointed to say the least I did not get the real Rosalina as a character, but I guess a version of Rosalina fused with Rabbid DNA will have to do? Eh? At least she puts Rabbid Peach in her place. That little... 😉
@Tjuz She's in the majority of spinoffs. Mario Party. Mario Golf. Mario Tennis. Mario Strikers. Mario Kart. etc.
She's also in Smash Bros. and a playable character in Super Mario 3D World.
Thankfully I ignore almost all of the spinoffs. Don't like sports, and Mario Party is something that requires a very specific environment to be enjoyable.
@Ralizah I suppose I'm just unlucky having bought the Mario Party on Switch that doesn't include her then! Like really, they included Birdo? I have no words to describe how that makes me feel. Never really played any of the sports ones like Golf or Tennis though, so makes sense they would've passed me by. I think the only sports game I've played would've been way back on the DS with Mario & Sonic Olympics. Smash Bros is sadly a franchise I've never really gotten into even though I've been interested. Mostly because anyone I know would not have a great time playing that, haha.
@NeonPizza PC games on Steam don't need to be updated to support gyro. If you're using a controller that supports gyro, you can configure pretty much any game to support it through Steam, and then customize the settings to your exact liking. That's what I did with RE2R, for example. Made headshotting zombies so much easier.
IMO if this is an important thing to you, you're doing yourself a massive disservice not getting a gaming rig.
@NeonPizza I use the DS4 for my gyro-controller needs. Works well. I've never used a Dualsense.
I'm growing to really like the Series X controller, so I'm pretty stoked they're finally making them gyro-enabled. At last, I'll be able to play all of my PC games with the same controller!
It doesn't help that the few really loud Daisy enthusiasts I've met have been people who won't shut up about her. Like people who join a new religion. Or vegans.
Okay I laughed pretty dang hard at that final part because I can relate to that so much thanks to a number of acquaintances... And I say that as a vegetarian too
Poor you for Daisy fans being so... Rabid and poor Daisy for having fans like that.
I'm surprised she has fans at all really as I don't recall seeing her in any of the Mario games I have played... Just knowing she existed for some reason and was trotted out on occasion exactly like you described.
Also I've known from previous conversations that you didn't like World but... Wow I didn't know you disliked it THAT much. That's heresy among the Mario fanbase isn't it?
Also that Odyssey boss fight sounds awesome.
Previously known as Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy
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"You don't have to save the world to find meaning in life. Sometimes all you need is something simple, like someone to take care of"
@HallowMoonshadow lol I'm into fasting and keto and am probably insufferable about it, so, you know, I can't judge too much.
It's not uncommon with fans of niche characters like that. Or niche products. There's a hipster-ish appeal to being really devoted to something that's not popular, and it tends to make it where the fandom gains fervor over time.
Yeah, it is. Not just among the Mario fanbase, either. Most people like to act like the SNES was this absolute goldmine, and I think it's primarily nostalgia tbh. We went with SEGA that gen, and coming back to the SNES years later, some games absolutely deserve their hype (Yoshi's Island and Final Fantasy VI immediately come to mind), but others just seem sort of... mid. Super Mario World is the epitome of mid. The music is dinky and weird. The worlds aren't nearly as creative as in SMB3. There are way fewer power-ups than in SMB3. The boss fights still suck. Ghost Houses were the worst addition ever to a platforming series (yeah, dude, I really wanna spend ten minutes figuring out how to escape a room in a MARIO game). Fewer minigames. The controls are weird and feel much less tight. I 100%'d that entire game, and I just don't understand the love for it.
And, being brutally honest? While I put it ahead of SMB1 and SML in the interest of objectivity, I will happily replay those games over SMW any day. It's just such a disappointment.
Odyssey is filled with cool boss fights tbh. I have a few issues with it (the forced motion gesturing to pull off certain moves can bite me), but the more time goes on, the more I'm impressed with it.
