SUPER MARIO BROS WONDER (Final Thoughts) - Happy Console Gamer 

Taking the time limit off of levels was a great decision.

The only critique I have is that it needs more creative bosses like the final boss. Not just Bowser Jr.

Bowser as your ally is part of what made Mario RPG so unique.

I agree with ya, I like that they brought us out of the Mushroom Kingdom and changed it up there, but then they just stuck with what was 'safe' with Bowser. They had a really cool opportunity to bring in a new villain that was directly associated with the Flower Kingdom (sooooo many humorous opportunities to make funny comparisons to Bowser, without Bowser). Great final thoughts and great video man!

I don't know why. But I got the sudden intrusive thought. Mario will outlive us all, surely. Imagine all the Mario games we are going to miss. Just made me sad for a moment.

You know what I enjoy? This channel. Thank you.

Then, as a german video gamer at the end of my 30s, the elefant holds a special place in my heart since it resembles so much a beloved cartoon and audio stories character "Benjamin Blümchen" who is around since end of the 70s/beginnig od the 80s. When the game was anounced with pictures of the elefant, almost all german commenta where like: Thats Benjamin Blümchen! The crossover i never knew i would need and love so much.

Nice from the heart review. I felt the same. Playing it in -27 Mongolia in my warm living room has been a treat and I'm not even halfway.

I can still remember being in Japan in '86 and playing on my cousin's Famicom for the first time, after those video game drought years, and being blown away by the original SMB! Now, so many years later, I've been out of the Mario loop since Super Mario World, but I'm looking to get back into it. Maybe I'll try with this one. I have to admit, I was a little on the fence with the game's aesthetics and what not.

Absolutely love this game it's the most fun I've had since Mario 3. I was 10 yo when 3 came out and wonder made me feel like that 10yo again and that's amazing.

It's a great game. I'm usually not a completionist either, but replaying this and trying to 100% everything has me fully addicted.

One thing I loved was all the new and great enemies they added to so many of the levels!

For me, I loved this game! I’d been a Mario fan since the NES era! I love Mario and Luigi and the series as a whole!

Thank you so much for coming back in to talk about your final thoughts for this game after your initial reactions, Johnny, this was awesome! A lot of the things you were put off by at first but grew to love are things I'm hearing from other folks too who are still only partway through--the elephant power up, the flower's chatter, etc. So I especially appreciate knowing they're the type of things that end up making the experience enjoyable, which is obviously the best case scenario rather than those type of details becoming stale or annoying the more you play. I hope that makes sense, I'm just so glad you decided to share all of your thoughts since I won't be able to play the game myself--I still get to appreciate it as an outsider from your perspective.

I'm more interested in Star Ocean 2 and Sonic superstars. But hearing your enthusiasm makes me want to try this game :)

I like that you can see other people online and help each other here and there

It's such a blast to play. My brother and I play it every Friday night after work together and it is just absolutely fun. Definitely one of my favorite games this year.

My wife has got it me for Christmas so looking forward to playing it over the holidays 😊

Good review HCG, i really want this game!

It's impossible to name the best Mario game, but this one is fantastic. It really is a wonder to play and behold. There is so much creativity, you wouldn't believe. They don't wear out any of the neat gimmicks, and there are so many of them. I rolled credits last night, and now I'm cleaning up the map to 100% each level. If you like platformers, this is Nintendo at its best.

Im excited about rob and Johnny's christmas video already

First game I purchased an advance physical copy of in years! Worth it! I also had Elephant reservations but it plays great! Also funny.

Thanks for your take on this game ,,, I enjoyed your review

A lot of people who hate "colorful" and "charming" games are often ppl who are very much into their image, and are afraid to like something that could be perceived as a nerdy vulnerability among their peers. Those secure in who they are and what they like adore charming, colorful games. Its like how teenagers only listen to rap or hard rock, cause theyre too afraid to listen to Beethoven, or country, or pop, or whatever. They limit their interests to whatever is considered "cool". Which strips them of their true personality and interists.

