Super Mario 3D World: Where 2D meets 3D in the best ways!

     I've spoken before about my love of the Wii U. Even though it was a commercial failure, there were a lot of amazing games. Pikmin 3, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, and many others come to mind, but none more so than what I am here to talk about today, Super Mario 3D World. This game was really something special, though unfortunately many people didn't get it because it was, as I said before, stuck on a console that didn't sell very well. This past Friday, however, that's changed with a remaster, called Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury, due to the added mode that they included with the original game. I'm so excited for people to get their hands on this title for the first time, and because of that, I'm writing this review-lite of the original game, and comparing it to the rerelease. This game is a great time whether you're by yourself or with friends, and even if you're more of a dog person (it'll make sense in a minute), it's certainly worth your time. Time to hop down this clear pipe and I'll give you the scoop about this weird, but beautiful game all about mixing of the 2D and 3D Mario styles.

A Bottle Episode

   The main plot of this game is actually a bit of a stand out in terms of Mario norms. For once, Peach isn't kidnapped and is actually one of the four main playable characters in this game! Instead, Bowser has somehow traveled to another world through a clear pipe and kidnapped the Sprixie princesses, little fairies that Bowser has trapped in bottles. One Sprixie is trapped at the end of each level and is waiting in the castle for Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Toad to save them, and once they're saved, they build a clear pipe to the next area to help Mario and Co. to save the next princess. The areas in this game are beautiful, and it makes sense that this game is where the main theming for Super Nintendo World comes from, as the Bowser area of the game isn't a dark and evil looking area, Bowser has basically set up a theme park! It's really well lit with neon lights as jazzy music blares as if coming from unseen speakers around this circus/carnival-esque theme park. It's not just here, though, there's a lot of circus or carnival vibes all throughout the game. Aside from these cool features as well as the killer theming and music, this is a fairly basic premise and the story here isn't anything to write home about, but that's fine, as stories in Mario games aren't exactly what they're played for, they're more about the gameplay, which is purr-fectly executed.

Always Feline Fine!

    The gameplay in this title is Cat-agorically fun! I put the cat in that pun because the biggest addition in this game is the Super Bell power-up which turns anyone into a cat. All the cat characters say meow, and they're able to climb up walls to a certain degree. The ability to climb up walls really is a game changer, and although I will always love the raccoon suit for all the good times in Super Mario Bros. 3, it definitely is not nearly as versatile as the cat suit in this game. This along with all of the extra Power Ups and characters make this feel very distinct and definitely different than any other 3D Mario Game. Many Power-ups make a return from previous 2D titles in the series as well as Super Mario 3D Land for the 3DS. The Mushroom, Fire Flower, and Starman are all here as you would expect, as well as the Raccoon suit, the Boomerang flower, and the Super Mega Mushroom from New Super Mario Bros. The characters, Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Toad, all play how they did back in Super Mario Bros 2 for the NES. Peach still has her famous floating jump, Luigi jumps a bit higher but is more slippery in how he moves, and Toad is the fastest of the group. There aren't that many changes between all of them, but there are enough to make them all feel different, and even more so in the case of the secret character that you unlock in the post-game areas (no spoilers though)! Just like the old Mario games, there is no life bar here, if you have a power up and get hit, then you lose it. If you're normal sized and you get hit, you become small. It's weird to see little Mario running around in a 3D space for sure, but it lends to the idea that this is like a 2D game. The stages in this game even end with a flagpole, for crying out loud! If that doesn't bring back memories of 2D Mario, I don't know what will! There is one character that does feel extremely different here, and ended up getting his own spin off title because his levels in this game felt so unique... I'll give you a hint, he's certainly a fungi! 

Hooray for adventure!

    That's right, Captain Toad made his first playable appearance in Super Mario 3D World! This isn't technically Captain Toad's first appearance because he was in the Super Mario Galaxy games, but you couldn't play as him, he would just find stars for Mario from time to time. The interesting thing about the intrepid adventurer is that he's the only character in a Mario game who can't jump. His backpack is far too heavy and the poor guy just can't do it. This makes all of the enemies that are just a breeze for Mario become incredible threats to the "brave" captain of the Toad Brigade. This also means that Captain Toad has to be much smarter in terms of his movements and how he reacts to situations, as he's also a lot slower than any of the normal platforming characters, making this much more of a puzzle game than an action platformer. It's up to him in this game to track down five green stars in each level to give to Mario. Anything in the name of adventure, after all! Captain Toad's levels became so popular that he actually got his own title which also came out for the Wii U but was ported to Switch, called Captain Toad Treasure Tracker. This game seems completely unconnected, but in the end is actually revealed to be a prequel to 3D World in a weird roundabout sort of way. It's a great mechanic that started in this game, and I hope to see the captain looking for treasure again soon!

