The best 2D Mario game ever is coming to the Switch 2 – is it worth an upgrade?

Domagoj Belancic

25/3/2026

Translation: Patrik Stainbrook

Pictures: Domagoj Belancic

Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a timeless classic, even in its revamped version for the Switch 2. However, given the steep price tag and limited scope of the upgrade, you’re better off sticking with the original Switch 1 version.

When Super Mario Bros. Wonder was released for the Switch about three years ago, I raved about the game in my original review. We didn’t have star ratings back then, but Super Mario Bros. Wonder would’ve easily earned a perfect score. An excerpt from my verdict:

I still stand by that statement. A masterpiece remains a masterpiece. But it seems that’s not enough for Nintendo. The company is releasing a new version of the colourful platformer for the Switch 2 – with the silliest name I’ve ever typed in a game review: Super Mario Bros. Wonder – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup in Bellabel Park.

I’m venturing back into the wonderful world of Wonder to see if the paid upgrade is worth it. Spoiler alert: it isn’t.

Note: In this article, I’ll primarily discuss the new features and content in the Switch 2 Edition. If you want to know why the main game’s so awesome, check out my review of the Switch 1 version:

What’s new (and how much does it cost)?

On the Switch 2, Super Mario Bros. Wonder costs around 80 francs or euros. For comparison, the Switch 1 version is available for around 60 francs or euros. If you own the original, Nintendo offers an upgrade pack for about 20 francs or euros.

That’s a hefty price tag for a three-year-old game. Nintendo justifies this with the following new content:

• New multiplayer content in the new game section Bellabel Park
• New single-player content featuring boss battles and mini-challenges
• New playable characters: Rosalina and Assistant Luma
• Technical updates such as 4K output and support for Game Share

Is the multiplayer content worth it?

The main reason to purchase this paid upgrade is the multiplayer mini-games in Bellabel Park. You can play six of them exclusively online and eleven of them only locally. The local modes are divided into six competitive and five cooperative mini-games.

You can think of these little mini-games as glorified Mario Party mini-games – fun, chaotic, but without much replay value. I test local mode with my colleagues Super Philipp and Princess Michelle. Neither of them can hold a candle to me when it comes to platforming skills. We have fun anyway, at least for a short time.

Most attractions – that’s what the mini-games in the park are called – offer several levels with varying degrees of difficulty. Let’s look at Baby Yoshi’s Feeding Time, one of my favourite attractions. Each character carries a small Yoshi and has to collect as much fruit as possible while avoiding obstacles. The twist: every time Yoshi eats a snack, he gets fatter, making your character move slower.

Levels are direct copies from the main game. At first, we’re still in a super-easy section from the first world, but by the end, we’re sweating it out in a much harder level from one of the later worlds.

Some attractions also offer variations on the rules. Take the various Coin Sprees, where the goal is – yes, you guessed it – to collect as many coins as possible.

In Tip-Tap’s version, we hop through levels while eponymous, mutant (?) cloud Tip-Tap shoots coins out of his butt his drum. In Boo’s Coin Spree, we collect coins while King Boo sleeps. If he wakes up, freeze in place or the loot you’ve earned will disappear. Sparkling Coin Spree is complete chaos. Cannons fire off tons of coins and balloons, which surprise you with either cool bonuses or annoying traps.

Still, none of these competing attractions hold our attention in the long run. They’re too simple for that, and there isn’t enough difference between them. Collect as many items as possible, take down as many enemies as possible, defeat as many other players as possible. It’s always the same old story, just with a new coat of paint.

Let’s quickly move on to the co-op mini-games. I like those much more, since the game forces us to talk to each other and coordinate our actions precisely. Here are some of my highlights:

In Fly Free, Captain Toad!, two players control one character. One runs, the other jumps. A wonderfully chaotic game concept that’ll put even the strongest friendships to the test in later levels.

In Jump Count, multiple players must reach the end of a level using an exact number of jumps. Meaning: you have to count aloud with every jump. It’s not that easy when you have to dodge obstacles and run around at the same time.

In Donut Block Maker, one (or more) player(s) builds temporary donut blocks that the other players hop across as they move through the level. The blocks serve as floating roads and can be used to deflect enemies and projectiles as well. Clever!

I find it completely baffling that I can’t play these mini-games on my own against computer-controlled opponents. I mean… the games are here. Just let me experiment on my own when Michelle or Phil aren’t around to help me finish.

I’m also struggling to wrap my head around the unnecessarily complicated online multiplayer. I can only access the exclusively competitive attractions if I create a friends room or join an existing one. There’s no random matchmaking. It’s 2026, and Nintendo still manages to disappoint with outdated online features. This is all the more frustrating because the online integration in the main game is actually brilliant. As a reminder: when I’m online, I can see ghosts and hints from other players around the world in levels. Almost like Dark Souls, only more colourful and cuter.

Due to the pointless online restrictions, I can’t test this section of Bellabel Park. Luckily, I was able to try out a few online mini-games at a preview event in February hosted by Nintendo. Most of them are variations on fun races in which Mario and his friends zoom through levels using various vehicles such as giant roller skates, propeller flowers, or giant rubber balls.

It’s the same here: nice, but nothing I’d want to play again after trying it once.

Is the single-player content worth it?

