Summary
Nintendo has had an excellent 2023, from January’sFire Emblem Engageto November’sSuper Mario RPGremake. There have been several great remasters,PikminandF-ZEROgot their first new installments in years, andSuper Mario Bros.got a new movie after even longer than that. It was a stellar year, and somehowThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the KingdomandSuper Mario Bros. Wonderstill stand head-and-shoulders above everything else.Tears of the Kingdomproved that the massive success ofBreath of the Wildreally could be replicated, andSuper Mario Bros. Wonderinnovated on the old 2DMarioformula decades into its life.
It’s impressive to see two of Nintendo’s leading franchises get top-tier releases in the same year, but now they’ve gone their separate ways.Zeldahas likely begun planning its next installment, which will leaveBotWandTotK’s Hyrule behind, while also preparing the firstLegend of Zeldafilm. Meanwhile, Mario still has his usual assortment of releases coming out regularly, but it’s unclear what the next mainline game will be. Before it makes something entirely new, however,Super Mario Bros.should copyThe Legend of Zelda’s strategyof following success with a sequel.
Mario Wonder and Tears of the Kingdom Are Both Built On Iteration
Arguably,Super Mario Bros. Wonderis as much of a sequel asTears of the Kingdomis. WhileTotKdirectly iterates onBreath of the Wild’s narrative and mechanics, to the point of using a redesigned version of its open world,Mario Wondercould be said to do the same with prior 2D platformers. Besides Princess Peach being elevated to playable and the action moving outside the Mushroom Kingdom,Mario Wonder’s plot is comparable to mostMarioplatformers, and its core mechanics havebeen around since at leastSuper Mario World. CallingMario Wonderthe latest in the 2DMarioseries is completely accurate.
There Are Plenty Of Things Left To Do With Mario Wonder’s Formula
Still,Super Mario Bros. Wonderdoes more than enough to dodge the stale feeling that set in across theNew Super Mario Bros.series. Its vibrant and bouncy aesthetic, new badge system, online mode, and Wonder Flower gimmicks gaveMario’s old-school core a modern facelift, and there’s plenty of room left to explore this fresh take on the series.Mario Wonder’s new setup should be a better directionfor the series than the back-to-basicsNSMBline, and it should capitalize on that the same wayBreath of the Wilddid with a sequel of its own.
A Mario Wonder Sequel Would Be Fleshed Out Like Tears of the Kingdom
Originally,Tears of the Kingdomstarted as DLC forBreath of the Wild, explaining why the two games share such a similar foundation. There’sno DLC in the cards forMario Wonder, but the work put into it could easily be reused in a sequel akin toTotK. Wonder’s new art style and redone character animations should carry forward, as well as its cast of playable characters. In trueTears of the Kingdomfashion, both could be expanded, which should be the approach to everything inMario Wonder’s hypothetical successor.
What A New Game Could Build Out of Mario Wonder
AlongsideSuper Mario Wonder’s Drill, Bubble, and Elephant power-ups, new ones could be introduced. Some badges could return, while others would debut, or perhaps even fold into players’ base moveset and level design. More stages and features in the online mode would be introduced, and, with them, even more could be done withWonder effects in otherMariogames. One more iteration should be enough to bring outMario Wonder’s true potential likeTears of the Kingdom’s dungeons and arm powers did. After that, the series can safely move pastSuper Mario Bros. Wonderwhile keeping the value it brought for future games.
