Super Mario Bros. Wonder

Play it on: Switch
Current goal: Run to the right and see what I find

Earlier this week, we posted a story about how Super Mario Bros. Wonder had leaked, advising people to be cautious of spoilers. Some folks scoffed in the comments. “Spoilers? It’s a Mario game,” reads one. “Spoilers? For a 2D Mario platformer? Jesus Christ, who cares?” reads another. Well, I do. In fact, I’m working harder to avoid spoilers for Wonder than I have for any game in a long time. I don’t even want to read reviews to find out what they’re praising. I want to discover what it has to offer for myself.

Listen, people. It’s hardly just narrative beats that can be spoiled. When Nintendo is firing on all cylinders, it often infuses its games with one gameplay surprise after another, and Wonder looks like it’s striving to reinvent the 2D Mario platformer. I still remember the feeling of awe I experienced the first time I saw Super Mario Bros., not on the NES but on an arcade cabinet at my local 7-Eleven. When the little plumber I knew from single-screen games like Donkey Kong and Mario Bros. ran to the right, a whole world of adventure opened up before him. For a while, Nintendo kept that thrill going with inventive, incredible games like Super Mario Bros. 3, but it’s been a long time since I felt like a 2D Mario game might actually rekindle a feeling of discovery and surprise.

Wonder, however, seems poised to do it. This weekend, I aim to find out. And I intend to find out for myself, by engaging in that most timeless and sacred of video game traditions: running to the right. — Carolyn Petit

Check Out Super Mario Bros. Wonder: Amazon