History YMMV / SuperMarioBrosWonder

* LowTierLetdown: The Invisibility Badge. Badges in ''Super Mario Bros. Wonder'' range from a very useful StatusBuff, to being [[HighlySpecificCounterplay highly situational]], to purely [[BraggingRightsReward cosmetic]]. The Invisibility Badge is generally disliked among players for not doing anything else other than making you invisible for added challenge via FakeDifficulty on courses. Being unable to see your character often forces you to rely on a CheeseStrategy, like spamming emotes, or riding Yoshi (so the crown icon displays) just to get by. It's comparable to [[SelfImposedChallenge blindfolding yourself]] given that you're ''entirely'' invisible and there's not even an outline of your character, it's a good reason why the trope VisibleInvisibility exists. Given its status as the most difficult badge, it is the final obstacle of [[BrutalBonusLevel The Final-Final Test Badge Marathon]] and the final obstacle of the whole game, with no checkpoint directly before it, though there are at least many clouds that disappear when touched [[AntiFrustrationFeatures which let you know where you are]]. Enjoy the pain of running foolishly off into the void, and repeat the other prior three sections, [[ThisIsGonnaSuck over and over again with your remaining lives until you nail it]].

** All of the Expert Badges in the game (besides the Sound Off badge BraggingRightsReward) give you some sort of ability that is either hard to control or has a major drawback: the Jet Run badge allows you to run automatically at incredible speeds (similar to ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRun'' but faster) and float over small gaps but you cannot stop it, the Spring Jump allows you to jump higher than usual but makes you jump perpetually, and finally, the Invisibility badge is the least useful of the three, being extremely situational and mostly a pure challenge, it makes it impossible for enemies to spot you but makes you [[FakeDifficulty completely invisible without any (built-in) indicator that shows where you are]]. All stages in the game (other than Badge Challenges, where an specific one must be used on each one, alongside the [[BrutalBonusLevel final bonus level]], where an specific badge must used on each section) can be cleared while equipping these badges if you want to challenge (or depending on the level, torture) yourself.

** The Final-Final Test Badge Marathon is widely considered one of the hardest levels in a ''Mario'' game by far. Consisting of a gauntlet of ten badge challenges one after another they will test your patience as much as your reflexes. Each section will force you to use a different badge to complete it, most of them require precision jumping and split-second decision making under time constraints and each one is hard enough that will take multiple sessions of trial and error to solve. And once you solve one good luck shaking the muscle memory for the next one, which will immediately require a different set of skills. Worst, you have only three checkpoints, so if you lose a life you'll have to redo all the previous challenges between the last checkpoint and the current section. To add insult to injury, the last challenge (and the one that has the flagpole to end the level) requires the invisibility badge, aka, the hardest one to hit the top of the flagpole with. Don't even think about starting this level with less than 99 lives.

** Badges in general are PurposelyOverpowered and make the game ''much'' easier.

*** The Timed High Jump badge is essentially the Triple Jump from the ''New Super Mario Bros.'' series, except that it can be performed from a standstill and is much easier to time. It also goes about just as high as the Crouching High Jump badge, making it feel redundant by comparison.

*** The Safety Bounce badge outright saves you from falling down bottomless pits by boosting you upward by a large amount. It also recharges when touching ground, which you most likely will after jumping out of the pit. This essentially invalidates sequences that force you to jump on enemies to avoid falling into pits and makes most levels a complete cakewalk to beat.

** All of the Expert Badges in the game (besides the Sound Off badge BraggingRightsReward) give you some sort of ability that is either hard to control or has a drawback: the Jet Run badge allows you to run automatically at incredible speeds (similar to ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRun'' but faster) and float over small gaps but you cannot stop it, the Spring Jump allows you to jump higher than usual but makes you jump perpetually, finally, the Invisibility badge is the least useful of the three, being extremely situational and mostly a pure challenge, it makes it impossible for enemies to spot you and makes you completely invisible. All stages in the game (other than Badge Challenges, where an specific one must be used on each one, alongside the [[BrutalBonusLevel final bonus level]], where an specific badge must used on each section) can be cleared while equipping these badges if you want to challenge yourself.

