Super Mario Wonder Bellabel Park Switch 2 Review

Super Mario Bros. Wonder Bellabel Park Review: A Multiplayer Transformation

Nintendo’s been cleverly using Switch2 upgrades to plug the gaps in their release schedule and get fans excited to revisit their beloved Super Mario Bros. Wonder games. While previous upgrades were all about giving the visuals a boost or adding stuff like the notes you can collect in Zelda in Breath of the Wild, the Bellabel Park expansion takes a very different approach. It’s also the priciest of the Switch 2 upgrades so far, and it’s like taking a completely different game – a top-notch party experience that may just surprise long-time fans.

Moving Towards Multiplayer Mayhem

Bellabel Park is a really interesting direction for a series that’s always been about single-player platforming. The expansion focuses almost entirely on multiplayer action, and while there is some single player, it’s not like it’s absent.

The story goes that Bellabel Park is a new map area, home to some special Bellabel flowers. When the Koopalings show up to nick them, Captain Toad and the Poplins go in search of them. Each world has a new Poplin scout brigade tent that leads to one of the Koopalings.

For newcomers to Mario Wonder, this all provides a decent narrative thread to follow. But for older fans, you can just dive straight in and take on the enhanced boss fight stages where the Koopalings, powered up by Wonder Flowers, get turned into something totally wacky to fight. Wendy turns into a big fish, and Morton gets turned into a giant marionette puppet. These reimagined battles, with the stage changing in really cool ways and all, are great for bringing some life back to these classic villains who haven’t had much of a look-in lately.

Power-Ups and the Dual Badge System

Beyond the Koopaling battles, it’s worth checking out the Toad Brigade Training Camp – it has these challenge stages where you have to test your skills. These include things like running around in time limits, getting rid of all the monsters, and doing this really tough run where you have to collect Super Stars all the time. The difficulty ramps up quickly, and you have to do things like navigate a level as a bouncy ball – or only use this certain special badge to get through.

New Characters and Power-Ups

Rosalina joins the roster – but unfortunately, she plays just like every other standard character in Mario Wonder. The Flower Pot power-up is probably the most exciting new addition – it lets every character do a Yoshi-style bouncing jump and fire these wide flowers up at the top of the screen to counter any overhead threats. It’s a great little gimmick and gets a lot of personality through the animations of the characters skipping along at the start of every level.

But – outside of the Koopaling boss fights – the Flower Pot gets used really, really little. Getting it to work in the main campaign stages is a bit of a pain – you either have to run around with it the whole time, or you have to go to a lot of trouble to make it spawn.

The Dual Badges Revolution

Bellabel Park just got a whole lot more exciting with the Dual Badges, a seriously powerful upgrade to the single-player experience that combines the best of existing badge effects to blow them out of the water. Think about it: Parachute Cap + Boosting Spin Jump – now you’ve got extra spin jump height before floating down with the Parachute Cap. And have you tried Add ! Blocks + Sensor? That’s a secret-finding machine.

These Dual Badges are really something; they outperform regular badges so much that it’s almost a no-brainer to stick with them – forget about going back to standard options.

Gacha-Style Progression – But Not the Kind You Hate

Okay, so Bellabel Park’s gacha-like mechanic isn’t so bad – sure, you’re getting your Dual Badges through a random spin, but at least you’ve got a reason to keep playing – a sense of progression and maybe even a bit of strategy. You earn the water to spin for badges by completing challenge stages and participating in multiplayer modes. And it’s not all bad – you also get some other nice rewards like emote greetings, decorative flowers for park customisation, and even musical instruments for those Poplin band performances.

While getting all the Dual Badges is probably the main draw, don’t think that challenge stages are a complete waste of time – they’ll give you water, and while Bellabel Park is ultimately all about multiplayer, it’s still worth giving those challenge stages a whirl.

The Multiplayer Hub – Where the Fun Really Happens

The multiplayer hub is pretty neat, with a layout that mirrors the regular Wonder map – Local Multiplayer on the left and Game Room online options on the right. Local games are split into versus and co-op categories – each attraction lasting a short 1-2 minutes. And hey, if you want to mix it up a bit, the Attraction Tour option at the front desk lets you pick:

·         How many minigames in a row you want to play

·         Your preferred difficulty level (Easy, Medium, Hard)

·         Whether you’re in the mood for versus or co-op

Still, to be honest, a “pick your own games” feature would be really nice – but the random selection is a good compromise if you just want to have a quick blast of fun.

Massive Minigame Library – You’ll Never Run Out

Let’s face it, there are just a ton of minigames at your disposal – and even a single attraction like Coin Rush has got three different minigame types, each featuring 4-6 courses of varying difficulty. Of course, some attractions have more, some have fewer, but honestly, you’ll be playing for a long time before you even scratch the surface.

And even better, these minigames deliver the same madcap fun as Mario Party, but with one key difference: every single game is built around the same core Mario platforming fundamentals. So, if you’re already familiar with basic Mario gameplay, you can jump right in and start playing. And even if you’re a beginner, the platformer language is pretty much universal, so you can pick it up fast.

Get Ready for Some Crazy Gameplay Ideas

Within this framework, Bellabel Park breaks out some pretty cool new concepts:

· Captain Toad Co-op: One player takes care of the movement, the other handles the jumping – it’s a whole new take on co-op gameplay

· Doughnut Block Builder: One player is in charge of building platforms using the Switch mouse, while the others try to navigate the stage

· Phanto Tag: Hide-and-seek versus a game where you disguise yourself as blocks while the other player tries to find you

· Baby Yoshi’s Feeding Time: Players grab enemies and apples with a growing baby Yoshi on their back – and of course, the winner is slowly driven mad by the increasing size of their Yoshi!

Discovering these games is a real treat, and the Mario platforming thing just makes it more fun – and a little bit more frenzied – as you clear stages by fractions of a second, or frantically toss Bob-ombs to your co-op partners.

Family Friendly Features & Online Performance

When playing with friends and family of varying skill levels, the thoughtful design really shines through. Support badges help bring new players up to speed, while expert badges give even the most seasoned pros a run for their money. But for younger players, the fact that characters like Nabbit and Yoshi can’t grab power-ups might be a letdown. They’ll notice that, compared to the likes of Mario, they’re at a bit of a disadvantage.

Besides that, online play is solid – no major hiccups or those dreaded, frustrating moments that can make online Mario games such a grind.

Final Verdict – Who Should Buy This Upgrade?

Super Mario Bros. Wonder + Meetup at Bellabel Park gets a conditional thumbs up. How much you’re likely to get out of it depends on your gaming style:

For Solo Players

If you’re a single-player fan who’s already finished the original Mario Wonder campaign, then this upgrade offers some fun – but it’s mostly fleeting. You’ll get:

· These neat little Koopaling boss-fight stages, which are full of creative ideas

· Some extra challenge stages to get your teeth into

· The Flower Pot power-up

· A couple of fun dual badge building options

But let’s be real, these additions aren’t going to give you hours and hours of solo playtime.

For Multiplayer Maniacs

But on the other hand, if you’ve got a Mario- friendly household or are looking for some competitive online action, then Bellabel Park has plenty to offer. And in the end, it’s the multiplayer action that’s the real star of the show – chaotic, fun, and full of surprises.

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