I could get into how Super Mario 64 is also an overrated POS compared to later 3D Marios, which is also controversial, but I at least recognize its place in history. The game quite literally was one of the first to show off the potential of 3D movement from a third-person perspective in a major release. It was practically an 'inventing sliced bread' moment for the industry. And it got SO MUCH right out of the gate. So while I have a love/hate relationship with it, I do deeply respect what its creators accomplished with it.
SMW, though? It did almost nothing better than SMB3, and a lot that was worse. I don't think it'd be half as loved if most of the people who moan about it hadn't grown up with it.
@Ralizah Really enjoyed your review of Super Mario Bros. Wonder back there! I should preface this reply by admitting that I gave the game a shot last week. Played through its first couple of levels, grudgingly smiled at its nonsense, got bored of its gameplay, and was about to dismiss it as yet another "Nintendo never innovate; why is another average release getting perfect scores?" anomaly when I went behind a bit of scenery, found a hidden path and stumbled across Captain Toad. Instant GOTY. 12/10.
The contextual groundwork you lay in your opening paragraphs is very welcome, especially to somebody like me, who holds that aforementioned apathy towards 2D Mario (and who literally said "This isn't as good as 3D World, is it?" out loud whilst playing Wonder's first level). To that end, I'm pleased to see that Wonder doesn't besmirch the legacy of the 2D games, even if it didn't manage to raise that legacy's bar in any meaningful ways. Okay, so its Badge mechanic might dilute some of the characters' individual charms, but it appears to be doing so in the name of universal accessibility, and I'd find that a difficult goal to be mad at (irrespective of execution). Its level design might be bland, but it's in service of the Wonder Flower gimmick, and judging by the small handful of those transformations I saw... well, I reckon I'd find that easy to forgive, too. And whilst I didn't play long enough for the talking flowers to become an irritant (actually found 'em more than a little adorable) at least they came with a mute button!
Seems like most shortcomings have a trade-off, which might explain why you ended up feeling like you'd written a harsh review about a delightful experience (at least, I know I've found myself in a similar position before; apologies if I'm projecting here). I will agree that the elephant was a bit of a disappointment, though. I also found it weird when my Toad remained trunk-ated (ba-dum-tssh) back on the overworld. I'd have preferred power-ups to remain in the levels, especially considering you can store a spare.
Your comments about the soundtrack are somewhat similar to the reaction Sonic Superstars has been garnering, by the way. By all accounts, that game's music hits some real high highs, but also some real low lows, and therefore settles for being "fine" overall. I find it interesting (and funny) how both games, released so closely together, share such a specific criticism!
Superb review, Ral. Your skills, insights and humour are as sharp as ever. Huge thanks for sharing!
"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."
@RogerRoger lol thank you. A Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker 2 would be a day one buy for me. Absolutely loved the original. And yes, as much as I enjoyed this, 3D World still stomps this game. It's crazy to me people were angry about it on the Wii U. Now that people got their sandbox Mario with Odyssey, I've been happy to see folks going back and appreciating it for the wild, creative game it is.
I guess the thing for me is that you already have Nabbit, who literally can't take damage, from what I hear, so I'm not sure why they needed a second layer of accessibility mechanics. Or have the badges available in a separate mode. It's such a bummer that the characters all play the same.
With regard to the level design, it's hard. Like, the levels themselves are nothing special, but literally every one has a Wonder Flower that does something crazy, which kinda makes every level memorable? I dunno. I prefer when the creativity is injected into the stage design itself versus setpieces, personally. Designing levels around setpieces is something I've always criticized Naughty Dog for, and I won't stop just because Nintendo is doing it now with my beloved plumber.
"written a harsh review about a delightful experience" is about as good a summation as any of what I wrote. I stand by everything I said. But... it's Mario. It's fun. And it's beautiful. I enjoyed pretty much every moment with it. So despite walking away being pretty happy with it overall, there's still so much to criticize.