** The Final-Final Test Badge Marathon is widely considered one of the hardest levels in a Mario game by far. Consisting of a gauntlet of ten badge challenges one after another they will test your patience as much as your reflexes. Each section will force you to use a different badge to complete it, most of them require precision jumping and split-second decision making under time constraints and each one is hard enough that will take multiple sessions of trial and error to solve. And once you solve one good luck shaking the muscle memory for the next one, which will immediately require a different set of skills. Worst, you have only three checkpoints, so if you lose a life you'll have to redo all the previous challenges between the last checkpoint and the current section. To add insult to injury, the last challenge (and the one that has the flagpole to end the level) requires the invisibility badge, aka, the hardest one to hit the top of the flagpole with. Don't even think about starting this level with less than 99 lives.

** All of the Expert Badges in the game (besides the Sound Off badge BraggingRightsReward) give you some sort of ability that is either hard to control or has a drawback: the Jet Run badge allows you to run automatically at incredible speeds (similar to ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRun'' but faster) and float over small gaps but you cannot stop it, the Spring Jump allows you to jump higher than usual but makes you jump perpetually, finally, the Invisibility badge is the least useful of the three, being extremely situational and mostly a pure challenge, it makes it impossible for enemies to spot you and makes you completely invisible. All stages in the game (besides the final level) can be cleared while equipping these badges if you want to challenge yourself.

** The Final-Final Test Badge Marathon is widely considered one of the hardest levels in a Mario game by far. Consisting of a gauntlet of ten badge challenges one after another they will test your patience as much as your reflexes. Each section will force you to use a different badge to complete it, most of them require precision jumping and split-second decision making under time constraints and each one is hard enough that will take multiple sessions of trial and error to solve. And once you solve one good luck shaking the muscle memory for the next one, which will immediately require a different set of skills. Worst, you have only three checkpoints, so if you lose a life you'll have to redo all the previous challenges between the last checkpoint and the current section. To add insult to injury, the last challenge (and the one that has the flagpole to end the level) requires the invisibility badge, aka, the hardest one to hit the top of the flagpole with. Don't even think about starting this level with less that 99 lives.

* LowTierLetdown: The Invisibility Badge. Badges in ''Super Mario Bros. Wonder'' range from a very useful StatusBuff, to being [[HighlySpecificCounterplay highly situational]], to purely [[BraggingRightsReward cosmetic]]. The Invisibility Badge is generally disliked among players for not doing anything else other than making you invisible for added challenge via FakeDifficulty on courses. Being unable to see your character often forces you to rely on a CheeseStrategy, like spamming emotes, or riding Yoshi (so the crown icon displays) just to get by. It's comparable to [[SelfImposedChallenge blindfolding yourself]] given that you're ''entirely'' invisible and there's not even an outline of your character, it's a good reason why the trope VisibleInvisibility exists. Given its status as the most difficult badge, it is the final obstacle of [[BrutalBonusLevel The Final-Final Test Badge Marathon]] and the final obstacle of the whole game, with no checkpoint directly before it, though there are at least many clouds that disappear when touched [[AntiFrustrationMeasures which let you know where you are]]. Enjoy the pain of running foolishly off into the void, and repeat the other prior three sections, [[ThisIsGonnaSuck over and over again with your remaining lives until you nail it]].

* LowTierLetdown: The Invisibility Badge. Badges in ''Super Mario Bros. Wonder'' range from a very useful StatusBuff, to being [[HighlySpecificCounterplay highly situational]], to purely [[BraggingRightsReward cosmetic]]. The Invisibility Badge is generally disliked among players for not doing anything else other than making you invisible for added challenge via FakeDifficulty on courses. Being unable to see your character often forces you to rely on a CheeseStrategy, like spamming emotes, or riding Yoshi (so the crown icon displays) just to get by. It's comparable to [[SelfImposedChallenge blindfolding yourself]] given that you're ''entirely'' invisible and there's not even an outline of your character, it's a good reason why the trope VisibleInvisibility exists. Given its status as the most difficult badge, it is the final obstacle of [[BrutalBonusLevel The Final-Final Test Badge Marathon]] and the final obstacle of the whole game, with no checkpoint directly before it. Enjoy the pain of running foolishly off into the void, and repeat the last three sections, [[ThisIsGonnaSuck over and over again with your remaining lives until you nail it]].