Time to Switch things up!

    As I said, this game has gotten a rerelease now on Nintendo Switch, and along with simply being released again, they've made a few improvements to this most recent version. One of the biggest complaints that the original Wii U title received was that the action was too slow. All of the characters moved pretty slowly whenever they were walking, and didn't really speed up until you'd held the run button for a few seconds and made them get a speed boost. The walking mechanic was pretty much useless because it took all of the characters so long to get anywhere, especially Peach, who is the slowest character in the game. With the Switch version, they've sped everyone up significantly to the point where someone recently did a speed test for walking between Toad on the Wii U and Peach on the Switch and it turns out the speed of the slowest character on the Switch is faster than the fastest walking speed on the Wii U. One of the few downsides of this release is that there were a few sections and features in the original game that tied into the Gamepad's functionalities. Using the touch screen to move platforms, blowing on the controller to make a fan platform rise or move along a track, etc. There were only a few of these levels on the original game, but from what I can tell, they're still in the Switch version. These levels use gyro controls if you're playing with Joy-con or Pro controller, with Touch Screen controls still working if the console is in handheld mode. The gyro controls work well, but it does feel weirder and more awkward than the original touch controls. There is no microphone in the Switch, however, so the platforms that moved when you blew on the controller have been replaced by normal platforms that move along a track. It's not a big deal, but I feel like they could have taken these levels out for the Switch version and it also wouldn't have been a big deal.

    The biggest change in this rerelease is definitely the inclusion of Bowser's Fury. This is a side mode that ends up feeling like an entirely different game from the original release. Mario is teleported by Bowser Jr.'s magical paintbrush to Lake Lapcat, a new area where everything is cat themed, including the enemies and terrain. Bowser has become a giant black goop monster and Bowser Jr. explains that he needs Mario's help to get his dad back from this horrible monstrosity that he's become. The story is not the point, but it is charming to see Bowser Jr. so worried about his dad, and made me wonder about how Bowser got this way in the first place, which was finally revealed in the credits sequence. The amazing thing about this short 3-4 hour long mode is that it's all one large area. Each "level" is a separate island, and you can move between them all with the assistance of Plessie, the lake monster from the base Mario 3D World game. You have an inventory of all the different power-ups, you're able to store 5 of all of them for a rainy day, which is a nice touch considering there are times where powerups are pretty scarce, especially in one of the last sequences. The open world elements are really cool and honestly, it seems like this could be a precursor of some new mainline Mario games, and I would be totally down for that idea. Even if they put in just one level of Super Mario Odyssey 2 or whatever is next where there are several islands like this, I would be very excited. The big buzz around the expansion, however, is the fact that Mario can turn into a giant cat every now and then whenever Fury Bowser comes out, allowing for a giant kitty-Kaiju battle, which is a fun mechanic, even though all of them are pretty short. Bowser's arrival which happens every now and then is a really fun way to change up the stakes in what is already a really interesting and exciting game. There's just something about a Godzilla-sized Bowser raining fire and spikes down from the sky, and constantly shooting fire like a laser from his mouth. Either way, Bowser's Fury is a great addition to the 3D World package, and one that I definitely hope to see built upon in future Mario titles.

    Super Mario 3D World is a great game, and I don't think there's been a better time to sink your paws into all the fun co-op chaos than there is right now, especially with all the added content. I would say for anyone who didn't play it because they didn't have a Wii U or for other reasons, I would highly recommend picking it up. Even if you have played it from the original release, as I did, it makes sense to pick this one up if you're hungry for another 3D Mario fix now that it's been a few years since Odyssey's release. Thanks so much for reading this, everyone. I really appreciate you all, and I hope you have a great week! I hope you're doing well, and I'll talk to you next Friday.