Fans of classic side-scrolling Mario action have long waited for a fundamentally new entry, and that dry spell ends this October. On the heels of Mario’s success as a Hollywood blockbuster, Super Mario Bros. Wonder seems to be doubling down on making Mario and his friends more approachable and fun – and the situations he encounters more surprising and bizarre than ever.

Wonder features a gorgeous art style reveling in the fun-loving and humorous personality of the Mario franchise. While remaining a true 2D game, a more rounded and three-dimensional quality is infused into each of the onscreen characters, helping each to pop on the screen. Animations focus on incidental body motions and facial expressions far more than before; Mario bubbles with excitement as he snags a power-up or his hat from within a pipe as he zips inside. From cheerful jumps to slides along new rails, the characters emote far more clearly than in any prior game.

New power-ups are abundant, but many seem tied to a specific pick-up called the Wonder Flower, whose effects differ depending on the level and circumstance. One Wonder Flower adds a psychedelic twist to the surrounding stage, making the environment shift, sometimes drastically, around Mario. Another turns him into a giant spiked ball (complete with mustache and pronounced nose) that rolls through the stage, smashing through everything he encounters. A separate power-up turns Mario into a bulky elephant version of himself, though it’s unclear what he can do with that long trunk and sizeable waistband expansion.

Wonder follows in the footsteps of the “New Super Mario” games by including 4-player multiplayer. Even before launch, we already know Princess Daisy and Yoshi join Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, and Toad as playable characters.

The new levels look bright and beautiful, with pronounced variety from one to the next. In one, we see Mario leap into the heavy rainfall an overhead cloud produces and swim up to its top. In another, he bounces and careens between a herd of ball-shaped purple hippos. At one point, Princess Peach emerges into a foreground section of the level while the other playable characters are still moving along a background plane. At another point, Peach and Mario navigate a lengthy gap by holding out hats that act as parachutes to slow their descent.

It’s clear we’re meant to take the game’s title at face value, as it aims to instill a sense of joy and wonder in the small moments and places that make up the game. There’s every reason to suspect a memorable and amusing adventure from Mario and his pals, and our early glimpse suggests the quality level we’ve come to expect from the series. If it turns out the way we all hope, Nintendo will have another benchmark 2023 game to celebrate alongside the earlier success of the Zelda franchise – and this one is just in time for holidays with the family.

This preview originally appeared in Issue #358 of Game Informer