Sometimes, even the smallest of wonders can leave a big impression. Break Time levels are little bite-sized challenges inSuper Mario Wonderthat will typically take you less than a minute to complete. In fact, many of these micro levels can be completed in a matter of seconds if you know what you’re doing, netting you another Wonder Seed to add to the collection.
However, not all Break Time levels are created equal. While some are too simplistic to justify their existence, others are fantastic demonstrations of how this super-condensed level format can lead to some really creative results.
17Hurry Hurry
Running fast is a staple of Mario and is used to great effect in several levels throughout Super Mario Wonder—particularly the Wriggler Races. Unfortunately, Hurry Hurry is not one of those instances. There is no timer, no obstacles, no challenge, and ultimately, no real fun. At least it’s over quickly.
Hot Tips n’ Tricks
Hold down that run button and right on the D-pad and—very occasionally—you even have to jump. It almost reminds you of arival platforming franchise, but without any of those games’ flair or kinetic energy.
16Kick It, Outmaway!
Poor, Outmaway. The little guy never really stood a chance. Dodging the ice blocks and making your way up to the Outmaway’s platform is fun in theory, but far too simplistic in execution.
The ice physics present the only real “challenge” in this Break Time level. If you’re struggling to land the jumps on the ice blocks, then equip either the Crouching High Jump or Floating High Jump to easily make your way to the top.
15Pop Up, Hoppo!
Controlling the movement and direction of a very unenthused Hoppo makes for a cute little puzzle, but not much else beyond that. At least you get to enjoy the thrill and euphoria of bouncing on this rotund purple mammal once you have put it in its place.
Timing the jumps to trigger the two springs can be kind of tricky as the Hoppo moves at a fairly brisk pace. Stand under the rock between the two springs so you can hit them both in quick succession as the Hoppo moves from left to right.
14Wonder Token Tunes / Bouncy Tunes
The most charming aspect of these two Break Time levels is the line of coins that appear as musical notes on the stave after you have collected all of the Wonder Tokens. Other than that, both these levels are really short and easy, but at least bouncing around on the music blocks never gets old.
Collect each Wonder Token one at a time and dance around on the music blocks as long as you want. Both these levels get even more fun when paired with the Rhythm Jump badge.
13Trottin’ Piranha Plants
This Break Time stage is similar to Wonder Token Tunes and Bouncy Tunes, except that instead of hopping on music blocks to collect Wonder Tokens, you use them to nip out some pesky piranha plants. There isn’t any risk of being damaged as there is no way to come into direct contact with the piranha plants, but it’s still satisfying to give each one the bump while making a merry tune.
This Break Time is extremely easy and low risk. The piranha plants do move around on top, so make sure you time your jumps to account for their changing position.
12Timer-Switch Climb / Timer-Switch Dash
Timer-Switches turn invisible blocks solid for a short period of time, forcing you to dash to the next Timer-Switch before the ground literally disappears under your feet. Both these levels create a frantic sense of urgency as you race to reach the next Timer-Switch and keep your run alive.
While neither stage is too challenging, Timer-Switch Dash certainly has higher stakes by the pure virtue of having most of the blocks sitting above a pool of lava. When it comes to the end of Dash, ensure you hit all the hidden blocks to create a bridge leading across to the Wonder Seed before you hit the final Timer-Switch. The Parachute Cap simplifies both levels.
11Floating Wonder Tokens
Sometimes, those Wonder Tokens are just out of our reach. Such is the case for Floating Wonder Tokens, where the only path to success is on the backs of some Bloomps and a rotating triangular bouncy pad that’s as finnicky as it sounds. Still, a neat little challenge that requires some careful movement and planning.
All of the trickiness of this stage is made redundant if you use the Boosting Spin Jump or Timed High Jump badges. If you are a purest, then it’s best to avoid the bouncy pad as much as possible and simply ride your way up to the top of the screen by jumping across the Bloomps.
10Cloud Cover
Cloud Cover doesn’t gain a lot of points in the difficulty category, but it makes up for this by being so irresistibly endearing. There’s something so magical about inching your way up through the clouds on a climbing pole, gradually discovering the five Wonder Tokens behind their tropospheric hiding places.
If you want to create some artificial difficulty, try and collect all five Wonder Tokens on a single climb before the pole slides back down. Otherwise, you get as many tries as you need, so there isn’t really much pressure with this Break Time level.
9Zip-Go-Round
It’s very possible that when you are first dropped into Zip-Go-Round you will jump a few times and the stage will suddenly be over before you even know what’s happened. And that’s what makes this level so cool! It’s fast-paced, energetic, and features some coolest movement in the entire game.
Let the zip-lines carry you around and time your jumps to collect the Wonder Tokens.Any of the badgesthat augment your jump will be handy to have in this stage.
8Treasure Vault
The two coolest features of the Driller power-up are the ability to glide across the ceiling and getting to smash through objects. Treasure Vault leans into both of these abilities by letting you explore the tight gaps of a cave and crush several crates to unlock the Wonder Seed. Such a drill from start to finish!
You can squeeze through those purple cracks in the wall if you drill into the ground or ceiling. Follow them to each of the crates and get ready to smash!
