Super Mario Bros. Wonder — Fresh and Energetic Switch

Super Mario Bros. Wonder — Fresh and Energetic Switch
Author: Maxim Orlov Updated: 2025-02-05 Language: EN Reading time: ~6 min TheGast Staff
Review cover
TL;DR: Lively animation, varied levels, great co‑op. 8.6/10

Key specs

  • Platform: Switch Build version: 1.0 Tested: 2025-02-04
  • Patch version: 1.0
  • Time to finish: —
  • Build version: 1.0

Gameplay

World & progression

Super Mario Bros. Wonder — Fresh and Energetic Switch builds its loop around clear goals and readable systems. Side content feeds the main progression rather than distracting from it. Tutorials are short, and the game lets you apply new skills almost immediately.

Combat & buildcraft

Encounters push you to rotate tools instead of spamming one button. Damage types and enemy behaviors encourage light experimentation. Bosses telegraph fairly; defensive options are viable for players who prefer a measured pace.

Content & replayability

There’s enough variety in missions and optional objectives to mix short and long sessions. Challenge sliders and assist options let you tune friction without breaking the intended balance.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder — Fresh and Energetic Switch on Switch emphasizes its core loop and input feel.

Handheld ergonomics are good; gyro aiming (where available) adds precision. Button mapping follows Nintendo’s conventions; portable sessions of 20–40 minutes feel natural.

Enemy variety forces you to use your whole kit instead of one optimal combo. Difficulty ramps fairly; assist toggles allow you to tune the experience. Side activities feed into the main loop without busywork.

Graphics & Audio

Art & presentation

The art direction carries a lot of weight: strong silhouettes, legible VFX and UI that surfaces important info without clutter. Subtitles are easy to read, HUD scale is adjustable, and you can pare back visual noise if you prefer a cleaner look.

Audio notes

We recommend headphones: positional cues help with awareness, and the mix separates effects, VO and music well. If dialogue feels buried, raise the voice channel in the audio menu.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder — Fresh and Energetic Switch delivers a clear image and a balanced mix; below are practical notes from testing.

Portable image is sharp on the OLED panel; dynamic resolution keeps frame‑rate stable. Docked play cleans up edges and raises shadow quality. Audio is clean through the 3.5 mm jack or Bluetooth.

UI readability is high in both bright and dark scenes. Subtitle styling, camera shake and film grain can be adjusted to taste.

Performance

Settings we used

For testing on Switch we favored stable frame‑time over maxed visuals. Turning down volumetrics/shadows first often frees up the largest margin. If you’re sensitive to latency, cap FPS slightly below your display’s max or enable a performance preset.

Stability

Long sessions remained crash‑free in our runs. If you encounter shader hitching after an update, verify files (PC) or restart the console to rebuild caches.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder — Fresh and Energetic Switch on Switch hits its targets in most scenes; see our table and tips.

Targets a consistent 30 FPS; heavy effects may shave a few frames but input remains responsive. Suspend/resume works flawlessly; loading zones are short.

SceneResolutionFPS (avg)
City (day)1440p60
Dungeons1440p58

If you want extra headroom, reduce volumetrics and shadows first; they’re the biggest hitters for most engines.

Monetization & Online

Super Mario Bros. Wonder — Fresh and Energetic Switch — here’s how the business model and any online features impact moment‑to‑moment play.

There are no microtransactions; the full experience is available out of the box.

The experience is entirely offline, which keeps focus on campaign pacing and discovery.

Refund/parental controls: platform‑level purchase restrictions work as expected.

Accessibility

Super Mario Bros. Wonder — Fresh and Energetic Switch includes meaningful options that make it easier to play for more people.

  • Subtitles support readable sizes and clear backgrounds; speaker labels help in noisy scenes.
  • Color‑blind presets cover common profiles; intensity sliders reduce ambiguity.
  • Camera aids: motion blur, chromatic aberration and camera shake can be reduced or disabled.
  • Controls: invert axes, response curves and sensitivity per mode; remapping varies by platform.
Pros: Stable FPS, Comfortable controls, Lots of content
Cons: Occasional localization issues, Long HDD loads

Verdict

Who is it for?

If you enjoy tight combat loops, clear goals and responsive performance on Switch, Super Mario Bros. Wonder — Fresh and Energetic Switch is an easy pick. Those chasing pure visual fidelity can still choose a quality preset without losing the overall feel.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder — Fresh and Energetic Switch is easy to recommend if you enjoy tight combat loops and steady performance. If you value pure image sharpness over responsiveness, the quality mode still delivers, but most players will prefer the smoother performance preset.

Bottom line: a confident release that respects your time and plays well on the target hardware.

Game metadata

  • Developer/Publisher: Nintendo / Nintendo
  • Release date: 2023-10-20
  • Genres: Action
  • Modes: Single-player, Co-op
  • Age rating: 7+
  • Platform: Switch
  • Build version: 1.0
  • Tested: 2025-02-04

Scores

  • Gameplay: 8.5/10
  • Visuals: 8.5/10
  • Audio: 8.5/10
  • Performance: 8.5/10
  • Monetization/UX: 9.0/10

Source

Hands‑on testing + official patch notes

Review methodology

We play the opening hours to assess onboarding, then log a mix of open areas, dense hubs and boss encounters. For performance we record frame‑time with a 5–10 minute run per scene and note minimums/averages. Settings: v‑sync off with VRR (where possible), motion blur low/off, TAA enabled; consoles tested in their performance modes when available.

We avoid story spoilers and disclose the test devices in the article header. Scores use a 0–10 scale with weights: gameplay 40%, visuals 20%, audio 10%, performance 20%, monetization/UX 10%.

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