Super Mario Bros. Wonder was an unfiltered banger. From its visual style to the barrage of new ideas found in almost every level, it was everything we wanted after a few too many New Super Mario Bros. But I’m convinced the series peaked with Super Mario Maker 2 in 2019, and for me, that's the bar to clear as Nintendo walks into the Switch 2 era.
Mind you, we could argue the second Mario Maker was (and continues to be) limited by the ‘building blocks’ it borrowed from everything before it, along with Nintendo’s tight grip on what players can and cannot create with the vast array of tools included in the package.
Whereas creative-sandbox games such as Little Big Planet 2 became unrecognizable if the right person got their hands on them, Super Mario Maker 2 is ‘more Mario’ even at its best and most surprising. That’s not a bad thing though.
