{"id":39229,"date":"2026-03-25T20:46:12","date_gmt":"2026-03-25T12:46:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=39229"},"modified":"2026-03-25T20:46:12","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T12:46:12","slug":"super-mario-bros-wonder-bellabel-park-switch-2-review-delightful-but-inessential","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=39229","title":{"rendered":"Super Mario Bros. Wonder Bellabel Park Switch 2 review: delightful, but inessential"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<section class=\"emaki-custom-block emaki-custom-dropcap\" data-nosnippet=\"\">\n<div class=\"emaki-custom dropcap\" id=\"custom_block_0\">\n<div class=\"custom_block-content dropcap\">\n<p>I haven\u2019t found a kitchen sink in the new Switch 2 upgrade of <em>Super Mario Bros. Wonder<\/em> yet, but that doesn\u2019t mean there isn\u2019t one. Nintendo has carpet-bombed this expansion with features: 23 multiplayer minigames (both local and online), a new powerup, new game modifiers, two new playable characters, enhanced visuals, an assist mode, seven new boss battles, and a big new collectathon with its own currency and unlock systems.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><!-- No AdsNinja v10 Client! --><\/p>\n<p>And oh, I almost forgot \u2014 or rather, Nintendo almost did, because this wasn\u2019t featured heavily in its marketing materials for the expansion \u2014 a new challenge mode featuring 74 remixed courses from the original game. 74!<\/p>\n<p>    <!-- No AdsNinja v10 Client! --><\/p>\n<p>This mode is called Toad Brigade Training Camp, and it\u2019s brilliant. It\u2019s worth highlighting upfront for players who already own the game, aren\u2019t interested in multiplayer, and contemplating whether the upgrade is worth it. Toad Brigade Training Camp isn\u2019t quite as substantial as it sounds, but it\u2019s a solid few hours of pell-mell platforming challenge staged within one of the most inventive and refined 2D platform games you can find.<\/p>\n<div class=\"body-img landscape \">\n<div class=\"responsive-img  image-expandable  img-article-item\" style=\"padding-bottom:56.25%\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static0.polygonimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/nintendoswitch2_smbwns2edition_meetupinbellabelpark_scrn14-1.png\" data-modal-id=\"single-image-modal\" data-modal-container-id=\"single-image-modal-container\" data-img-caption=\"&quot;Image: Nintendo EPD\\\/Nintendo&quot;\">\n<figure><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 480px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.polygonimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/nintendoswitch2_smbwns2edition_meetupinbellabelpark_scrn14-1.png?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=500&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.polygonimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/nintendoswitch2_smbwns2edition_meetupinbellabelpark_scrn14-1.png?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=500&amp;dpr=2\"\/><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.polygonimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/nintendoswitch2_smbwns2edition_meetupinbellabelpark_scrn14-1.png?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=800&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.polygonimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/nintendoswitch2_smbwns2edition_meetupinbellabelpark_scrn14-1.png?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=800&amp;dpr=2\"\/><source media=\"(max-width: 1023px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.polygonimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/nintendoswitch2_smbwns2edition_meetupinbellabelpark_scrn14-1.png?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.polygonimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/nintendoswitch2_smbwns2edition_meetupinbellabelpark_scrn14-1.png?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2\"\/><img width=\"1650\" height=\"928\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Toad sits on a stool in Super Mario Bros Wonder DLC on Switch 2\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static0.polygonimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/nintendoswitch2_smbwns2edition_meetupinbellabelpark_scrn14-1.png?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2\" src=\"https:\/\/static0.polygonimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/nintendoswitch2_smbwns2edition_meetupinbellabelpark_scrn14-1.png?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2\" class=\"img-brightness-opt-out\"\/>\n        <\/picture><small class=\"body-img-caption\">Image: Nintendo EPD\/Nintendo<\/small><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> Toad Brigade Training Camp is representative of this release as a whole. (I\u2019ve put off referring to it by name until the fourth paragraph because it\u2019s called, deep breath: <em>Super Mario Bros. Wonder \u2014 Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup at Bellabel Park<\/em>. From here on I\u2019ll just call it <em>Bellabel Park<\/em>.) This is a scattershot expansion with a dozen different ideas, all of them playful and delightfully well executed, but many of them kind of disposable.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s busy and noisy; as a returning player, it\u2019s odd to fire up a Nintendo game and have a similar experience to logging into a live-service game like <em>Destiny 2<\/em> after a year or more away and being overwhelmed. What is all this stuff? Why do I have yet more currencies to track? But none of this matters too much because the game it\u2019s all built from and appended to is an absolute banger.<\/p>\n<p>Families, or players with a regular local multiplayer crew, will get the most out of <em>Bellabel Park<\/em>. Very young players and their patient parents will enjoy the Assist Mode that makes enemies harmless and rescues players from falls, and Luma, a new assist character who can fly around the screen (guided by either stick or mouse controls) collecting coins and zapping enemies.<\/p>\n<div class=\"body-img landscape \">\n<div class=\"responsive-img  image-expandable  img-article-item\" style=\"padding-bottom:56.25%\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static0.polygonimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/nintendoswitch2_smbwns2e_meetupinbellabelpark_attractioncentral-1.png\" data-modal-id=\"single-image-modal\" data-modal-container-id=\"single-image-modal-container\" data-img-caption=\"&quot;Image: Nintendo EPD\\\/Nintendo&quot;\">\n<figure><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 480px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.polygonimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/nintendoswitch2_smbwns2e_meetupinbellabelpark_attractioncentral-1.png?