I guess I feel like a 2D Mario game in 2023 shouldn't have some of the shortcomings this one does. Especially the total lack of boss diversity. Is there some unwritten law somewhere that states that 2D Mario games have to have crappy boss fights? Because the people at Nintendo adhere to it like someone is gonna shoot them if they inject an ounce of creativity in those. It's weird. Especially when the 3D games do such a good job with it.
New 2D Mario and Sonic games releasing so close together is very funny in general. I was kinda curious about your reaction to Superstars. Have you not played it yet? You're about as devoted a Sonic aficionado as anyone I've ever met, so I kinda expected you to be all over it.
Thank you for reading, and the delightful commentary!
@Ralizah Everything's of its time (for better or worse) but it's gratifying to see so many retrospectives out there nowadays, encouraging re-evaluation of games that might've gotten a bum rap at launch. It's also why I enjoy replaying old favourites, because opinion is fluid, and should be a two-way street.
Nabbit might be great an' all, but spare a thought for the poor five-year-old who really wants to play as Luigi (because green's their favourite colour or something) and can't, because he's too vulnerable to survive the first couple stages. It's giving the people what they want, I suppose. You're right, though; Nintendo have gotten very creative about levelling the playing field before, always in a cohesive way that makes sense in-universe, so it's a shame that they've had to opt for a "one size fits all" approach.
Yeah, I think I recall some of your previous comments regarding set-pieces. Sounds like they came up with the concept of the Wonder Flower first, and then built the whole game around it, which is admirable in some respects (stops it from feeling like a tacked-on gimmick) but could definitely lead to over-reliance and complacency. Why design a brilliant stage if you're just gonna turn it on its head after thirty seconds?
As a long-term fan of its first-party games, do you feel that Nintendo listen to fan feedback, and incorporate it into their sequels? Or do they just do their own thing from game to game? It's just surprising to me that such a successful series can keep upholding the specific shortcomings you mention, and largely get away with it every single time (your objective criticism notwithstanding). I'm guessing it must be similar to a lot of things, whereby feedback is acknowledged and perhaps even engaged with, but then the sales numbers and wider creative vision allow them to take the hit anyway.
No, I haven't played Sonic Superstars yet. It released three days before Spidey. Normally I'd have tried to cram it in regardless, but money's tight and so I decided to be smart about it, so that I could A: enjoy it without a looming deadline, and 2: get it a little cheaper someday. It worked out for the best anyway, considering how the Sonic Frontiers story DLC kicked my butt a couple weeks beforehand (to the point where I couldn't even finish it) and then I saw reviews saying Superstars gets brutal towards its endgame. The sting of defeat is still pretty fresh, so another Sonic-related slap might've done lasting damage. But yes, it's still very uncharacteristic of me to skip a new Sonic game! I think it's the first one I've missed since Lost World got locked to the Wii U. Got around to it eventually, though, so I'm sure this'll be no different!
"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."
Most people like to act like the SNES was this absolute goldmine, and I think it's primarily nostalgia tbh.
Ha! Granted over here in the UK we had a more limited lineup with the games but I've said before I had a SNES growing up but I could only play it for like an hour at most before I got bored with it and would then ignore it for days at a time.
Only with the PS1 (and Resident Evil) being the gateway that actually made me interested in gaming. The game I probably played most on the SNES was SMB3 and even then I never got too far into it.
I wonder if my general disinterest in Mario as a whole stems from my days as a Teen with a SNES...
And I'm just realising your stance on SMW is quite similar to my thoughts on FF VII Ral
Previously known as Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy
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"You don't have to save the world to find meaning in life. Sometimes all you need is something simple, like someone to take care of"
@HallowMoonshadow I hated the All-Stars versions of the NES trilogy lol. Something about the music and controls on SNES vs. the NES originals just feels bad. Def. try SMB3 on the NES instead one day if you get a chance.