A total of seven Koopalings have hidden themselves in the game worlds outside of Bellabel Park. Don’t know about the Koopalings? They’re King Bowser’s hideous minions, with a disturbing aesthetic that makes me irrationally angry. I’d love to give their ugly mugs a good thrashing.

My battles against the Koopalings are among the best boss battles I’ve ever played in a 2D Mario game. Admittedly, the bar isn’t very high – most boss battles in 2D Mario games are notorious for being simple and trivial.

Still, the Koopalings surprise with exciting gameplay concepts and fantastic staging. For example, Wendy transforms into a fish that can travel through interdimensional rifts. Morton turns into a giant puppet, and I have to pull his strings to defeat him.

In addition to the boss battles, the Toad Brigade invites me to a training camp. There, you’ll need to prove your platforming skills in a total of 60 short challenges. I have to collect all the coins, defeat all the enemies or reach the goal within a set time limit.

There are also even more special creative challenges waiting for me – like not being allowed to collect any coins in a level. Do you know how hard it is to fight coin-collecting habits you’ve developed over the years? Aaargh!

Alongside the Koopalings, the challenges keep me entertained for about three hours. For avid collectors, the expansion also offers cosmetic collectibles for Bellabel Park. If you want to see and acquire everything, you can add another hour to that.

The Switch 2 Edition of Super Mario Bros. Wonder lets you play as Rosalina for the first time. A cool bonus. Also joining her is Rosalina’s intergalactic companion, a Luma Star. He takes on the role of assistant. I can control him using the mouse function on the Joy-Con 2 controllers, whirling through levels, collecting coins and taking out enemies. This way I can help inexperienced players. In addition, beginners can also enable a new assist mode that prevents them from falling off platforms.

I think the new power-up and new badges are way more exciting than Rosalina and Luma. By collecting a Super Flower Pot, I turn into a walking flower (so cute!). I float in the air for a moment and shoot out spinning petals that strike enemies above me.

The new badges, which the game calls Dual Badges, each combine two existing badges from the main game. For example, I can do a backflip and then glide using my parachute hat. For masochists, there are also some really nasty combinations, like a spring and invisibility.

What could be better than bouncing through levels uncontrollably and invisibly? In a challenge at the Toad training camp, the game actually forces me to equip this diabolical combination. My controller only barely survived.

Is the graphical update worth it?

The colourful worlds of Super Mario Bros. Wonder shine in crisp 4K on the Switch 2. And I have to admit, it looks pretty cool. Not 20 francs or euros cool, but cool nonetheless. In handheld mode, the game now runs at 1080p instead of 720p, another neat upgrade.

Mind you, I have a complaint here too. Do you remember the big Switch 2 launch in April 2025? During that presentation, Nintendo demonstrated the features of its new hardware using specific examples. This includes a comparison image featuring a jumping Mario, intended to highlight the benefits of the Switch 2’s 120 fps screen.

Nice. So why does Super Mario Bros. Wonder on the Switch 2 only support 60 fps? Given the hefty price tag and powerful Switch 2 hardware, surely a performance update should be in the works?

I mean, even Metroid Prime 4: Beyond runs at 120 fps in Performance Mode. And with its stunning alien landscapes, it’s technically far more complex than the limited 2.5D worlds of Super Mario Bros. Wonder.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup in Bellabel Park will be available for the Nintendo Switch 2 starting 26 March. The game was provided to me by Nintendo for testing purposes.

In a nutshell

Despite the five stars, you’re better off sticking with the original

I stand by my opinion – Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a masterpiece and the best 2D Mario game of all time. However, this upgrade isn’t worth the extra cost. In many ways, it feels as though Nintendo has done only the bare minimum to justify this Switch 2 version.

You can only access the new Bellabel Park content in multiplayer mode. For the most part, its mini-games lack substance and replay value. Regarding the single-player, there are exciting boss battles against Koopalings and entertaining challenges at Toad’s Training Camp. It won’t keep you busy for too long, though.

I’d have expected more from the technical implementation. The 4K picture is certainly crisp and clear. But let’s be honest, the game already looked great on the Switch 1 in 1080p. And where’s the 120 fps support?

Still, none of these criticisms detract from the essence of this masterpiece. That’s why I’m doing something I’ve never done in any of my reviews before. The game gets full marks, but with an explicit recommendation to not buy this version. Congratulations, Nintendo – that’s quite an achievement.

If you already own the game on the Switch 1, you should only upgrade if the new multiplayer content or 4K video is extremely important to you. If you haven’t played the game yet (shame on you!), you’re better off getting the cheaper Switch 1 version.

Pro

• The best 2D Mario of all time is still brilliant
• 4K resolution
• Entertaining new single-player content

Contra

• New mini-games lack substance
• Unnecessary restrictions on multiplayer content
• Overall, meagre upgrades given the hefty price tag

Video games

New

EUR67,79

Nintendo Super Mario Bros. Wonder – Switch 2 Edition + Gemeinsam im Bellabel-Park

Switch 2, DE, FR, IT

4

Domagoj Belancic

Senior Editor

Domagoj.Belancic@digitecgalaxus.ch

My love of video games was unleashed at the tender age of five by the original Gameboy. Over the years, it's grown in leaps and bounds.

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