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=500&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.polygonimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/nintendoswitch2_smbwns2e_meetupinbellabelpark_attractioncentral-1.png?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=500&amp;dpr=2\"\/><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.polygonimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/nintendoswitch2_smbwns2e_meetupinbellabelpark_attractioncentral-1.png?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=800&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.polygonimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/nintendoswitch2_smbwns2e_meetupinbellabelpark_attractioncentral-1.png?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=800&amp;dpr=2\"\/><source media=\"(max-width: 1023px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.polygonimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/nintendoswitch2_smbwns2e_meetupinbellabelpark_attractioncentral-1.png?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.polygonimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/nintendoswitch2_smbwns2e_meetupinbellabelpark_attractioncentral-1.png?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2\"\/><img width=\"1650\" height=\"928\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The Super Mario Bros Wonder DLC Switch 2 Edition map\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static0.polygonimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/nintendoswitch2_smbwns2e_meetupinbellabelpark_attractioncentral-1.png?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2\" src=\"https:\/\/static0.polygonimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/nintendoswitch2_smbwns2e_meetupinbellabelpark_attractioncentral-1.png?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2\" class=\"img-brightness-opt-out\"\/>\n        <\/picture><small class=\"body-img-caption\">Image: Nintendo EPD\/Nintendo<\/small><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> The new multiplayer minigames are called Attractions and sit within the titular park. Six of these are available online or over local wireless and support 12 players; I didn\u2019t get a chance to test them. 17 are for four local players, and each game has multiple variations across different courses, themes, and difficulties.<\/p>\n<p>The Vs games are an absolute riot. We loved the delirious Coin Spree games: races to collect the most coins while King Boo isn\u2019t looking, while money cannons shower you with cash, or while a chunky, munificent golden cloud god called Tip-Tap rains coins from the sky using his toy drum. Run, Hide! Phanto Tag is a devilishly cheeky spin on hide-and-seek in which players can disguise themselves as blocks or coins when the lights go out. Other games involve feeding ravenous Yoshis, battling random enemies, or battling each other with bubble guns. They\u2019re all hilarious.<\/p>\n<p>The co-op Attractions are more hit-and-miss. Is it really fun to count the number of times you jump in a level, aiming to hit an exact number? Or for one player to build platforms with a cursor for another to jump on? I\u2019m not sure. We liked Fly Free, Captain Toad!, in which one player controls the stubbornly earthbound explorer and the other, as a bird called Plucky, does his jumping for him, and Sinking! Puffy Jump (I\u2019ll leave that one to your imagination). The local multiplayer games can be played in randomized Attraction Tour playlists, which is probably the best way to experience them and makes for an energizing, snack-sized game session if you fancy a change from Mario Kart.<\/p>\n<div class=\"body-img landscape \">\n<div class=\"responsive-img  image-expandable  img-article-item\" style=\"padding-bottom:56.25%\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static0.polygonimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/nintendoswitch2_smbwns2e_meetupinbellabelpark_fastcash_tip-tap_scoinspree_r.png\" data-modal-id=\"single-image-modal\" data-modal-container-id=\"single-image-modal-container\" data-img-caption=\"&quot;Image: Nintendo EPD\\\/Nintendo&quot;\">\n<figure><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 480px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.polygonimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/nintendoswitch2_smbwns2e_meetupinbellabelpark_fastcash_tip-tap_scoinspree_r.png?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=500&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.polygonimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/nintendoswitch2_smbwns2e_meetupinbellabelpark_fastcash_tip-tap_scoinspree_r.png?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=500&amp;dpr=2\"\/><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.polygonimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/nintendoswitch2_smbwns2e_meetupinbellabelpark_fastcash_tip-tap_scoinspree_r.png?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=800&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.polygonimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/nintendoswitch2_smbwns2e_meetupinbellabelpark_fastcash_tip-tap_scoinspree_r.png?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=800&amp;dpr=2\"\/><source media=\"(max-width: 1023px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.polygonimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/nintendoswitch2_smbwns2e_meetupinbellabelpark_fastcash_tip-tap_scoinspree_r.png?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.polygonimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/nintendoswitch2_smbwns2e_meetupinbellabelpark_fastcash_tip-tap_scoinspree_r.png?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2\"\/><img width=\"1650\" height=\"928\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Golden clouds rain coins in Super Mario Bros Wonder DLC\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static0.polygonimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/nintendoswitch2_smbwns2e_meetupinbellabelpark_fastcash_tip-tap_scoinspree_r.png?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2\" src=\"https:\/\/static0.polygonimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/nintendoswitch2_smbwns2e_meetupinbellabelpark_fastcash_tip-tap_scoinspree_r.png?