Been watching your channel for years and just realized I never subscribed...I was shocked. Love your stuff. I am subscribed now:)

Wholesome video all-round Johnny 👍

Theres probably a lot of levels that you missed, because theres secret exits just like Mario World that lead to a different part of the worlds with at least 5 more levels every time

Me too man, I love Mario. All throughout my childhood, up until now!

I loved the comments about Bowser. Amazing review Johnny.

nearly turning 50? God bless bruv. Don't look anywhere near. Great review buddy!

I share your exact thoughts on Elephant Mario and the final boss especially. Same with the music. It's even the first time I've been compelled to learn how to play the main theme on my guitar.

The puzzle, break time, and badge levels are all good stuff.

Love the video! Me and my boys are close to beating it. It has been such a blast to play with them, it’s deff the better of the 2d Mario games that we have gotten especially in a long while! Everyone’s favorite is also the elephant power up.

I paced myself and had a lot of fun making my way through the game, but I feel it didn't truly challenge me until "The Final-Final Test" which then robbed me of tens of lives as I trialled and errored my way through it - which I enjoyed. In the future, if they wanted to make a more difficult Super Mario Bros. Wonder 2: The Lost Levels, I'd be all for it. They must have several ideas left over that they couldn't squeeze into this. 🙂

Another great video. Agree w you about the Bowser thing.

The music on the Bowser airship levels was my favorite

Played a bit at my brothers. My first Mario game. Hilarious, I’m considering getting it despite not being good at platformers.

Thanks!

I always used to wonder how you got through so many games, while working full time and with a family but doing the minimum in a game is definitely the right approach, something i need to start doing myself , a 150hr JRPG could be finished in 40hrs

This game rocked, just some pure fun

I loved the setting of you with a blanket and mario, so cozy 💕 makes me wanna play that game😊 I bought it mainly for my kids and haven't had any urge to play it. Maybe I have to find myself a blanket and some hot chocolate🤩❤️

One of the great things about this game are the animations, how Mario reacts and moves, really cool :)

That Metal Gear vs Mario conversation is so funny to me, I love the Metal Gear franchise, and yeah there is alot of serious stuff in them, but I'd argue that there is just as much goofy nonsense silly stuff in Metal Gear as well. "Hey look at the guard butt wiggle to identify a female guard spy!", "Look at the back of your CD case for the codec frequency", Psycho Mantis, Otacon wetting himself, "Do you think love can bloom on the Battlefield?" etc. And that's just the first Metal Gear Solid

I have to be honest : I enjoyed this more than Spider-Man 2, and I loved that game. Wonder is just pure fun. One thing which I thought I wouldn’t use is the online feature but now I have on in all the time. I had a puzzle level and couldn’t find the last seed but the other online players showed me where it was and they were standing in air. Then I figured out I had to move the pipe to hit a hidden block. There’s been so many moments of helping others and having them support me through a level.

I’ve got to meet Charles martinet yesterday and he was a great guy! Will always love Mario!

Hey Johnny, only recently picked up a switch - would love an updated switch top 10 / collection video

Got it love it , can’t stop playing it

the invisible part in the final final level almost drove me insane

Pretty soon it will be time for another Christmas special with Rob Man 😁 where has 2023 gone?

