This review looks at Super Mario Bros. Wonder: Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup in Bellabel Park, which includes the base Super Mario Bros. Wonder game and the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition upgrade pack. The upgrade pack is also sold separately. Here, we’ll focus on the additions the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition brings, while our original Super Mario Bros. Wonder review still applies to most of the game.

It’s been a minute since Nintendo introduced proper co-operative multiplayer into a 2D Mario game, and that was all the way back in 2009. I’ve always felt like this multiplayer was shoe-horned into a game that I would rather just enjoy by myself. However this Nintendo Switch 2 Edition of Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a little different to that.

I loved Super Mario Bros. Wonder, it was the fantastic refresh that the 2D Mario games needed, it had the ability to be played with multiple people still, and like usual I basically ignored it. The online integration into the game instead was much more interesting as ghosts of other players, in real time, can lend you a hand and it feels like you’re playing along with someone, and working toward the goal, and not just bumping into them all the time. There were Friend Races as well, but that was about it for online modes.

Bring in Super Mario Bros. Wonder Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup in Bellabel Park is an almost entirely multiplayer-focused Nintendo Switch 2 Edition. So we’ll get it out of the way: if you have no interest in playing more Super Mario Bros. Wonder multiplayer, you should probably skip this one. The game does look a little sharper, but the short addition to the story where you track down the Koopalings is a little boring. I do like that the mid-bosses are a bit more varied from the usual mid-boss stuff you’ve come to expect. There’s also some “training” to do with the Toad Brigade and that’s some just small challenges set on levels from the main game, but its also really small as well. Oh, quickly too before we get onto the multiplayer, Rosalina and Luma are now in the game. Rosalina as another whole playable character, and Luma as a Co-Star assist player for kids, or your dog. You know the drill.

You’re here for the multiplayer, and that’s where the rest of the review covers.

Feels like a lot of reviews are going to say this, but this is almost like 2D Mario, but Mario Party. Although in a little bit of a tradition as of late, Nintendo has laid everything out a little weird, and things are only available in some modes, or by connecting in one way or another. In Attractional Plaza, which is the top section of the map, the attractions are available in two (but really three) parts. On the left you’ve got games that can only be played in local multiplayer (which means everyone on the same console, either wirelessly or with GameShare) and there are cooperative and versus games there. On the other side of the plaza you’ve got Game Rooms, which is where you play with people online. I’ve played every game online, every game locally, set up a GameChat locally to try it all out and that’s still the best way I can explain it.

The good news is, out of the 17 different attractions there’s some really great fun to be had. While some of them are a bit “I copied your homework” from Mario Party with simple races in either a Flat Jet or Roller Skates, there’s the Mysterious! Maze Race where you and your friends race through a map that you can’t see the blocks blocking the way. Pretty simple to start with, as are a lot of the versus ones which are just variations of taking each other out or collecting as many coins as possible. Each attraction has a number of levels too, which are based on levels from the main game, and start off easy but get harder the further you go down the list. If it were to end there you’d be disappointed, but there are a number of standout games that I think could be ideas that go further.

The cooperative games for me though were the best of the bunch. The teamwork type games with Coin Count, where you have to collect coins on the stage between the players as close to the number given on the screen, you’ll all have to try and count together. There are two jumping games, one that requires everyone to jump together in order to get a platform to move to the top of the level, and another that requires you to keep jumping to make sure the Puffy Lift doesn’t deflate, with enemies and coins thrown at you to put you off.

There’s also one attraction that uses (or can use) the mouse controls, and it’s a bit of a Wii U throwback: one player draws Donut Blocks on the screen to get the other players to the finish line. It totally works without the mouse controls too but it just reminds me of pressing a block on the Wii U screen in New Super Mario Bros. U. The best co-op game for me though was Fly Free Captain Toad, in which one player controls Captain Toad, who cannot jump, and the other player controls Plucky who can make him jump. It’s up to you to communicate with your fellow player to get through the stage.

Run Hide! Phanto Tag however is probably the versus attraction I had the most fun with. It’s a literal game of hide and seek, one person hides in the level as the stage goes dark, and the other then has to look for the odd coin or block out of place to try and find them. This one works better online as they can’t see your screen at all obviously, but out of all the games I had during my online session this is the one we went through most of the levels on. This is actually the only game that is available to play both locally and online and in GameShare.

You can wander around the park picking games one by one (and figuring out if you can actually play them with the number of players you have and the connection setup you have), or you can also do an Attraction Tour which strings a number of attractions back to back.

The lower part of the park, Camp Central, is a little hub where you can pretty it up, and unlock new items and badges by pouring Bellabel water on plants. This water is unlocked by playing through the games, so win, lose or draw you’ll get some, and there’s a hefty amount of new badges to unlock, all of which are dual badges which can be used anywhere in the game. Badges can also be assigned in the attractions as well. There’s also a number of musical instruments to unlock which will add another member of a Poplin band to the stage, and they’ll also walk around the Park playing really cheerful music.

Added to the package is a whole bunch of other little things like a new powerup, the Super Flower power which attacks enemies by throwing flowers upwards, and an assist mode that makes you invincible and floats you back up after falling into a pit. It won’t really help out with a lot of super difficult later stages, but if you’re turning on assist mode you’re probably not making it there either way. Amiibo support has made it into the game too but this one really feels like just a checklist ticker, as it really only changes the design of some flowers in the park. It’s cute sure, but calling it amiibo support is a bit strong.

Is Super Mario Bros. Wonder: Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup in Bellabel Park better than just more Super Mario Bros. Wonder with more stages and more Wonder effects? We’ll never know, but what is here is a fun package of minigames built into the Wonder mould, you’ll just need to navigate the slightly confusing way the modes are all laid out, but least you’ll have your friends with you to do so.

Rating: 3.5/5