Nintendo's handheld hybrid console may be biding its time until Switch successor is ready to take the mantle, but until then, it's not quite out of steam just yet. Super Mario Bros. Wonder is packed with enough changes to throw curveballs at even the most seasoned veterans of platform gaming. 

I remember a period where fans feared the Super Mario Maker games would bring about an end to a traditional side-scrolling platformer. the idea being, with Nintendo putting the creation process in the hands of fans saves them the practice of designing new games for the foreseeable future. While I have no hard evidence or data to back this, I feel those served as some interesting litmus tests for what could be used for the next game. Not to take anything away from some of the nuances Wonder provides, but I can see some inspiration from the spontaneity that occurs during the trippy Wonder Flower bits. The rapid changes to gameplay can be quite the eye-opener, and as of this point in my playthrough, I have not encountered two Wonder Flower transformations that were the same. 

The challenge gradually escalates, but I do have to say this. I always keep hoping the Mario games try something a little different with boss battles. It might be worth it to experiment with a formula that ISN'T "bop enemy on the head three times", but I understand that a Mario game isn't aiming to be the most stressful endeavor.

Controls feel very responsive, there are some very subtle tweaks to the physics. for instance, the jump height depending on how long the button is held feels more precise. Turning and stopping on a dime is also a little less slippery than it was in the New Super Mario Bros. games.

Introducing the badges lets you cycle through various secondary powerup's like floating caps, "!" Bocks, which will place an item at intermittent locations, the Dolphin Kick (a personal favorite), which aids you in propelling through the water faster. Something that seemingly minor brings a completely new dimension to how a Mario water stage can be approached. Also, for the sake of whimsy, i do really enjoy that talking flowers that will occasionally provide some vague hints, or simply take in the events that are, or have happened.

I have not tried the online multiplayer, but have read that it's fairly limited. For the time being, I ended up putting a great deal of time into Super Mario Wonder thus far. I'll end this here, as to avoid giving away a lot of the surprises that happen fairly early. 3D Mario games are solid and Odyssey was a fine game for what it was aiming to accomplish. I just find myself more drawn to the nuances and exploration a 2D Mario game provides. The music is very relaxing and toe-tapping, the visuals grab the eyes, and the gameplay is stimulating. Perhaps I'll report on this later as I get further, but for now, it's quite a blast.