I haven't played Wonder yet but I agree with the Bowser talk. I think it's time to bring back Wart and make a direct sequel in the style of Super Mario Bros. 2. That would be amazing.

i like the 3d mario on the 2d prerender background

I have always loved Mario and this year I played thru all the 2D Mario games again and relived a good part of my childhood doing so. I just finished Mario Wonder today and I had a blast playing the game and I would say it's the best 2D Mario since Super Mario World. Can't wait to see what they do next with 2D Mario and friends

VERY VERY good points especially on Bowser. When he showed up I was thinking here we go again i realised I’ve been saying the same thing about him since new super Mario bros on ds. As far as 2D Mario goes

I can say Wonder has mostly lived up to my expectations. The levels, the new enemies, the incredibly innovative gimmicks that really turn the Mario formula on its head, and the over all charm to it all, have blown me away. I can safely say this is the first 2D Mario game since New Super Mario Bros DS, that I've truly enjoyed. But it does have some flaws, as others have mentioned, I wish this game had more boss variety. Going back to New SMB on the DS, I loved that every castle ended with a new boss like Petey Piranha or The Mole Machines. It made for a fun and varied challenge. In Wonder you occasionally fight Baby Bowser or some bowser ship mech boss. It's kind of lame. I think the music is okay but it gets drowned out by the sound design so I never really get the opportunity to appreciate it in game. And while I haven't beaten the game yet, I believe I'm 2/3rds of the way through, it is feeling a little short. Over all it's a great 2D Mario experience but I do wish it did a little more to truly shake things up, but at the end of the day it feels like your typical mario game with a bold hint of much needed change to the formula. Here's hoping we get a sequel that ventures further into unexplored 2D mario territory. 8/10

I so wanna meet you someday and talk about video games! Vancouver is on the other side of canada so I could take one hell of a road trip when I get a car lol

i get bros u deluxe does it make sense to get these

I agree with most things you said in this review and you're right, I DO have a ton of experience playing Mario games by now but I still think the game was just a bit too forgiving like the older games weren't. And it did what all recent 2D Mario games do which is rapid fire throw ideas at you and then immediately move on. I wish these games would take a little more time to explore mechanics. That ciupled with the over-use of the main power up, in this case the elephant, just made it feel a little too close to what New Super Mario Bros. Was to me. I do like the game though and the online mode is heaps of fun. So many times have I helped others find secrets, get past difficult sections and just had really cute interactions with complete strangers. I think the online is the highlight for me because it's so wholesome. That said, Yoshi's Woolly World is still my favorite "Mario" 2D platformer in recent memory. It hit that sweet spot between challenge, exploration and coziness for me.

I love Mario and like you I wasn’t feeling the elephant power up before release and once I started playing it it became my favorite power up of the game lol. Can’t wait for next week to play Mario RPG for the first time. I’m ten years younger than you but unfortunately my mom couldn’t afford to buy me the SNES so I played it at my cousins and friends house. She got me a PS1 and PS2 so that was something I’ll always be grateful for. However, despite LOVING JRPG’s I never got the chance to play the original Mario RPG even though I I got it digitally on my wii. Just finished Spider-Man 2, I’m currently playing Trails into Reverie and will FINALLY play Mario RPG when it comes out. I love the Mario and Luigi RPG series so I’m looking forward to playing the one that started it all

I need to get through more of this game to see how I truly feel so I'll save that for my video, but overall I'm enjoying it. I also love that you just do the bare minimum to get through the game cause that is exactly how I play games too! No side quests, don't care about collecting every little thing. haha

As a long time fan from all the way back to the OG trilogy on the NES I am loving the game. It’s a really great 2D platformer and I love that. I’m currently on W4 now. Sone of the 4-5 star levels are challenging and they’ve taken quite a few of my lives but after trial and error and getting the wheels greased up they are very beatable. Just great level design.

I started on October 30th and finished on October 31st (Halloween). I loved the game.

I'm thinking about picking it up to play with my 2 best friends who are across the world.

Nice video i wish i could play nintendo switch game but nintendo don't sell their console and games in india (yeah we indian gamers exist 😢) but it's always awsome to see your videos and reactions on these games much love sir ❤

Super Mario RPG has been pre ordered. I will pick this up in the new year. Excellent review as always 👏

Another great episode…. It makes my Sunday watching the new happy console games and having my Sunday roast…(I’m from Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 so Sunday dinner is still a thing lol)… playing a combo of Y’s 8 and the new robocop game both are great… cheers Chris

What a great review!

