Super Mario 3D World Review
Review Date: September 14, 2014
I can remember back to the day at E3 when Super Mario 3D World was revealed. My initial reaction was one of slight disappointment - sure, it looked fun, but it seemed too similar to it's predecessor, Super Mario 3D Land, to stand on its own as a great game. As time went on, and, after coming close to beating the game 100%, I can attest that Super Mario 3D World is well worth your time and money and has become, dare I say, my new favorite Mario game.
STORY
3D World does introduce a new story. Instead of kidnapping Peach, Bowser invades the Sprixie Kingdom, a brand-new Kingdom led by Sprixies (adorable fairy creatures), and kidnaps the seven princesses in order to take their treasure. The only way to access the Sprixie Kingdom is through a clear pipe (a new mechanic I'll talk about later), and Mario and Co. follow Bowser into this new land to save the princesses. As far as the story goes, that's about it. There really isn't any story advancements as the game progresses. But then again, Mario games have never really been about the story. It seems like the story is there to simply launch the adventure.
GAMEPLAY
3D World is practically bursting with new gameplay mechanics. One such mechanic is the clear pipes that I mentioned above. These clear pipes offer a mode of transportation within the game, as they connect the various worlds and they help you reach areas of a level that would not be accessible otherwise. Nintendo has expertly placed items in the pipes, such as enemies, green stars (which replace star coins), and other collectibles. Other new gameplay ideas include a level that makes use of shadows to help you judge distance (it even includes a section played entirely in the shadows), top-down perspective levels similar to the 2D Zelda games, a mad dash to the finish Super Mario Kart-style level (it even includes the original music!), a level where stepping in the spotlight triggers a barrage of Bullet Bills to attack you, and much, much more. Another notable new gameplay mechanic is the Captain Toad levels. In these puzzle-based levels, you play as Captain Toad from Galaxy's Toad Brigade, and you must collect five green stars without being able to jump. All in all, Super Mario 3D World is filled to the brim with new gameplay mechanics, making the adventure seem fresh with every level.
The cat suit, as ridiculous as it seems at first glance, is actually extremely useful and fun to use. It gives your character a whole new move-set, such as a scratch attack, an airiel attack, and the ability to climb walls (for a limited time before your character tires out). The double cherry, which gives you a clone of your character, is absolutely chaotic and hilariously fun to use. All of your clones move in unison, so it does have a learning curve, but once you get the hang of it it's lots of fun to use. The cannon box is useful, but I wish that the cannonballs wouldn't fire automatically. There's also a light box that appears in a few levels. It acts similarly to a flashlight, and it allows you to kill ghosts. Of course, there's lots of returning power-ups, such as the Tanooki suit, the Fire Flower, the Mega Mushroom (making it's first 3D Mario appearance), and much more, so 3D World offers a wide variety in the power-up department.
In addition to these outstanding new gameplay mechanics, there's also the fact that each playable character has their own unique control scheme, a la Super Mario Bros. 2. Mario is the average character we've all come to know and love. Luigi can jump higher and has a flutter kick similar to Yoshi, but he has less traction and is prone to being a slippery character. Peach can hover in the air for a second or two after jumping, making her ideal for beginners, but she is the slowest character of them all. Toad is the fastest of the bunch, and he is great for speed runs, but he doesn't gain very much height at all when he's jumping. Then, of course, there's the secret unlockable fifth character, but I'm going to stop here to prevent spoilers.
LEVEL DESIGN
Unlike 3D Land, 3D World's levels all seem widely unique from one another and no two levels seem exactly alike. The levels make expert use of the game's new gameplay mechanics, and many levels were built around a specific mechanic. Green stars and stamps (used to put pre-drawn pictures in your Miiverse posts) are expertly hidden, and most will take a keen eye to discover or will force you to take a leap of faith to try and grab it without dying. The boss battles in this game also receive a notable mention. The new bosses are all unique and quirky, and their battles are insanely fun. Even the Bowser battles in this game have a fun new twist to them, and the final battle provides a surprising, yet largely satisfying, conclusion to the adventure. As for the difficulty level, the levels of the first two worlds aren't difficult at all, but the difficulty definitely starts to ramp up at around World 3/World 4. The later worlds, specifically the special worlds, provide an excellent challenge for the skilled Mario players. Nintendo finally got the difficulty balance right, something they have been struggling with for a long time. Each new level practically breathes creativity, and I just can't get enough of it!
SINGLE PLAYER
3D World offers a solid single player adventure. While there are some levels that look like they were created with the intention of being played in multiplayer, Nintendo never forgets the soloists and will always leave a Double Cherry lying around in these levels. And while there are levels that appear to be centered around multiplayer, multiplayer never seems forced, a problem which occasionally plagued levels in the NSMB games. Unlike some Mario games, single player never gets tedious, mainly because, as I mentioned earlier, each level feels widely unique.
