Mario Wonder Bellabel Park: The Switch 2 Finally Toasts the Competition

The Flower Kingdom just got a hell of a lot bigger, and the stakes are higher now that the full Koopling squad is crashing the party. Bellabel Park isn’t just some lazy add-on; it’s a vibrant, chaotic expansion that pushes the new hardware to actually do something useful with all that extra power. From 12-player madness to hunt-and-gather missions for Captain Toad, this is the definitive vibe for anyone ready to see what Mario looks like when the shackles are off.

Specs & HUD | Gameplay Review | Performance & Fidelity | Settings & Control

Mario Wonder Bellabel Park Review: Specs & HUD

• Digital Footprint: The download comes in at 8.8GB, and thankfully, that includes the base game install, so you aren’t juggling multiple files.
• Social Hub: You can see other players running around the hub world, making the whole place feel alive rather than just a static menu.
• Progress Tracking: The flower collection keeps track of all the flowers found and the different types you’ve managed to bag.
• Navigation Aids: The Poplin with the flag in the Bellabel Park will tell you where to go next if you get lost in the weeds.
• Active Objectives: Captain Toad and his brigade are in the game, and as you clear locations, you get updates from them; they give you missions and tell you which Koopling you are heading to next.

Gameplay Review & Mechanics Breakdown

Bellabel Park is the new location with all new stages to play, but you can’t just waltz in. Unlocking the Bellabel Park requires 3 fruits to open, which are easy enough to get, as there are some easy stages nearby. Once you’re in, Bellabel fruit and flowers are the new currency you collect to open new locations. You’ve also got Bellabel slabs hidden around the world that you help by finding, and Bellabel water can be collected to open up even more surprises.

The Toad brigade trading courses are a separate set of challenges where you earn water and its own set of badges that work like an achievement-like system. You unlock new, harder courses as you rank up, and to be honest, the training courses are the meat of the game and where the most fun and experimentation is. There’s an awesome set of training levels with crazy requirements like finishing without collecting a coin or avoiding every single enemy. You can play how you want; you don’t have to do the Kooplings stuff if you don’t want to yet, and can just go through and unlock the many challenging courses in the brigade training.

When you do go for the bosses, there are seven Kooplings to take out to get those Bellabel flowers. The boss fights are a lot of fun and varied; you get help from the bird companion, who can drop in power-ups, and each boss fight has a little level intro to play through. There’s even a plant-based suit with the ability to shoot out flowers vertically, which turns some platform sections into shmups almost. If you’re looking for a fight, you can find tents in the world and fight the Kooplings in a boss Rush mode. After finishing the main Koopling, you then have many hours of backpack badges to earn from the brigade training, plus you unlock a buffed-up boss.

Mario Wonder Bellabel Park Review: Performance & Fidelity

• Visual Punch: The game features gorgeous graphics that really take advantage of the step up in hardware.
• Multiplayer Scale: The Nintendo Switch 2 version supports up to 12 players on a stage, which is absolute beautiful carnage.
• Local & Online Utility: Game share support allows people to play with you locally or online with just one copy of the game.
• Interaction Speed: In-game cutscenes can be skipped, and character interactions can be clicked through to speed them up, which is great for keeping the momentum.
• Snapshot Feature: Every Koopling fight will take a screenshot and show the date just like in the base game to track your victories.

Settings, Customisation & Control Details

• Legacy Support: Transfers save from the Nintendo Switch version, and you actually choose which save gets transferred and used.
• Dual Booting: There is a separate Nintendo Switch launch button for the original version if you want to go back to basics.
• Audio Immersion: The game uses the Pro Controller speaker to make some sound effects and noises.
• Power-Up Slots: Dual badges let you have the ability of two badges in one badge slot, which changes the game entirely.
• Travel Convenience: Visiting a new brigade tent unlocks it as a fast travel point on the map.
• Park Customisation: You can water plants and buy new plants to decorate the Bellabel Park. Watering can also randomly unlock musical instruments, plants for the band, dual badges, emotes, and more.
• Economy: Water can also be used in the shop for rewards, dual badges, park decorations, and the daily updates section.
• Multiplayer Hubs: Attraction Central is a hub where you can go and meet and play with others online, or you can go there in solo. It has local multiplayer sections and online multiplayer mini games, with a brief tutorial for first-timers.

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