Every game that has me collecting things, NEEDS to also give me a good reason to collect it. A work and reward system. I collect machine parts in Horizon Zero Dawn in order to craft better weapons. I collect herbs in Resident Evil 4 to fuse full heals. I collect coins in New Super Mario Bros 2 for...for what? For a higher number on the counter? Grabbing coins in a Mario game is of course nothing new, but this is the first one to put so much emphasis on it. Yet the game provided no strong incentive to do so. I could grab all the coins in a level, but did I get a special upgrade? A bonus level? Nothing. There are already star coins. What’s the point of putting so much focus on regular coins? There’s a mode called “coin rush” where players collect as many coins as possible in 3 levels, then have their high score put on a leaderboard. It also lazily reused levels from the single player mode. Why would I want to play through the exact same levels again? Repetitive. Boring. I personally don’t give two shits about a leaderboard in a Mario game, so coin rush felt like all work no reward for me.
Aside from that, this game is virtually a carbon copy of New Super Mario Bros Wii. Same physics, same visuals, same upgrades, same everything except level layout. In world 6, there was a really cool level that I wish the devs would’ve used in other worlds. While I was platforming, the Koopa Clown Car would be in the background flashing its eyes every 5 seconds or so. If I was caught in the open, I’d be petrified. My goal was to scramble my way from one cover to the next. It was nice to experience something different for a change. I feel the devs are getting very lazy with the 2D Marios. I’m getting tired of the same enemies, same boss fights, the same obstacles, the same hub world, and the same DAMN blocks over and over. I know how the saying goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. But time is starting to really wear on this formula. Innovate Nintendo! I know you’re good at it, so do it.