Super Mario 3D World is the 2nd game I received for my Wii U and is certainly the best Mario game I’ve played since Super Mario Galaxy in 2007(I haven’t played Galaxy 2 yet unfortunately). This game combines everything that’s good about the 3D style Mario games and the 2D style Mario games and it does so amazingly. This game alone(at least in my opinion) is a good enough reason to justify a purchase of a Wii U console let alone the other great games coming soon such as Super Smash Bros and Mario Kart 8.
Gameplay: Like I stated earlier it combines the style of 2D Mario games and puts them in a 3D atmosphere and it works really well. The game features 4 main playable characters from the beginning: Mario(the most balanced),Luigi(jumps the highest),Princess Peach(can hover in mid-air for a short time but is the slowest),and Toad(the fastest character but jumps the lowest) similar to the NES classic Super Mario Bros 2. Sadly no individual levels take advantage of these differences but this could also be a good thing because you can complete every level regardless of who you choose. This game shows off 2 new power ups. One that’s seen a lot and another not so much but they’re both really fun to use. The Cat suit is the central gimmick of the game(similar to the Tanooki Suit in Mario 3D Land) and is really useful. You can climb up walls,scratch enemies,and do a cat dive bomb attack and you can even climb up the flagpole at the end which comes in handy a LOT. The 2nd power up that’s unique to this game is the Double Cherry which clones Mario(or whoever you play as) for every cherry you collect. Sadly this isn’t used very much but when it IS used it’s a ton of fun however it gets chaotic eventually but regardless it’s a fun power up.
Difficulty: This game surprisingly has a nice difficulty curve. Yeah World 1 is easy but the farther you progress the harder it is. I say surprisingly because Mario games are generally pretty easy but I was pleasantly surprised how difficult this game can get and it feels so satisfying completing a hard level.
It’s also a challenge to collect every level’s 3 green stars and stamp(Which can be used in Miiverse posts). Collecting them all is a real challenge and it will take a while. And another unique thing in this game is the “Captain Toad” levels where you play as Captain Toad(From Mario Galaxy) and try to collect some green stars in a puzzle level. The catch is that he can’t jump so you have to rotate the camera and use the GamePad in clever ways to collect them all and these can be challenging though sadly are few in far between in the game but are fun to play.
Soundtrack: I usually like the soundtrack for Nintendo games in general however 3D World’s soundtrack is amazing. I just love it. Every level has an awesome song that fits the level perfectly. And overall is really good.
Overall this game is fantastic. With a nice difficulty curve,great music,and really fun gameplay. I give it a 9/10
Gameplay: Like I stated earlier it combines the style of 2D Mario games and puts them in a 3D atmosphere and it works really well. The game features 4 main playable characters from the beginning: Mario(the most balanced),Luigi(jumps the highest),Princess Peach(can hover in mid-air for a short time but is the slowest),and Toad(the fastest character but jumps the lowest) similar to the NES classic Super Mario Bros 2. Sadly no individual levels take advantage of these differences but this could also be a good thing because you can complete every level regardless of who you choose. This game shows off 2 new power ups. One that’s seen a lot and another not so much but they’re both really fun to use. The Cat suit is the central gimmick of the game(similar to the Tanooki Suit in Mario 3D Land) and is really useful. You can climb up walls,scratch enemies,and do a cat dive bomb attack and you can even climb up the flagpole at the end which comes in handy a LOT. The 2nd power up that’s unique to this game is the Double Cherry which clones Mario(or whoever you play as) for every cherry you collect. Sadly this isn’t used very much but when it IS used it’s a ton of fun however it gets chaotic eventually but regardless it’s a fun power up.
Difficulty: This game surprisingly has a nice difficulty curve. Yeah World 1 is easy but the farther you progress the harder it is. I say surprisingly because Mario games are generally pretty easy but I was pleasantly surprised how difficult this game can get and it feels so satisfying completing a hard level.
It’s also a challenge to collect every level’s 3 green stars and stamp(Which can be used in Miiverse posts). Collecting them all is a real challenge and it will take a while. And another unique thing in this game is the “Captain Toad” levels where you play as Captain Toad(From Mario Galaxy) and try to collect some green stars in a puzzle level. The catch is that he can’t jump so you have to rotate the camera and use the GamePad in clever ways to collect them all and these can be challenging though sadly are few in far between in the game but are fun to play.
Soundtrack: I usually like the soundtrack for Nintendo games in general however 3D World’s soundtrack is amazing. I just love it. Every level has an awesome song that fits the level perfectly. And overall is really good.
Overall this game is fantastic. With a nice difficulty curve,great music,and really fun gameplay. I give it a 9/10