MULTIPLAYER
After playing through the first few worlds in two player co-op with my brother, I can attest that this is the most fun I've had with multiplayer in a long time. A problem with the NSMB series was that there was never enough room to move around and you're always bumping into one another. 3D World solves these problems, and co-op is as fun as ever. Multiplayer can either be cooperative or competitive - at the end of each level, you get ranked based on how many points you collect. The winner then gets a crown to wear in the next level. The crown serves absolutely no purpose - but it is cause for some hilarious brawling, because it can be stolen. I've only experienced two player co-op, but it was immensely enjoyable. If there is one criticism I can make, it's that the button you use to pick other people up is also the run button. It's rarely a problem but it can get in the way.
GAMEPAD INTEGRATION
The GamePad is sparsely used in 3D World. There are several levels, such as the phenomenal Hands-On Hall, which require you to make use of the GamePad's touchscreen to open doors and reveal secrets. Other than this, the GamePad is pretty much useless, as harsh as that sounds. The screen constantly mirrors what is being displayed on the TV, which does allow for Off-TV Play. But when everything is taken into consideration, any additional GamePad features would seem unnecessary in a platforming game, a genre which constantly demands quick-thinking on the part of the player. With this in mind, the sparse GamePad integration in 3D World doesn't bother me too much.
GRAPHICS AND SOUND
Super Mario 3D World has absolutely beautiful graphics. Each level is bursting with vibrant colors and amazing atmosphere, again attesting to the fact that each level feels unique. The raining levels were particularly memorable, since the rain was very convincing. Your character would have a wet look to him/her and the camera would even be splattered with rain drops. To top everything off, the game runs gorgeously at 720p (upscaled to 1080p) @ 60fps. The music is also fantastic, using an expert mix of orchestral and big band tracks. The big band direction really breathes some new life into the Mario series, as jazz suits the series well. There's so much new music here, and, after the rather disappointing soundtracks of the NSMB series, it feels completely original. The soundtrack is very unique from past Mario games, and it may be one of the best Mario soundtracks to date.
VERDICT
Super Mario 3D World is an absolute joy to play. It was crafted to perfection and demonstrates that Nintendo still knows how to make quality gaming experiences. Like its predecessor, it masterfully mixes the benefits of 2D and 3D Mario games and wonderfully creates a blend of old and new. This is, without a doubt, the best game the Wii U has to offer and it is a must-have for any Wii U owner.
I can remember back to the day at E3 when Super Mario 3D World was revealed. My initial reaction was one of slight disappointment - sure, it looked fun, but it seemed too similar to it's predecessor, Super Mario 3D Land, to stand on its own as a great game. As time went on, and, after coming close to beating the game 100%, I can attest that Super Mario 3D World is well worth your time and money and has become, dare I say, my new favorite Mario game.
STORY
3D World does introduce a new story. Instead of kidnapping Peach, Bowser invades the Sprixie Kingdom, a brand-new Kingdom led by Sprixies (adorable fairy creatures), and kidnaps the seven princesses in order to take their treasure. The only way to access the Sprixie Kingdom is through a clear pipe (a new mechanic I'll talk about later), and Mario and Co. follow Bowser into this new land to save the princesses. As far as the story goes, that's about it. There really isn't any story advancements as the game progresses. But then again, Mario games have never really been about the story. It seems like the story is there to simply launch the adventure.
GAMEPLAY
3D World is practically bursting with new gameplay mechanics. One such mechanic is the clear pipes that I mentioned above. These clear pipes offer a mode of transportation within the game, as they connect the various worlds and they help you reach areas of a level that would not be accessible otherwise. Nintendo has expertly placed items in the pipes, such as enemies, green stars (which replace star coins), and other collectibles. Other new gameplay ideas include a level that makes use of shadows to help you judge distance (it even includes a section played entirely in the shadows), top-down perspective levels similar to the 2D Zelda games, a mad dash to the finish Super Mario Kart-style level (it even includes the original music!), a level where stepping in the spotlight triggers a barrage of Bullet Bills to attack you, and much, much more. Another notable new gameplay mechanic is the Captain Toad levels. In these puzzle-based levels, you play as Captain Toad from Galaxy's Toad Brigade, and you must collect five green stars without being able to jump. All in all, Super Mario 3D World is filled to the brim with new gameplay mechanics, making the adventure seem fresh with every level.
The cat suit, as ridiculous as it seems at first glance, is actually extremely useful and fun to use. It gives your character a whole new move-set, such as a scratch attack, an airiel attack, and the ability to climb walls (for a limited time before your character tires out). The double cherry, which gives you a clone of your character, is absolutely chaotic and hilariously fun to use. All of your clones move in unison, so it does have a learning curve, but once you get the hang of it it's lots of fun to use. The cannon box is useful, but I wish that the cannonballs wouldn't fire automatically. There's also a light box that appears in a few levels. It acts similarly to a flashlight, and it allows you to kill ghosts. Of course, there's lots of returning power-ups, such as the Tanooki suit, the Fire Flower, the Mega Mushroom (making it's first 3D Mario appearance), and much more, so 3D World offers a wide variety in the power-up department.
