Super Mario Bros. Wonder allows fans to play together both locally and online. But a minor co-op feature can lead to big disappointments…

Super Mario Bros. Wonder was released earlier this month and ushered in a new era for Nintendo’s most beloved characters. The game stands out as the first game to feature a new voice actor for Mario and many others. It looks like this will be the last Super Mario Bros. adventure on the Nintendo Switch. The game is meant to be played together with friends. It boasts four-player local and online co-op, so no one player has to go it alone. Nintendo’s new online co-op works excellently. However, another add-on has proven surprisingly frustrating for some players.

This Super Mario Bros. Wonder feature, the seemingly ignorable crown on the lead player, still needs work.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder is the first new 2D Mario game since 2012’s New Super Mario Bros. 2.

Is the cooperative “crown” of Super Mario Bros. Wonder an unnecessary complication?!

If you’re playing Super Mario Bros. Wonder in co-op mode, you’ll see a floating orange crown icon above one of the characters’ heads. This visual allows fans to know who the camera will focus on. Rather than offering an alternative to the split-screen co-op gameplay found in other titles. However, the crown is visually just hideous. Distracts as it hovers over the player’s head.

Additionally, Super Mario Bros. Wonder’s way of handing out the crown can cause countless frustrations for certain groups of players.

The game offers different play styles, including invincible playable characters. So fans of all ages can participate in the plumber’s latest adventure. It seems that the crown function is meant to provide the same assistance. Because the crown and the camera repeatedly follow the player who scored the highest on the previous course. However, the crown creates a frustrating scenario for children or players with disabilities. If the lead player dies for any reason, the crown and camera will switch to another player. If this lead player is paired with a toddler playing Yoshi or Nabbit, the crown will remain on their invincible character until the lead player completes the level on top of the flagpole.

The game should rework the co-op crown feature

The cooperative crown feature in Super Mario Bros. Wonder could be reworked in several ways. Visually, the problem with the crown is that it always hovers over the character. The solution could be as simple as allowing fans to turn off the spectacle. Or the crown would be replaced with another, more natural marking on the character.

With some subtle colour change, HUD visual element or smaller character outline, the problem could be avoided entirely, so the visuals of Super Mario Bros.Wonder would remain in the universe.

Likewise, the game could give players the option to turn off the crown’s ability to switch players. Allowing older fans to claim the crown would save them the frustration of having to cross the finish line with a toddler or less experienced player to retrieve it. Even if every player had to start over from a checkpoint, if the lead player ran out of lives, it would be less frustrating in the long run. As fans enjoy Super Mario Bros. Wonder alone and with friends, this simple tweak to the co-op crown could do wonders for Nintendo’s goal of creating an experience that caters to the entire community of gamers.

Source: TheGamer