I've always been a gamer, although I will say the PS1 is also when I became more passionate about it. Still a top three console overall for me. I LOVED the early days of the Playstation brand.
lol come on, don't do FFVII like that. SMW does almost nothing to improve itself over its predecessors. FFVII is, at the very least, more of a SM64-style experience: a radical, groundbreaking release that arguably aged poorly in a number of respects, and people who grew up with it will never truly understand the criticisms of people who played it years later, because it's their gaming safe space.
@RogerRoger Yeah, it can be... illuminating going back to older games. Some stuff never took off, but it aged SO well. Like the bizarrely good and prominent voice acting in cult PS1 survival horror JRPG Koudelka, for example, on a console where you got precious little of that. And then other stuff you remember loving can be... so bad. That was my experience with Crash Bandicoot: Warped. I was shocked at how bad it was when I replayed it several years ago.
Building games around certain gameplay features is always how Ninty does things. They said it quite explicitly when talking about Splatoon. It's why they cobbled together the fairly strange setting where you're playing as intelligent squid people in a post-post-apocalypse, since they thought up the movement/battle mechanics first. It's a style of design I tend to think is good in terms of leading to cohesive experiences, but... I dunno. I play Mario for fun levels, not for constant weird gimmicks.
"As a long-term fan of its first-party games, do you feel that Nintendo listen to fan feedback, and incorporate it into their sequels?"
Depends on the property. They've quite clearly taken the reaction to previous games into consideration when designing new Zelda games, for example. Twilight Princess' dark, realistic style was explicitly a response to the outcry over the cartoon stylings of The Wind Waker, for example. And it does strike me that the Zelda game we got immediately after Skyward Sword was Breath of the Wild. Skyward Sword was heavily criticized for how little room there was for player agency or freedom. Whereas BotW... well, I think everyone knows by now that it's one of the most free-form AAA gaming experiences ever.
Monolith Soft is also pretty good about this, I think. Xenoblade Chronicles 3, for example, addressed nearly every issue people had with the previous game.
Broadly, though, I think Nintendo just sort of does what it wants, and players go along with it. Sometimes this works, and sometimes it doesn't. They're definitely the least crowd pleasing of the big three manufacturers.
Well, I look forward to your eventual Superstars review. I'll probably grab it myself once it drops in price a bit, since it looks more like what I want from the series than recent 3D games OR something like Mania.
Alan Wake remastered review. - A very solid scary action title from Remedy Entertainment
Right so first some background. So Alan Wake remastered is an action game from Remedy Entertainment, the developer behind the first Max Payne games and some other titles such as Quantum break and Control. Now Alan Wake was first released in 2010 as an Xbox 360 exclusive game. As Alan Wake remastered was released in 2021, the title came to the PlayStation platform for the first time which was very good news to me as I did not own a Xbox 360 but was interested in the title back then. Now what do I think about Alan Wake remastered?
I think the game did not disappoint me at least. I did not have very high expectations but I was delightfully surprised by what I found out to be a delightful experience.
I think in general the game reminded me quite a bit about an early and maybe more elaborate version of an entry in the Silent Hill series which is a very good thing in my opinion. I think the game keeps you on your toes most of the time. I in general find it cool that at least I became more and more interested in the characters and the Bright Fall location as the game progressed. I don't think that it is an overstatement to state that Bright Fall becomes almost the main attraction of the game in the end actually.
Maybe the main drawback of the game I would say is that some combat encounters can feel a bit frustrating, mainly because of a lack of ammunition in some places. But it does not bring the game down much in my opinion.
@oliverp I enjoyed what I played of the game back in the 360 days. Currently have Alan Wake, the American Nightmare DLC, and Control in my Steam library, and will probably be exploring those on Steam Deck soon. Like Silent Hill, the setting is definitely a focus of the game, and both tap into a vein of inspiration from the work of Stephen King (although AW definitely moreso than SH).
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