Mario Bros. Wonder single-handedly makes the case that 2D Mario shouldn’t be relegated to second-tier status in the modern Mario canon.
Whether Nintendo intended it or not, conventional wisdom tends to sort modern Mario games into something of a mental tier list. The 3D Mario games like Galaxy and Odyssey are the flagship mascot platformers, and 2D Mario games like the New Super Mario Bros. series are somewhat lesser retro throwbacks. Still good, dependable, but less prestigious. It’s after years of 2D games languishing in understudy status that Super Mario Bros. Wonder takes center stage–and it delivers such a knockout performance that it makes the argument, implicit or otherwise, that 2D Mario games can be just as vital to the medium as their 3D siblings.
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