* LowTierLetdown: The Invisibility Badge. Badges in ''Super Mario Bros. Wonder'' range from a very useful StatusBuff, to being [[HighlySpecificCounterplay highly situational]], to purely [[BraggingRightsReward cosmetic]]. The Invisibility Badge is '''''horrible''''' and generally disliked among players for introducing an unneeded FakeDifficulty on courses. Being unable to see your character often forces you to rely on a CheeseStrategy, like spamming emotes, or riding Yoshi (so the crown icon displays) just to get by. It's one step below [[SelfImposedChallenge blindfolding yourself]] and ''it's a good reason WHY'' the trope VisibleInvisibility exists! You should be able to see at least an '''outline''' of your character, if the game isn't going to introduce any new mechanics or StealthBasedGame for the challenge involving it! And the real kicker? This is the final obstacle of the [[TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon The Final-Final Test Badge Marathon]], with no checkpoint before it. Enjoy the pain of running foolishly off into the void, only to redo the Jet Run, and Spring Feet sections, [[ThisIsGonnaSuck over and over again with your remaining lives]].

* SelfImposedChallenge: Getting all three 10-flower coins in one run of Fluff Puff Peaks Special: Climb to the Beat. As this is already considered one of, if not ''the'' hardest levels in the entire game, you'll need nigh-perfect timing on your turns and jumps to pull this off, as each 10-flower coin is placed in a way that forces you to lose your momentum to collect them. You can keep your speed intact on the first coin by wall jumping off of the one-block thick platform, but you'll have to collect the second and third coins the normal way, and the third coin comes right before the level drastically speeds up.

** The Drill Mushroom stands out for its hat being lethal to almost every enemy in the game, while drilling into the ground lets you avoid hazards (including bosses) and travel along ceilings. However, it is unavailable until after World 3.

** The most infamous of these is Fluff-Fluff Peaks Special: Climb to the Beat. The platforming is now more precise and after getting the Wonder Flower, poison starts rising. One wrong move and the poison will instantly kill your character, forcing you to start from the beginning.

* FanonDiscontinuity: Even though the actual title of the game was called Super Mario ''Bros.'' Wonder to avoid creating confusion with ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld'', fans choose to call the game ''Super Mario Wonder'', as its much easier to say and rolls off the tongue better. But then again, ''Super Mario Bros. Wonder'' is one acronym short of confusion with ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBrosWii''.

* ThatOnePuzzle: Search Party: Puzzling Park's second Wonder Token is incredibly cryptic. To find this token, you'll need to go to the lower floor, push the leftmost pipe to the right by around seven spaces, and hit an invisible Yellow Toad character block. There is no indication that you can push any of the pipes in this stage, so players may not realize that they need to do this to reach the hidden block (assuming they can figure out one is there to begin with). Given that this is the first Search Party level in the game, it's hard not to imagine that the difficulty is meant to be incentive for [[SocializationBonus engaging with the online multiplayer]], as each Search Party level starts with a recommendation that they be done with local/online multiplayer if the player is having trouble.

** With the sheer variety in mechanics present and focus on new things, a number of quintessential Mario elements fall by the wayside and only see use in one level. Some examples are Bob-ombs, Pokeys and Burners.

* PopularWithFurries: Elephant Mario was instantly beloved by the furry fandom thanks to him being an anthropomorphic elephant rather than an elephant-themed costume like the Frog, Tanooki, and Cat suits. Predictably, he would very soon be subjected to furry fanart with even the other playable characters following suit by being designed in similar ways as Elephant Mario. And to no one's shock, Bowser's in on the elephant fun as well. This popularity expanded to the elephant forms of the other playable characters after they were revealed in the direct. Almost as if a nod to this popularity, a promotional short has Bowser try to woo Peach, only for her to use an Elephant Fruit. Bowser then replaces the single flower ''[[ChubbyChaser with an entire bouquet]]''.

* FanartAtFirstSight: Elephant Mario, the new power-up shown in the June 2023 reveal trailer for the game, instantly became a widespread subject of fanart, especially among [[UsefulNotes/FurryFandom furry artists]], thanks to it being an anthropomorphic elephant rather than a costume like previous animal-themed power-ups.

* WinBackTheCrowd: ''Super Mario Bros. Wonder'' is considered an excellent return to form after past [[ContestedSequel controversial]] entries in spite of any of its flaws. After many fans felt that the last console 2D games, ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBros2'' and ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBrosU'', [[ItsTheSameNowItSucks reused too many ideas]] from previous games and [[MissionPackSequel introduced too few new ones]] besides not changing the core gameplay and aesthetics from ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBrosWii'', ''Wonder'' introduces a plethora of new creative ideas with its Wonder Effects, vastly expands the gameplay with its Badges, has diverse VideoGameSettings, features an entirely new artstyle and soundtrack besides intentional callbacks, excellent level design, and a great playable character roster.

