I found a silly way to beat Super Mario Bros. Wonder’s janky co-op camera

Playing Super Mario Bros. Wonder feels like eating a decadent dessert. It honors Super Mario Bros.’s spirit, but injects many fresh ideas in its levels. The local multiplayer feature allows me to play with friends. But even as I’ve loved every minute of playing, my gaming partner and I have run up against a snag: The multiplayer camera, instead of splitting the difference between players, focuses on whichever character has the crown — aka the character who “won” the previous level by getting higher up on the flagpole or getting there first — at the expense of the other characters.

I’m not alone in this sentiment: As I’ve trawled Reddit for advice, I found others with similar camera woes. Other players have noted that the player who is not crowned will be at a distinct disadvantage. The secondary character gets put in ghost form — basically, the character dies — if they get far enough away from the crowned character.

While I haven’t found a perfect workaround for multiplayer camera woes, I have found a new, beloved solution for local two player co-op — one that’s made me cackle so much it makes up for the system’s drawbacks. Let’s say it may not be the best fix, on its face. But it is easy to implement, and has absolutely minimized all of the frustrations that I had with the game’s co-op camera issues.

Answer: One person plays Yoshi while the other rides along.

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

Here’s how my partner and I have done it. In sections of the game where it’s easy to get separated — levels with a lot of vertical platforming, or tough water portions, for example — I have Toad hop onto Yoshi’s back. The person who feels up to the challenge of platforming takes control and controls both of us for the duration of the sequence. It doesn’t matter who has the crown, because when you’re on Yoshi’s back, you simply move together.

This game also allows you to create some hilarious memories such as watching Yoshi pull your character around in Elephant form. Elden Ring’s horse Leonard hauling around Starscourge Radahn), or jumping into a Lakitu Cloud together.

Yoshi has unique perks and limitations, which will influence whether you think it’s worth trying this strategy: He doesn’t take damage (a plus!), but also doesn’t get power ups (a bummer).

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

I’ve found the tradeoff to be absolutely worth it. The majority of the levels we play together, uh, without riding, are played by my partner and me. If we want to play through a particularly fun level, then one of us selects the friendly dino, while the other rides.

Toad riding Yoshi ends up looking so goofy that it’s an entirely new and different delight. That kind of delight is emblematic of Super Mario Bros., and continues the innovative spirit of those games over many years.