Felt exactly the same about the elephant. When I first saw it I was like wtf does this have to do with Mario? But it grew on me and I love Elephant Mario!

I wish they would make another 3d world/land game. Those game were so good.

this is a pretty great game i felt! I thought it definitely is in that tier above NSMB and is on par at least in objective sense with mario 3, mario world, etc. I think my fav 2d is probably a 3 way tie between 3, world, and this one now. pretty cool that they managed to make a golden age 2d mario again in the year 2023!

I get your sentiments on Bowser. I loved how he joined up with Mario in Super Mario RPG to battle Smitty. I'd love to see a reverse Mario game where you play as Bowser and all the koopa kids and you take over the mushroom kingdom, bashing toads instead of goombas, and the bosses can be the different kings of the mushroom kingdom areas, and finally, browser's mission is to steal the princess. Reverse SMB3!

I can't wait

Absolutely loving this game! I just wish it were longer. Like 2 more worlds. Then it'd be perfect

Currently playing this solo to 100% and there are some super hard courses in some areas that are 5 stars! The online play is pretty cool too. Also playing as a sidekick to my daughter's playthrough. It's fun to be there to save her.

I’m like you and grew up with Mario. He’s like an older brother I always got to visit. I was 5 years old when the NES released and sold my parents on buying me one by the argument of how real Mario looked when he ran (we’ve come a long way). I’m really enjoying Mario Wonder, but I think as far as 2D goes, Mario World will always hold that #1 spot for me.

I picked up the game but have yet to play it as I'm trying to finish Starfield and The Cyberpunk Phantom Liberty DLC. It looks like a blast and I can't wait to give it the time it truly deserves.

Loved wonder so so much! The difficulty is placed in the special world for anyone lookin. Final-Final took me a couple hours

I haven't played mario games in a while. I used to a lot back in the days on my game boy advanced micro 😅

I love Mario wonder. Some of my favorite levels were the music levels.

my favorite 2d mario is still SMB 3. Wonder is also great but for me it not as great as SMB3 or SMB World. i love it and playing Wonder does put a smile on my face. it's totally worth the price and i hope nintendo keeps 2d mario alive.

I think its a little overhyped. I enjoyed it for sure but I thought it was way too easy.

Loving the game the courses are great it does need more Bosses Nintendo should have put the Koopa kids in the game like super Mario 3 maybe also some Bosses from Mario 2 as well though maybe in secret levels with special badges as rewards for beating them? but other than that the games great and I’m taking my time playing through the game I’m also playing Star Ocean the second Story R as well.

Already counting down to the Christmas special 2023

Pick it up for my son birthday and we played it and we had fun.

There were moments where my 30 years of playing 2D Marios were necessary. It's as good as Super Mario World, not better, nothing's better, but it blows the NSMB games away.

Yeah they should bring back Wart in a dream world settting again focused on picking things up, flying… heck you can play through stages from previous Mario games… even sports games… even guest appearances by Mario…. Like it is dreams of the past,… and nightmare dreams of the future.

