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We take for granted that Mariois weird.
No, look past the obvious dorm-room observation thatthose are magic mushrooms, man.
(He was framed, of course.)
It is now custom that superheroes wear tights, for example, or that mutant turtles favor pizza.
But Marios capacity for weirdness is particularly capacious.
Across his 42 years of existence, our stout hero has traversed galaxies, corporeal forms,even professions.
By the time we remember he rides a dinosaur named Yoshi, nothing feels more natural.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder, Nintendos first brand-new 2-DMarioside-scroller in over a decade, is amply weird.
Aided by Prince Florian, the lands caterpillar monarch, Mario and friends must save the day once again.
InSuper Mario 3D World, Mario became a wall-climbing cat.
Wonders primary gimmick is less a mechanical conceit than an artistic one.
(Not that the Flower Kingdom wasnt plenty strange to begin with.
Take your time!)
Grabbing a Wonder Flower causes the reality of the level to warp in unpredictable ways.
The music turns feverish, colors more vivid.
Pipes may come to life.
Toad may stretch out into the shape of a beanpole.
I likeSuper Mario Bros. Wondera whole lot.
Some badges are meant to be straightforward solutions for certain levels.
The larger cast of playable characters represents another missed opportunity.
(Have youseensome of these creations!?)
PlaydeadsLimboandInsideconjure gorgeous visions of German Expressionist dread through its shadowy aesthetic.
Wonderunderscores what has always been Nintendos solution to this problem.
Indeed, this is perhaps the first mainline Mario game that aggressively wears its external inspirations on its sleeve.
(Is that aLimboreference I see?)
Weirdness, accentuated by a sense of flair, is a fundamental pillar of the Mario experience.
This is a huge reason whyThe Super Mario Bros. Moviefelt so creatively impoverished.
(In hindsight,it makes the 1993 disasterfeel more spiritually aligned with the franchise.)
Nintendo wants toproduce more movies from its intellectual properties.
Itmakes theme parks now.
Once a companythat agonized over making aMariofor the smartphone, theres something unbridled about Nintendo today.
Will its games stay weird?
One can only hope, but withWonder, theres reason to be optimistic.
