Nintendo's newest 2D platformer Super Mario Bros. Wonder has a daring new feature, and the online community is up in arms over whether it's a good one.
I can't say I ever expected a 2D Mario platformer to be divisive in any way. The series' 2D games have been formulaic to a fault for far too long, ever since New Super Mario Bros. on the Nintendo DS really. The newly released Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a breath of fresh air in comparison, shaking things up at every available opportunity, and both players and critics are loving it! For the most part, at least.
When it comes to its most recognizable new feature, the Talking Flowers, opinions are much more split, though.
Talking Flowers In Mario Wonder: Genuinely Funny Or Incredibly Annoying?
how did nintendo make "erm, that just happened!" a character and not have it be annoying pic.twitter.com/4JzqlsDDHU
— Grimace (@ramenoranges) October 21, 2023
If you've seen any of the game's ads or trailers, you'll probably have noticed them. I mean, they're pretty hard to miss, being scattered across every level and chiming in with fully voice-acted quips and commentary whenever a player gets near them.
Voice acting in Mario games was previously unheard of (well, apart from short voice clips from now-retired Mario voice actor Charles Martinet), so many fans were worried that the flowers would get annoying, despite assurances from Nintendo that you'd be able to mute them.
In fact, several gaming news outlets published opinion pieces in the months leading up to Wonder's release, complaining about the flowers in the game's trailers and calling them annoying and irritating. "I don’t know how to describe it, but these talking flowers have very punchable voices", Destructoid's Zoey Handley wrote back in September. A harsh way to put it, but she wasn't alone with that sentiment at the time.
Now that Super Mario Bros. Wonder is out and people have had a chance to experience them firsthand, opinions on the Talking Flowers seem to have intensified. Kotaku published an article shortly after release claiming that you should mute the flowers ASAP, but were quickly swarmed by comments and X (formerly Twitter) posts in support of the blooming blabbermouths. Clips of the flowers' shenanigans are flooding social media, and arguments are breaking out over whether they're charming or cringe-inducing.
i'm sure a lot of people find the talking flowers annoying but this is the funniest thing i've ever seen in a mario game #SuperMarioBrosWonder pic.twitter.com/ZlWeDPN6JG
— KirbYourEnthusiasm (@YourKirb) October 20, 2023
Personally, having nearly finished the game with the Talking Flowers talking my ear off the whole way through, I couldn't imagine playing the game without them. They've been unfavorably compared to Marvel-style "Well, That Just Happened" quips, but I don't think that's entirely fair!
Their genuine reactions, great comedic timing and tendency to get dragged into whatever shenanigans the Wonder Flowers cause clear them of the quip accusations and make them a great complement to Wonder's weird and chaotic level design in my opinion.
Have you had a chance to play Super Mario Bros. Wonder yet? How do you feel about the Flowers? Did they manage to win you over, or did you mute them sooner or later?