I definitely agree with you. This game is truly wonderful from the colourful graphics, great animation, tight controls, level design and ideas, all the new enemies and although there could be more music, the soundtrack is really well produced. However there is that one element that feels anticlimatic and almost goes against how creative and quirky the game is. The bosses and finale in general. I think fighting Bowser Jr on the airships would have been fine but each area doesn't build up enough to a climatic boss with a crazy new enemy that maybe is being controlled by Bowser's wonder powers. No Koopalings or even Boom Boom/Pom Pom. Although the final level builds up nicely level by level, when Bowser Jr and Kamek are both tossed aside and then Bowser is quite straightforward and I could beat on the firsy try, it didn't quite feel epic enough. The absurdity and humour of a 3D Mario game finale like Odyssey or Bowser's Fury was such a climatic end that Wonder does lose a bit of magic by the end. The same extends to the ending. Considering the light plot that they introduced into the game with the Prince, the inhabitants of the kingdom and Bowser actually hatching his plan, the ending is as basic as you can get. Some of the other 2D games even have you travelling back across the land to celebrate but there's just one screen where they are happy and it just kind of ends. Not really any chat with the Prince or maybe Peach bakes a cake and everyone has a party. Maybe Bowser was going to throw a concert and it gets wrecked in the finale and you see the minions cleaning up and Bowser is sad while Bowser Jr/Kamek try to cheer him up. I just think ending the game strong would have done a lot along with the trials of beating Wonder powered bosses or even Bowser in the end turning into an elephant himself and rocking out just to be really crazy and unexpected to hype up the ending. Compared to some recent Kirby game finales, I think they could have gone further with the bosses and finale where anything could happen rather than sometimes nothing happening. I wouldn't consider the machines bosses really unless you had to hit it multiple times in phases. I do think it does fall a little flat which is why I can understand your comments about Bowser as the villain and Bowser Jr just not doing enough for you. Despite this game not being rushed or feeling like they cut content, this aspect does stick out despite everything else being so fantastic. Even though games like Mario 3/World, the DKC games, Rayman Origins/Legends or a few Yoshi games like Island/Woolly World might still overall as an experience be a little better, this is nearly perfect and such a fresh mix up for 2D Mario. It's hard to say where they can take 2D Mario from here but I'm sure if they far outsell the 3D Mario games, they will find a way to especially now they aren't being as formulaic with sticking to the New series and branching out more.

I wish we had more creative and unique bosses like we did in the original New Super Mario Bros on Nintendo DS. All the other New Super Mario Bros games just used the Koopa Kids, including Bowser Jr.

I wouldn’t mind if the Mario games had a different villain other than Bowser. I think the Mario RPGs work especially well when he’s not the main bad guy

I played this with a Super Nintendo controller. It added a special layer to this game that gave me Super Mario World nostalgia.

I've completed the game, got all wonder seeds (including special world) and completed the Wonder Gauntlet. The game can be challenging as hell if your trying to %100. It definitely stands up to the classic games, and even tops Super Mario World for me. My new favorite 2D Mario for sure.

I love Mario. I am the same age and Mario got me thru a lot. I was treated alot like Rob. Mario wonder is wonderful and wrapped me in a cozy blanket of nostalgia. It was innovative and YES I love the elephant. I also like that you are impartial and just let everyone have an opinion! Cheers brother!!

This game was fantastic! My wife and I played start to finish and enjoyed every minute...even the frustrating ones.

I really love that the game is such a joy to play. I saw an interview where the developers said that they wanted to design a Mario game where everyone could get to see all the parts of the game without being discouraged. That's very different than making a game that lacks difficulty and actually makes the game something that is relaxing to play--and something needed after covid. And also, I played this along with my kids and it has really been fun all the through so far.

I can safely say that this game is one of my favorite 2D Mario games in a while. It's such a " wonderful" and charming game.

----- I would love to be able to unlock a sarcastic commentary track by Bowser ----- and perhaps there would be some special block that one can throw against the screen and hit Bowser when he is too salty.

I thought the same about the cat AND the elephant.

How do you have the time to keep up with such a volume of playing!?

WE NEED A HCG MARIO GAME TIER LIST

It's a really cool game. The wonder flower stuff is the best part. I didn't find the game challenging at all. I wish they could do something to have additional content that is really challenging for the players that want it. It seemed so short too. It felt like the shortest of the newer 2D Mario games. There weren't really any secret paths to cool areas. I felt the same way when I beat it. That was it? I remember I think it was New Super Mario or the Wii U one and they do a fake out final boss fight that goes to the final boss. That was amazing. It really made the end of the game feel special. Overall I just wish it could have had some more challenging platforming.

I was thinking you were going to do Star ocean 2 then it was the Mario review