Nintendo
Does Nintendo actually want us to have friends?
I’ve long had my doubts. As much as I loved playing Pokémon Stadium and Mario Tennis with my sister and inviting friends over to play Mario Kart and Mario Party, those childhood memories are as much defined by the fun we had as they are the arguments.There’s a reason the Mario Party series is known for destroying friendships—it’s because the studio making it is absolutely committed to doing so. At this point, I have to wonder if it’s Nintendo’s agenda: Play its games to test the boundaries of your closest friendships.
Super Mario Wonder, the latest big Nintendo game out on Switch, has only reinforced this idea for me. I’ve been having a blast with the game, finding infinite thrills in observing the gorgeously detailed environments, discovering new ways to change or complete the level, and switching between the eight different characters to see how, say, Princess Daisy looks as an elephant. (The new elephant power, which turns everyone from Mario to Toad into an adorably brutish elephant that walks on two legs, is a gift to mankind.)
