It’s always a good time to revisit Super Mario Bros. Wonder | The VergeSkip to main contentThe homepageThe VergeThe Verge logo.The VergeThe Verge logo.TechReviewsScienceEntertainmentAIPolicyHamburger Navigation ButtonThe homepageThe VergeThe Verge logo.Hamburger Navigation ButtonNavigation DrawerThe VergeThe Verge logo.Login / Sign UpcloseCloseSearchTechExpandAmazonAppleFacebookGoogleMicrosoftSamsungBusinessSee all techReviewsExpandSmart Home ReviewsPhone ReviewsTablet ReviewsHeadphone ReviewsSee all reviewsScienceExpandSpaceEnergyEnvironmentHealthSee all scienceEntertainmentExpandTV ShowsMoviesAudioSee all entertainmentAIExpandOpenAIAnthropicSee all AIPolicyExpandAntitrustPoliticsLawSecuritySee all policyGadgetsExpandLaptopsPhonesTVsHeadphonesSpeakersWearablesSee all gadgetsVerge ShoppingExpandBuying GuidesDealsGift GuidesSee all shoppingGamingExpandXboxPlayStationNintendoSee all gamingStreamingExpandDisneyHBONetflixYouTubeCreatorsSee all streamingTransportationExpandElectric CarsAutonomous CarsRide-sharingScootersSee all transportationFeaturesVerge VideoExpandTikTokYouTubeInstagramPodcastsExpandDecoderThe VergecastVersion HistoryNewslettersArchivesStoreVerge Product UpdatesSubscribeFacebookThreadsInstagramYoutubeRSSThe VergeThe Verge logo.It’s always a good time to revisit Super Mario Bros. WonderComments DrawerCommentsLoading commentsGetting the conversation ready...GamingCloseGamingPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All GamingEntertainmentCloseEntertainmentPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All EntertainmentGames ReviewCloseGames ReviewPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All Games ReviewIt’s always a good time to revisit Super Mario Bros. WonderThe new Switch 2 update is the perfect excuse to jump back in.The new Switch 2 update is the perfect excuse to jump back in.by Andrew WebsterCloseAndrew WebsterSenior entertainment editorPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Andrew WebsterMar 25, 2026, 11:00 AM UTCLinkShareGiftImage: NintendoAndrew WebsterCloseAndrew WebsterPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Andrew Webster is an entertainment editor covering streaming, virtual worlds, and every single Pokémon video game. Andrew joined The Verge in 2012, writing over 4,000 stories.The best Super Mario games are ones I find myself coming back to again and again. I’m not sure I want to count how many copies of Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World I own across various Nintendo platforms, but it’s worth it because of just how satisfying it is to replay those classic levels, like revisiting a favorite album. They’re simple enough that you can jump in easily, but with a level of depth that means I’m always discovering new things. And over the last few years I’ve added Super Mario Bros. Wonder to that list, a game that is absolutely bursting with new ideas and that exudes playfulness. It’s a great way to unwind — and if you’re looking for an excuse to hop back in, the new Switch 2 upgrade is the perfect place.The new release — full name: Super Mario Bros. Wonder – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup in Bellabel Park — is basically a medium-sized expansion for the game. For me, the biggest addition has been a handful of challenging levels to play through, each with their own boss battle. The levels are all centered on a different Koopaling (their backstory is a little complicated) who gets access to a “wonder” flower, giving them a new power. In the grand tradition of Mario Wonder, the powers are all pretty weird: In one level you’re being hunted by a giant fish that flies through the air using portals; in another there are gigantic Piranha Plants that can also be used as platforms. The final level even introduces weather effects, as you’ll have to fight strong winds and avoid lightning strikes.RelatedSuper Mario Bros. Wonder never stops surprisingHow Nintendo made Super Mario Bros. Wonder so weirdThere are only seven of these levels, but they showcase the best of Wonder, offering challenge and surprise in equal measure. And when you beat them all you unlock more challenging versions of each boss battle. These are part of a series of challenges that the game calls its “training camp.” Here you’re given a goal — collect every coin before time runs out, for instance, or make it to the end of a level without losing invincibility — and move through a series of progressively challenging versions of it. The levels get harder, with trickier jumps and more enemies, and you’re often shackled with specific power-ups and badges that force you to play in a specific way. I can tell these will keep me busy for a while.Image: NintendoThat’s about all there is for single-player additions, as the bulk of the expansion is focused on a new area filled with multiplayer minigames. This location basically turns Wonder into a miniature version of Mario Party, except without all of the Mario Party nonsense.There’s a huge amount of variety to the games. In one, you have to work together with other players to only collect a certain number of coins or jump a certain number of times before you complete the level. And since the game doesn’t track this for you, all of you need to work — and count — together to hit the exact right number and not fail. Another game has one player using Mario Maker-style controls to build platforms for their co-op partner to navigate. Many of the other games are more straightforward, like competing to collect the most coins or feed a baby Yoshi the most food, and there are a total of 17 to play through. My favorite is a version of tag where everyone who isn’t it can disguise themselves as inanimate objects. It gets very chaotic.There are a few other additions — Rosalina as a playable character, a power-up that turns you into a flower, a park you can decorate, and some unnecessary mouse controls — so overall it’s a pretty robust package for a $20 upgrade. And for me, at least, it’s a no-brainer. While the multiplayer games are a fun bonus, all I’m looking for are fresh levels and challenges for those moments when I decide I need a little more Wonder in my life.Super Mario Bros. Wonder – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup in Bellabel Park launches on the Switch 2 on March 26th.Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.Andrew WebsterCloseAndrew WebsterSenior entertainment editorPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Andrew WebsterEntertainmentCloseEntertainmentPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All EntertainmentGames ReviewCloseGames ReviewPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All Games ReviewGamingCloseGamingPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All GamingNintendoCloseNintendoPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All NintendoMost PopularMost PopularNvidia CEO Jensen Huang says ‘I think we’ve achieved AGI’The US government just banned consumer routers made outside the USWelp, I bought an iPhone againDonut Lab’s solid-state battery could barely hold a charge after getting damagedOpenAI just gave up on Sora and its billion-dollar Disney dealThe Verge DailyA free daily digest of the news that matters most.Email (required)Sign UpBy submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.Advertiser Content FromThis is the title for the native adMore in GamingThe Lego Game Boy makes for a great gift, and it’s $10 off todayLife is Strange: Reunion is a full-circle moment for its starsPokémon Champions is coming to the Nintendo Switch on April 8thFortnite maker Epic is laying off over 1,000 workersAyaneo says selling its Windows gaming handheld ‘is no longer sustainable’Nintendo cuts Switch 2 production amid weakening console salesThe Lego Game Boy makes for a great gift, and it’s $10 off todayCameron FaulknerMar 24Life is Strange: Reunion is a full-circle moment for its starsTom ReganMar 24Pokémon Champions is coming to the Nintendo Switch on April 8thCharles Pulliam-MooreMar 24Fortnite maker Epic is laying off over 1,000 workersAndrew WebsterMar 24Ayaneo says selling its Windows gaming handheld ‘is no longer sustainable’Emma RothMar 24Nintendo cuts Switch 2 production amid weakening console salesJess WeatherbedMar 24Advertiser Content FromThis is the title for the native adTop StoriesAn hour agoSony and Honda ain’t feelin’ the Afeela anymoreMar 24Welp, I bought an iPhone againMar 24OpenAI just gave up on Sora and its billion-dollar Disney dealMar 24Meta misled users about its products’ safety, jury decidesTwo hours agoSamsung’s Galaxy A57 gets thinner, faster, and more expensive8 minutes agoApple’s iOS 26.4 update adds age verification in the UKThe VergeThe Verge logo.FacebookThreadsInstagramYoutubeRSSContactTip UsCommunity GuidelinesArchivesAboutEthics StatementHow We Rate and Review ProductsCookie SettingsTerms of UsePrivacy NoticeCookie PolicyLicensing FAQAccessibilityPlatform Status© 2026 Vox Media, LLC. 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Super Mario Bros. Wonder, penned by Andrew Webster, presents a thorough examination of the recently released Nintendo Switch 2 update, specifically focusing on the “Super Mario Bros. Wonder – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup in Bellabel Park” expansion. The core argument centers on the update’s value proposition for seasoned Mario fans, highlighting its ability to reinvigorate a beloved classic through innovative level design and engaging multiplayer experiences. Webster emphasizes the game’s inherent appeal as a familiar, yet constantly surprising, experience—a sentiment echoed in his comparison to revisiting a favorite musical album. The expansion introduces seven new challenge levels, each centered around a unique Koopaling and their “wonder” flower power-ups, exhibiting a range of absurd and creative mechanics, including a level involving a flying fish utilizing portals and another featuring giant Piranha Plants as functional platforms. Notably, Webster details the implementation of a “training camp” mode, offering increasingly difficult iterations of the boss battles and incorporating elements like restrictions on power-up usage and badges—designed to encourage strategic play. Beyond the single-player content, the update incorporates a substantial multiplayer component, transforming the game into a miniature Mario Party experience without the associated complexities. Seventeen distinct minigames are available, exhibiting a diversity of gameplay mechanics. These range from cooperative challenges demanding meticulous coordination, such as precisely counting coins or jumps, to chaotic competitive scenarios like object-based tagging with deceptive disguises. Webster highlights the sophisticated design of these minigames, showcasing a commitment to both accessible fun and strategic depth. The update also expands the game’s roster with the addition of Rosalina as a playable character, a flower-based power-up, and the opportunity to decorate a park. While acknowledging some supplementary additions, like unnecessary mouse controls, Webster firmly advocates for the update's value, particularly citing the fresh levels and challenges as the central draw for dedicated players. The piece emphasizes that the expansive content—around $20—represents a solid investment for fans seeking to extend their enjoyment of Super Mario Bros. Wonder, considering its consistent ability to deliver surprising and rewarding gameplay. The article, as presented by Webster, provides an in-depth evaluation of the update's features and functionality, underscoring its capacity to maintain the classic Mario formula while introducing novel ideas and engaging gameplay experiences.