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2\" class=\"img-brightness-opt-out\"\/>\n        <\/picture><small class=\"body-img-caption\">Image: Nintendo EPD\/Nintendo<\/small><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> For a solo player, the Toad Brigade Training Courses are the meat of <em>Bellabel Park<\/em>. These are mostly time-based challenges, although some ask you to complete a course without touching any coins (incredibly counterintuitive) or keep an invincibility run going all the way through. Courses \u2014 all based on existing <em>Wonder <\/em>levels \u2014 often have set conditions, like character invisibility or particular powerups and game-altering badges, that twist and charge the challenge. They\u2019re devious and superbly designed, as are the seven new Koopaling boss battles scattered through the game.<\/p>\n<p>The Toad Brigade courses and Koopaling battles unlock according to your progress in the main game. <em>Bellabel Park<\/em> probably works best for someone like me, who drifted away from <em>Wonder<\/em> halfway through; unlocking the new challenges is a good incentive to return to the game and complete it.<\/p>\n<div class=\"body-img landscape \">\n<div class=\"responsive-img  image-expandable  img-article-item\" style=\"padding-bottom:56.25%\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static0.polygonimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/nintendoswitch2_smbwns2edition_meetupinbellabelpark_scrn15.png\" data-modal-id=\"single-image-modal\" data-modal-container-id=\"single-image-modal-container\" data-img-caption=\"&quot;Image: Nintendo EPD\\\/Nintendo&quot;\">\n<figure><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 480px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.polygonimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/nintendoswitch2_smbwns2edition_meetupinbellabelpark_scrn15.png?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=500&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.polygonimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/nintendoswitch2_smbwns2edition_meetupinbellabelpark_scrn15.png?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=500&amp;dpr=2\"\/><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.polygonimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/nintendoswitch2_smbwns2edition_meetupinbellabelpark_scrn15.png?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=800&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.polygonimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/nintendoswitch2_smbwns2edition_meetupinbellabelpark_scrn15.png?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=800&amp;dpr=2\"\/><source media=\"(max-width: 1023px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.polygonimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/nintendoswitch2_smbwns2edition_meetupinbellabelpark_scrn15.png?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.polygonimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/nintendoswitch2_smbwns2edition_meetupinbellabelpark_scrn15.png?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2\"\/><img width=\"1650\" height=\"928\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Luigi, Yoshi, and Peach engage in platforming challenges in Super Mario Bros Wonder DLC on Switch 2\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static0.polygonimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/nintendoswitch2_smbwns2edition_meetupinbellabelpark_scrn15.png?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2\" src=\"https:\/\/static0.polygonimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/nintendoswitch2_smbwns2edition_meetupinbellabelpark_scrn15.png?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2\" class=\"img-brightness-opt-out\"\/>\n        <\/picture><small class=\"body-img-caption\">Image: Nintendo EPD\/Nintendo<\/small><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> And what a wonder it is: a ceaselessly imaginative game with a strong sense of its own absurdity, a mischievous mean streak, mechanics that have been perfect for 40 years, and a bracing willingness to go hard. It\u2019s a 2D Mario game, in other words \u2014 perhaps the best since 1991\u2019s <em>Super Mario World<\/em>, certainly the most customizable, and probably the best-looking, especially in its deliciously sharp and colorful presentation on the Switch 2.<\/p>\n<p>If you never got around to <em>Super Mario Bros. Wonder<\/em> before, <em>Bellabel Park<\/em> is an essential purchase. As an upgrade, it\u2019s almost deliberately inessential: a large tray laden with souffl\u00e9s, amuse-bouches, and bon-bons to set alongside <em>Wonder<\/em>\u2019s hearty meal. They won\u2019t fill you up, or make the main course taste any better. But they sure look irresistible.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p>Super Mario Bros. Wonder \u2014 Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup at Bellabel Park <em>will be released March 26 on Nintendo Switch 2. The game was reviewed on Switch 2 using a prerelease download code provided by Nintendo. You can find <\/em><em>additional information about Polygon\u2019s ethics policy here<\/em><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.polygon.com\/super-mario-bros-wonder-meetup-bellabel-park-switch-2-review\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article At Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I haven\u2019t found a kitchen sink in the new Switch 2 upgrade of Super Mario Bros. Wonder yet, but that doesn\u2019t mean there isn\u2019t one&#8230;.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":39230,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[18982,7532,17521,18983,1509,1677,28,1508,255],"class_list":["post-39229","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tech-gadgets-reviews","tag-bellabel","tag-bros","tag-delightful","tag-inessential","tag-mario","tag-park","tag-review","tag-super","tag-switch","wpcat-32-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39229","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=39229"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39229\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/39230"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=39229"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=39229"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=39229"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}