There’s a moment early on in Super Mario Wonder that genuinely surprised me. I laughed out loud. I was shocked, almost scandalised. I had run up to a pipe, right, these staples of every Mario game reaching back into the series first appearance. I thought I knew the deal. Some pipes are just obstacles. But some are hollow, and you can drop down inside them to find new areas.
Not this one. This one – whisper it – moved. As I reached it, I must have pushed against it, and the pipe slid across the ground. I know, right? I am still getting over it.
Super Mario Wonder has a lot of stuff like this. I can’t remember the last Mario game that made me laugh as much, or the last Mario game that made me question basic Mario lore, if such a thing exists. We’re back in 2D Mario territory – a series of games that, over the last few outings, have perhaps unfairly gotten a reputation for playing things a bit safe. The theme this time around is secrets and surprises, though. And gosh, does Wonder deliver. A pipe you can push across the ground. Mercy.