* ItsEasySoItSucks: The game's bosses (aside from the FinalBoss) have caught a lot of flak for this, as they are all near-identical brawls against Bowser Jr. that can be beaten in four hits at most. Worse, his moveset is largely the same as it was in ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBros1'', where he was merely a ''mini-boss''.

* SuspiciouslySimilarSong: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGcSOEYEzIo The course clear theme]] sounds suspiciously like [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrvug5QpVkI The Gustavo and Brick Hour]] jingle from ''VideoGame/PizzaTower''.

* QuestionableCasting: Many people felt Kevin Afgani's take as Mario and Luigi was off, since he didn't sound like Martinet's take on the Mario bros.

* NightmareFuel:
** Castle Bowser is a fusion between Bowser, his Koopa Clown Car and the Flower Kingdom Castle that happens when he grabs a hold of a Wonder Flower, and the fusion is very creepy, especially with his demented swirly eyes and dark Piranha Plant clouds that protect him from any outsiders while he plots to take over the entire universe.
** Heck, how he wrecks havoc across the kingdom is pretty creepy. He converts all of the Popplins' houses into jail cells and has Bowser Jr. and Kamek cause their own chaos in several of the lands.
** Bowser Jr. himself looks creepy during some of his battles, specifically adopting a similar color scheme to [[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiBowsersInsideStory Dark Bowser]] and a creepy mask that happens to have sharp teeth itself.
*** His battle in Deep Magma Bog deserves a mention, considering that he turns the battlefield into a silhouette one during some of his phases, with the platforms growing really creepy orangish eyes which look very similar to [[Literature/TheLordOfTheRings the Eye of Sauron]].
** The Talking Flowers are usually friendly, but the ones in the Pyramid Wonder event in "The Desert Mystery" are the exception. You see reddish ones (keep in mind that red ones usually hang out in Badge stages and are encouraging) that will outright shout "Intruder!" as you enter the pyramid, with strong implications that they set up a trap as well. This is definitely something when most Talking Flowers are either friendly or just want to provide their own commentary and exposition.
** The entirety of the level of ''Muncher Fields'', which happens to be situated right in front of Castle Bowser in the world map. The atmosphere screams BleakLevel compared to everything that's been thrown at you so far - with rain being present, Bowser giving you an unsettling stare the whole time, and the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEm0tZ43BT4&list=PL2XjmdkuVL-3wJKAC7hwQ3BADByBhhj8r&index=46 creepy Fungi Mines music]] playing in the background. Thankfully it's a BreatherLevel compared to the two worlds it's situated between (Fungi Mines and Deep Magma Bog) but it's still really creepy, even by Mario standards.
** You endure the gauntlet that Castle Bowser throws at you and you're ready to take him on. Bowser Jr. then activates a "super duper extra-cool Wonder" which backfires on him. This Wonder ends up being a distorted mass of everything that's been thrown in at you, with the music sounding very off and the Talking Flowers which appear have very unsettling voices compared to what you encountered beforehand.

* JustHereForGodzilla: Many fans saw their interest immediately spike when it was shown that Daisy would be playable in a full-fledged 2D ''Mario'' game for the first time. And with Peach also returning as a playable character (for the first time in a mainline 2D game since ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros2'' and ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRun''), many fans are excited to be able to have the Princesses finally adventure together for the first time.

* [[AwesomeBosses/SuperMarioBros Awesome Bosses]]: [[spoiler:[[Characters/SuperMarioBrosBowser Bowser]] once again fails to disappoint, this time delivering an epic FinalBoss that serves as a culmination of the game's musical theming. You have to time your jumps in sync with the badass music track to land hits, while also dodging a barrage of fiery attacks and smashes from the Koopa King, with each phase escalating until you finally scale the arena and finish him off. After a series of lackluster battles against Bowser Jr., many players were delighted by just how much fun Bowser was able to bring to the table.]]

* ThatOneLevel: Fluff-Puff Peaks Special: Climb to the Beat is surprisingly difficult even among the Special World levels, as it requires a few quick and precise wall jumps near the end of the level. If you jump too slowly or too low, you'll be unable to reach the next wall in time. For the whole level in general, you'll have to perfectly time your jumps and keep up with the level's steadily increasing speed -- adjusting time as you progress -- in order to avoid losing a life and starting over.