I can’t write about the Wii U without mentioning the dire state of its game library. But bless Nintendo’s hearts they’ve been trying really hard to right their busted ship and while Super Mario 3D World isn’t the hero the Wii U truly needs that doesn’t change the fact that it’s a damn solid game.
So what’s new in the Mushroom Kingdom? Well “new” is subjective. Bowser is up to his usual antics except this time instead of kidnapping a princess he’s placed his sights firmly on a tiny little race of fairies known as Sprixies. As the game begins we catch Bowser loading one up into a corked bottle before escaping with Mario and crew in hot pursuit. As you may expect, it is up to you to navigate Super Mario 3D World’s many challenges to rescue this fairy clan.
Mario, Luigi, and Toad are all back in Super Mario 3D World, and this time Nintendo was able to include a fourth character other than “differently colored Toad” that we all know and love from the “New” series, and has instead brought Princess Peach (and one other hidden character) into the mix as well. The roster harkens back to Super Mario Bros. 2 on the NES and the characters have all retained their traits from that game. Mario is the all-rounder, Luigi jumps the highest, Peach can float, and Toad runs faster than anybody else.
3D World is an impeccable blend of old and new. The game stays true to its namesake and pulls some neat little touches from Super Mario World on the SNES. From Koopas wearing undershirts, to the re-appearance of Charging Chuck, to some familiar sound effects, older Nintendo players should get a nice jolt of nostalgia as they play through the game’s (initial) 8 worlds.
The game does feature a pretty sizable collection of new power ups and items, the most notable of which is the Super Bell or cat suit. If you’ve paid attention to any of the marketing for the game or even saw the cover briefly you know that Mario is now rockin some sweet cat duds which will allow you to climb walls (to a certain point) and grant a diving attack by pressing and holding the run button mid-jump. The suit plays a heavy role in the game and is always a good idea to have around as it can be used to unlock a lot of otherwise unobtainable portions of the game’s levels.
Other notable items include things like a Goomba mask that lets you blend in with your enemies, a block of light that destroys ghosts, or my personal favorite the Double Cherries which will split your character into two (or more) as you run around the level. There’s something really satisfying about having a collection of 6 Marios jumping in sync around a level.
Also new to the game are the Captain Toad levels starring the titular and vertically challenged Captain Toad. Your goal on these levels is to help the Captain navigate through a simple level without being able to jump. The levels have a real “puzzle” feel to them, and although none of them are particularly hard they do serve as a nice distraction and change of pace from some of the madness that happens in the core game.
Although it’s nice to see some old faces in the game, there are some faces that you’re probably going to grow tired of quite quickly. Boss battles in Super Mario 3D World leave something pretty great to be desired. You’re probably going to have a lot of fun fighting these enemies the first time, but by the mid-point of the game you’re not going to see anything new.
Bosses like the koopa kids: Pom Pom and Boom Boom, are fun, but by the end of the game you’ll have gotten into the exact same fight with each of them three times. As a matter of fact there is not a single boss in the game that you will see less than once, and none of your second encounters will have anything more complex than “they move faster” or “they split into more pieces”.
The levels in Super Mario 3D World are very well designed and plentiful. Although the game’s difficulty curve takes awhile to ramp up you will definitely have some struggles later in the game. Even beating the game isn’t the end. There are four bonus worlds to work your way through after you beat the game that will offer a great challenge, although it’s worth noting that only one of those worlds contains all brand new levels.
Did I mention this game is gorgeous? This is the first truly 3D Mario Bros game to make it to HD and it looks absolutely stunning. The game always runs smooth as butter and will make you instantly forget that you’re playing on the technologically weakest of the three big boy consoles.
Crunching Prince Bully into a miniature can is fun, but is it really two encounters worth of fun?
As seems to be normal with Mario games these days 3D World has a heavy emphasis on multiplayer. I think your overall experience when playing the game with friends will largely depend on the group you assemble. Most of my multiplayer tests were abject failures. Two people seemed to be able to co-exist relatively well but once that number bumped up to three or four the game became an absolute mad house.
The game’s isometric perspective helps prevent you from crashing into your companions like you do in Mario’s 2D adventures but I still had a number of problems with people getting in my way. If you are holding down the run button and you bump into another player you will scoop them up lovingly into your warm embrace. Upon letting go you will gently heave your friend in whichever direction you’re facing which you will oftentimes find to be towards the edge of a cliff. This action is almost never helpful and yet you will find yourself doing it by accident all the time.
It just doesn’t feel like having multiple players was ever beneficial and I can even think of one level where we were stuck for hours that I successfully beat on my first try once I attempted it all by myself. Again, your mileage may vary if you play with a bunch of Mario pros, but otherwise I found the game much more enjoyable in single player.
“Put me down!” will become a regular part of your vocabulary in multiplayer.
While Super Mario 3D World doesn’t feel as groundbreaking or substantial as something like Galaxy it’s still one of the best put together Mario games that I have played in a long time. While I’m still hoping the next Mario game will push the envelope a little bit more, Super Mario 3D World is a very fine entry in the series. I’m not sure that it’s the game to make me suggest that you run out and buy a Wii U just to play it, but it’s contributing to a library that looks better and better with each passing day.
