When Super Mario Bros. Wonder launched in 2023, I felt an overwhelming sense of relief. Finally, after a deluge of perfectly serviceable yet uninspiring ‘New’ entries, it felt like 2D Mario had gotten its mojo back. Fast-forward to 2026 and Wonder is making its grand return with a Nintendo Switch 2 Edition on 26th March, but after recently going hands-on with the multiplayer segment, I have to admit that it’s yet to conjure up any excitement within me.
I should caveat this immediately by clarifying that I’m not the biggest fan of multiplayer games in the first place. I’m at my happiest when I’m able to just block out the real world and get lost in a game with no outside distractions, so do keep that in mind when reading my thoughts. If you are partial to some multiplayer mayhem, then you may well feel that the ‘Meetup at Bellabel Park’ additions are worth it.
My session consisted of one co-op mode and three PvP modes (or 'attractions', as the game calls them). The first makes use of the Switch 2’s Mouse Mode, with two players directly controlling characters, and two more creating Donut Blocks on the fly to allow passage across wide gaps and directly manipulate the trajectory of enemy attacks. It was… fine. It kind of hints towards some of the potential for a Mario Maker game that utilises mouse controls, but that’s about it.
In practice, having two players create Donut Blocks at the same time makes for a pretty messy, confusing experience, since you’re constantly at odds with one another regarding where to actually place the blocks. In addition, if you accidentally move vertically when placing your blocks, you might find yourself completely blocking the way forward for your player-controlled companions. In this instance, you’ll need to make some more blocks in a random corner of the screen in order to cause your previous creations to eventually disappear. As I said, it's very messy.
Two of the three PvP modes were racers, with one seeing you speed through the air on a flying vehicle, and the other rolling everybody up into balls and subsequently using physics to bounce you across the map. They last for about a minute at a time, tops, and although there’s a brief thrill in witnessing a photo finish and seeing who comes out on top via the results page, it’s all pretty forgettable stuff. I struggle to imagine many people jumping into these modes more than a handful of times.
And finally, the last PvP mode I played was essentially a game of hide and seek. Three players jump into Lakitu Clouds and fly around. When you press ‘A’, you can make your character invisible, effectively blending your Lakitu Cloud with dozens of others dotted around the screen. The person who’s ‘it’ will then try to find you, shooting out puffs of magic to help reveal your location. If you’re caught, you become ‘it’ – simple. The aim of the game is to remain hidden until the time runs out, so there's a frantic rush within the last 20 seconds or so to stay out of reach.
It’s a laugh, but again, if I mentally take myself away from the highly curated environment in which I tested these modes out, am I really going to bother with these in the comfort of my own home? Honestly, probably not.
You might think differently, but all of the modes felt like minigames you might play in a Mario Party title. Taken within that context, they could be a lot of fun, but as standalone games that you have to consciously choose from the Bellabel Park overworld, they lack substance and feel throwaway.
Ultimately, I’m struggling to find much of a reason to splash out on the £16.99 / $19.99 Upgrade Pack for Mario Wonder so far. I did take note of just how sharp, clean, and vibrant the visuals were in the Switch 2 Edition, so that might be just enough to convince me to make a leap. But if the multiplayer modes were meant to tempt me into a purchase, I’m afraid they’ve largely failed in their task.
There's definitely more to the Switch 2 Edition, including challenges via the Toad Brigade, the return of The Koopalings, an Assist mode — something which should help with an issue I encountered with my daughter in the base game — and of course, playable Rosalina. Though whether these features warrant an upgrade remains to be seen.
As an aside, I also had a chance to briefly check out the upcoming Talking Flower, uh... toy? Yeah, let's go with toy. It honestly wasn't the best environment in which to test it out; I really had to strain to hear what it was saying. Regardless, it's a fine little thing if you're after a charming little accessory for your office desk.
Sorry... what do you mean it's meant for kids? Don't be silly.