Super Mario Bros. Wonder + Meetup in Bellabel Park review: a bow on top

Super Mario Bros. Wonder released to critical acclaim in 2023. It was nominated for multiple game of the year awards, and swiftly became one of the best-selling titles on Nintendo Switch. Now, it’s got an all-new update for Nintendo Switch 2, including graphical upgrades for the console and new levels in Meetup in Bellalbel Park.

In all, the new edition is a victory lap for an already-excellent game, with a handful of new multiplayer and co-op game modes, plus some fresh training grounds and boss levels that add to a shiny, creative package.

What to know about Super Mario Bros. Wonder’s Meetup in Bellabel Park DLC

The Super Mario Bros. Wonder expansion Meetup in Bellabel Park is the core attraction of the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition of the game.

If you’ve played the original release, you know what to expect of the rest. Super Mario Bros. Wonder remains a colourful, challenging platformer with real creativity in each and every level. You play as Mario and his pals, once again attempting to stop the villainous Bowser as he causes chaos in the Flower Kingdom.

Each level is themed around a particular element or colour, and you succeed only by jumping, ground-pounding and using special abilities (including an elephant transformation) to leap through each stage and conquer its many challenges.

On Nintendo Switch 2, the stages pop with vivid colours, and the action looks fantastic. There’s a layer of crispness here that really elevates the colour palette of the original game and its sense of charm. The upgrades make it well worth replaying the adventure, or challenging yourself to collect each and every hidden item.

When you’re done strolling through every course, you can tackle all the new content of Bellabel Park. This park is actually a separate location, entered via a special tent. Here, you’ll find a multitude of new mini-games to play.

If you remember the days of Super Mario 64 on Nintendo DS, you’ll know this port and upgrade came with add-on mini-games. The experiences of Bellabel Park are largely similar. Using local play or heading online, you can take part in an array of fun new challenges, which including coin-collecting games, experiences to test your co-op dynamism, and hide-and-seek adventures.

Light touches of story encourage replayability, as you’re constantly earning Bellabel ‘water’ to grow special flowers in this location. But the focus here is on multiplayer fun, as an extension of the cool, co-op vibes of the base game.

As each experience is relatively bite-sized, the mini-games don’t feel too consequential. There’s no sense of completionism or need to engage, particularly if you’re more of a single-player person. They’re just tacked on, with multiple levels of challenge, as another fun way to play around with Super Mario Bros. Wonder‘s movement mechanics and have fun with friends.

Bellabel Park’s other surprises

While the focus is on those multiplayer experiences, the Bellabel Park add-on does also come with other treats, serving single players fairly well.

Head to each area in the game, and you’ll quickly find something new: hidden tents that invite you to take part in boss battles against the Koopalings. There are actually a handful of new, Wonder-filled stages included in this expansion, with each offering a unique fight.

You’ll also get a new power-up to help: a flower power-up that allows you to shoot out blossoming buds.

This helps immensely in skirmishes against Wendy, who turns into a Cheep Cheep-like fish, as well as Lemmy, who turns into a raving clown. Each of these new boss stages is light-hearted and relatively short, but they add to the fun of the adventure, and help to flesh out Bellabel Park.

Beyond these neat stages, this Nintendo Switch 2 refresh introduces fan-favourite hero Rosalina as a playable character, as well as her companion Luma. There’s also a new Toad Brigade Training Camp feature, which offers conquerable challenges to test your mettle.

Of course, not everyone excels at Super Mario Bros. Wonder – so there’s also a new feature for the less experienced player, with a new Assist Mode providing the opportunity to recover from falls (rather than having to start levels over again, or losing life). As Nintendo says, ‘no pressure, all play’.

In all, that’s the cosy, bright vibe of this expansion. It doesn’t change the game too much, and doesn’t feel ‘essential’ overall, but it adds in some creative new adventures, and the opportunity to get rowdy with your gaming pals.

Making a better game just a bit better, Super Mario Bros. Wonder – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup at Bellabel Park offers a wonder-filled time.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup at Bellabel Park launches for Nintendo Switch 2 on 26 March.

A code for Super Mario Bros. Wonder – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup at Bellabel Park was provided by the publisher for the purposes of this review.

Discover more screen, games & arts news and reviews on ScreenHub and ArtsHub. Sign up for our free ArtsHub and ScreenHub newsletters.