Super Mario 3D Land

Everyone’s favorite plumber finally returns. After spending the last 20 years defining platforming titles and giving people a reason to buy Nintendo systems, it is now time for the Nintendo 3DS to get its exclusive Mario game. Mario has had quite the success for Nintendo handhelds, Super Mario Land helped move a lot Gameboys, Gameboy Advance had a wealthy collection of well made ports of Mario‘s finest adventures, New Super Mario Bros. was one of the most successful titles for the Nintendo DS. While even the most casual gamer would expect a great game, the bigger question pertains to the fans that haven’t done themselves the favor of picking up a Nintendo 3DS, wanting to know if this game is worth picking up the system. This is a review of the title, so let’s take a look at the game first.

This game doesn't lack rich environments & detailed settings.

The presentation should not come into question. The graphics of this title are top notch. Fully utilizing the power of the Nintendo 3DS, the graphics make the environments full of bright and colorful environments that we’ve come to expect Mario adventures. The catchy tunes that we’ve come to love and always get stuck in our head from these games are present as well. The 3D levels are very clear on the screen even when the 3D feature is not enabled on the Nintendo 3DS. It isn’t just thet these Mario titles that keep us lining up over and over again. This is just the beginning of what makes this title special.

The gameplay in this title is Mario platforming at its finest. It seems to borrow elements from many of the past Mario games. From boss battles and conquering castles from Super Mario Bros. to the now famous tanooki suits from Super Mario Bros. 3. The gameplay seems to effortlessly intertwine fantastic control elements from both the 2D versions & 3D versions of Mario‘s adventures. Even the poisonous mushrooms from the Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels and the appearance of Pokey from Super Mario Bros. 2 are testaments to how much this title is really a retrospective of Mario‘s history in gaming. This title combines the wall jump utilized in New Super Mario Bros. While the 3D platforming in previous titles seemed to really capitalize on exploring and executing various missions, in Super Mario 3D Land, the idea is like the classic Mario titles. Get to the end of the level and slide down the giant flag pole. While the collection of golden coins are an important aspect of the game, it can be assured that there are no “escorting a baby penguin to it’s incompetent mother” missions in this title. This game is platforming bliss, the Nintendo 3DS‘s thumbstick is perfect for this game. It allows for very precise controlling of Mario (or Luigi). It was also decided to remove the punch button, so attacking goombas can only be done with jumping or power-ups. The power-ups in this game are fantastic. Burning baddies with fire flower power is the standard. The magical leaf allowing Mario to don his Tanooki suit, makes for a powerful spinning tail attack as well as a fantastic crutch for gamers having difficulty with some the more demanding levels. While Super Mario Bros. 3‘s beloved frog suit does not make an appearance, the brand new boomerang suit, last seen on enemies trying to attack Mario,is now available for your disposal to knock  baddies silly. These power-ups, as well as the precise gameplay, allow gamers to tackle the levels in more ways then one adding to this game’s replay value.

The Power-Ups in this game create a lot of variety in how gamers want to attack the various levels.

While this has the makings of a fantastic game, unfortunately it isn’t perfect. Super Mario 3D Landis a very detailed and fun platforming adventure, but the difficulty of overall game is much lower than the average Super Mario title. The first play-through of this game can result in the average player easily having over 100 lives at their disposal. So while the overall game is easier, Nintendo has offered players a new crutch in the form of power-ups. If a player dies 5 times in the same level, they will have the option to tackle the level with a special Tanooki suit that is similar to touching a star, only it doesn’t expire or provide the catchy star music. As if that weren’t easy enough, if a player dies 10 times on the same level the P-Wing from Super Mario Bros. 3 returns. This P-Wing isn’t quite the same as you may remember it. In case you don’t remember, the P-wing allowed players to fly without any limit. In Super Mario 3D Land, the P-Wing will warp players to the end of a level. For the players that feel this game is too easy, the special mode offers gamers platforming with an elevated difficulty.

The only other negative pertains to the boss fights at the end of each world. While the boss fights with Bowser are a very awesome take on the original Super Mario Bros. boss fights, most of the boss fights in this game leave a lot to be desired. While the first couple are interesting, it feels like they ran out of ideas. For a game of this caliber though, these complaints do not take away from the overall experience. 

Get used to this.

Despite a few minor complaints, this game is everything you would want from a Mario title. It makes for a great handheld game that you can play on the go, waiting in line, or in extended sessions. It’s Mario, he hasn’t disappointed so far and he doesn’t here. This game should have been released with the original launch of this system, because this game plays and looks perfect on the Nintendo 3DS. Fans young and old will not be disappointed with this game. Super Mario 3D Land has arrived just in time for the holiday season because a package of this game with a new Nintendo 3DS will make for quite the impressive Christmas gift. If you already own a Nintendo 3DS , add this game to your collection. If you don’t, this game will definitely give you hours of entertainment (along with many other impressive 3DS titles); if that helps you decide on whether or not to buy the system. Bottom line, Super Mario 3D Land is a fantastic experience no matter how familiar or unfimiliar you are with Mario’s adventures.

Bottom line: it's Mario, you won't be disappointed