In Super Mario Bros. Wonder, the answer to the question of what makes a level great or the best is a bit different than other games in the Nintendo franchise.
Generally, a stage that provides a memorable challenge with a great tune and a fun gimmick make for the best experiences; however, Super Mario Bros. Wonder also introduces trippy Wonder Flowers to the mix. Below are the five best levels in Super Mario Bros. Wonder, ranked mainly by how wonderfully the Wonder Flower changes the stage, followed closely by level of platforming challenge and the general gimmick.
The Best Stages in Super Mario Bros. Wonder
5. Piranha Plants on Parade Is Super Mario Wonder’s First Truly Great Level
As the second level of the entire game, Piranha Plants on Parade doesn’t provide a steep challenge; however, the Wonder Flower surprises with an adorable and catchy Piranha dance routine that sets up the tone for the rest of the game. It tells you that this isn’t your typical 2D Mario and that things are gonna get weird, thus becoming one of the most memorable stages in the game. Furthermore, it also houses an obscure secret exit as 1 – 2 levels in Mario games are wont to do, and who doesn’t love a good secret exit to go along with dancing Piranhas?
4. Cosmic Hoppos Has a Great Wonder Flower Gimmick
You can find the Cosmic Hoppos level hidden in the first world, Pipe-Rock Plateau, which is also the best world in the game. The first half of the level has you knocking adorable Hoppos into holes to bounce off them and reach greater heights. Hidden right near the exit, an extra route leads to the Wonder Flower and sends Mario into space, where floating Hoppos threaten to push him into spikes – including a massive Hoppo near the end. While a Mario veteran won’t find this level too difficult, it provides enough challenge with a hilarious Wonder Flower gimmick to make it both memorable and a joy to play.
3. Dragon Boneyard Is Like the Neverending Story
Mario and friends aren’t strangers to dragons, though they’re usually foes rather than adorable friends – like the Ruined Dragon in Super Mario Odyssey. In the Flower Kingdom, however, it seems dragons have gone extinct. The Dragon Boneyard has two fun gimmicks to it: first, you have to ride rolling dragon fossils, both inside them through a small open hole and outside of them, as purple avians fly at you. Challenging in its own right, this level takes a page out of The Neverending Story once you find the Wonder Flower, bringing one of the dragon fossils to life to ride around a dangerous lava field. Thankfully, this dragon is much more friendly than its Ruined cousin.
2. Bowser’s Blazing Beats Is Incredibly Memorable
The penultimate level before the final confrontation with Castle Bowser, Bower’s Blazing Beats epitomizes all the things that make Super Mario Bros. Wonder great: inventive new enemies, fair platforming challenge, and a delightful Wonder Flower gimmick. Massive, flaming knuckles threaten to take away a life or two while Bull’s Eye Bills seek you out as you navigate air-pressure powered platforms. The Wonder Flower turns this stage into a musical show, with the fiery fists descending or ascending to a catchy beat. Of course, a horde of Goombas watches on in the background. It all combines to make Bowser’s Blazing Beats one of the game’s most memorable stages.
1. Piranha Plant Reprise Is Super Mario Wonder’s Best Level
Truthfully, Piranha Plant Reprise and Bowser’s Blazing Beats are rather interchangeable with the top spot – both levels are amazing. Piranha Plants are just a bit cuter with a catchier song. This Special World stage takes what made Piranha Plants on Parade great, adds a new tune, throws in a hefty dose of challenge, and provides a handful more enemies to groove to the beat. Not only do the Piranha Plants sing the Very Special March song, Bullet Bills blast from their cannons to accent the song’s beat while coins appear to add some high notes. Enemies called Spikes hurl – you guessed it – spiky balls through a frenetic gauntlet before the entire song speeds up, requiring you and your chosen hero to dash through to the end. It’s a delightful experience from beginning to end, one well worth replaying, and perhaps the most memorable, and best, level Super Mario Bros. Wonder has to offer.
And those are our picks for the best levels in Super Mario Bros. Wonder. If you’re looking for more, check out why this article’s author is certain Super Mario World is the best 2D Mario ever.
