Since the turn of the century, the 2D Mario games have struggled to live up to their billing, that 'New' indicating a fresh coat of paint but suggesting a level of novelty that turned out to be absent. You cannot say the same thing here. Purists may denounce its gimmickry, and at times you can't get away from the idea that these surprises are pulling double duty, dazzling you to distract from the brevity and simplicity of some stages. But for long periods the game feels transformative in the best way, and in the moment it's frequently sensational, doing more than enough to earn both the prefix it's lost and the suffix it's gained. By the time you reach a climactic encounter that puts on a show in every sense, you'll realise why Mario's pachyderm persona is such a fitting introduction: this is the most unforgettable side-scroller Nintendo has put out in three decades