Highlights
- Super Mario Bros. Wonder has the potential to elevate the multiplayer experience by adding online functionality, which would allow players to connect and play together regardless of their physical location.
- The inclusion of online multiplayer in Super Mario Bros. Wonder would be a smart move, as it aligns with the current trend in gaming and provides players with the opportunity to collaborate and tackle challenging levels more effectively.
- While couch co-op has its merits, Super Mario Bros. Wonder would benefit from embracing online multiplayer, as it would enhance the overall player experience and allow friends and family who live far apart to play together effortlessly.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder could take its multiplayer capabilities to the next level by adding an upgrade to the series' formula. As a part of Nintendo's flagship franchise, Super Mario Bros. Wonder is in a prime position to show off the best that the Switch is capable of. Not to mention, since it will be the first 2D Mario adventure in several years, there is a lot of pressure for the game to be a magnificent return to form for Nintendo's greatest hero. While Wonder already looks impressive, a few tweaks could put the game over the top. Specifically, the addition of online multiplayer could make it a lot more appealing to a modern audience.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder is one of the Nintendo Switch's biggest games in development, and it's not hard to see why. In addition to calling back to Mario's platforming roots, there is a lot for players to get excited over. It's Daisy's first playable appearance in a main series platformer, and the Wonder Flower sets up a lot of wild new possibilities for level design. Following up on Super Mario Odyssey, Super Mario Bros. Wonder was always going to need to innovate in a major way to be a worthy successor. Thankfully, early gameplay footage points towards it living up to the task.
Why Online Play Could Help Super Mario Bros. Wonder's Multiplayer
Multiplayer has been a part of Super Mario Bros. since the beginning, and it's confirmed in Super Mario Bros. Wonder as well. In the style that started in New Super Mario Bros. Wii, up to four players will be able to tackle a course simultaneously. This approach has a few perks that make it an excellent fit for the series. For one, it allows players to coordinate their moves with each other to tackle a course more efficiently than they could on their own. The dynamic also lets less-experienced players get through more of the game when playing with a skillful partner.
Unfortunately, an excellent possible addition to the series' multiplayer action may not be in the cards. As it stands, Super Mario Bros. Wonder's multiplayer is limited to players on the same console. While this has been the case for every Super Mario Bros. game thus far, Wonder could benefit greatly from introducing online multiplayer to the series. While couch co-op is a series tradition, sticking too close to the past can run the risk of forsaking progress, especially where technology is concerned. Super Mario Bros. Wonder's multiplayer doesn't have to be limited to the same format as past adventures, especially with its new features.
Online multiplayer is one of the best additions that Super Mario Bros. Wonder could receive. The Nintendo Switch is very capable of online play, as shown by Splatoon 3's ability to play with friends online. A Super Mario platformer could likely handle the same sort of online mechanics. Not to mention, it would make it easier for players to connect with each other. Friends or family members who lived far apart wouldn't have to wait until they're together in order to play together. An online option would enable them to play Super Mario Bros. Wonder together no matter how far apart they are.
Online play is only growing in the gaming sphere, Nintendo included, so it feels odd for Mario to not join the trend. Online functionality makes it easier for friends to play together, and with Super Mario Bros. Wonder's difficulty, players would probably appreciate the extra help. Of course, there's nothing wrong with couch co-op, which is the reason why it has thrived for decades. The issue is the limitations that come with not embracing online as an option. Without online multiplayer functionality, Super Mario Bros. Wonder will miss out on a factor that could boost the players' experience.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder will be released on October 20, 2023 for the Nintendo Switch