In addition to these outstanding new gameplay mechanics, there's also the fact that each playable character has their own unique control scheme, a la Super Mario Bros. 2. Mario is the average character we've all come to know and love. Luigi can jump higher and has a flutter kick similar to Yoshi, but he has less traction and is prone to being a slippery character. Peach can hover in the air for a second or two after jumping, making her ideal for beginners, but she is the slowest character of them all. Toad is the fastest of the bunch, and he is great for speed runs, but he doesn't gain very much height at all when he's jumping. Then, of course, there's the secret unlockable fifth character, but I'm going to stop here to prevent spoilers.
LEVEL DESIGN
Unlike 3D Land, 3D World's levels all seem widely unique from one another and no two levels seem exactly alike. The levels make expert use of the game's new gameplay mechanics, and many levels were built around a specific mechanic. Green stars and stamps (used to put pre-drawn pictures in your Miiverse posts) are expertly hidden, and most will take a keen eye to discover or will force you to take a leap of faith to try and grab it without dying. The boss battles in this game also receive a notable mention. The new bosses are all unique and quirky, and their battles are insanely fun. Even the Bowser battles in this game have a fun new twist to them, and the final battle provides a surprising, yet largely satisfying, conclusion to the adventure. As for the difficulty level, the levels of the first two worlds aren't difficult at all, but the difficulty definitely starts to ramp up at around World 3/World 4. The later worlds, specifically the special worlds, provide an excellent challenge for the skilled Mario players. Nintendo finally got the difficulty balance right, something they have been struggling with for a long time. Each new level practically breathes creativity, and I just can't get enough of it!
SINGLE PLAYER
3D World offers a solid single player adventure. While there are some levels that look like they were created with the intention of being played in multiplayer, Nintendo never forgets the soloists and will always leave a Double Cherry lying around in these levels. And while there are levels that appear to be centered around multiplayer, multiplayer never seems forced, a problem which occasionally plagued levels in the NSMB games. Unlike some Mario games, single player never gets tedious, mainly because, as I mentioned earlier, each level feels widely unique.
MULTIPLAYER
After playing through the first few worlds in two player co-op with my brother, I can attest that this is the most fun I've had with multiplayer in a long time. A problem with the NSMB series was that there was never enough room to move around and you're always bumping into one another. 3D World solves these problems, and co-op is as fun as ever. Multiplayer can either be cooperative or competitive - at the end of each level, you get ranked based on how many points you collect. The winner then gets a crown to wear in the next level. The crown serves absolutely no purpose - but it is cause for some hilarious brawling, because it can be stolen. I've only experienced two player co-op, but it was immensely enjoyable. If there is one criticism I can make, it's that the button you use to pick other people up is also the run button. It's rarely a problem but it can get in the way.
GAMEPAD INTEGRATION
The GamePad is sparsely used in 3D World. There are several levels, such as the phenomenal Hands-On Hall, which require you to make use of the GamePad's touchscreen to open doors and reveal secrets. Other than this, the GamePad is pretty much useless, as harsh as that sounds. The screen constantly mirrors what is being displayed on the TV, which does allow for Off-TV Play. But when everything is taken into consideration, any additional GamePad features would seem unnecessary in a platforming game, a genre which constantly demands quick-thinking on the part of the player. With this in mind, the sparse GamePad integration in 3D World doesn't bother me too much.
GRAPHICS AND SOUND
Super Mario 3D World has absolutely beautiful graphics. Each level is bursting with vibrant colors and amazing atmosphere, again attesting to the fact that each level feels unique. The raining levels were particularly memorable, since the rain was very convincing. Your character would have a wet look to him/her and the camera would even be splattered with rain drops. To top everything off, the game runs gorgeously at 720p (upscaled to 1080p) @ 60fps. The music is also fantastic, using an expert mix of orchestral and big band tracks. The big band direction really breathes some new life into the Mario series, as jazz suits the series well. There's so much new music here, and, after the rather disappointing soundtracks of the NSMB series, it feels completely original. The soundtrack is very unique from past Mario games, and it may be one of the best Mario soundtracks to date.
VERDICT
Super Mario 3D World is an absolute joy to play. It was crafted to perfection and demonstrates that Nintendo still knows how to make quality gaming experiences. Like its predecessor, it masterfully mixes the benefits of 2D and 3D Mario games and wonderfully creates a blend of old and new. This is, without a doubt, the best game the Wii U has to offer and it is a must-have for any Wii U owner.