Leading up to E3, Nintendo promised to reveal an all new 3D Mario adventure for the Wii U. While thoughts of a third Mario Galaxy danced through our heads, we weren’t quite expecting Super Mario 3D World.
Combining the classic platforming of a 2D Mario title with the free-roaming capabilities of a 3D Mario game, Super Mario 3D World is a natural evolution for the Wii U following both New Super Mario Bros. U and Super Luigi U.
It’s also a safe evolution.
I won’t lie that upon seeing the game for the first time during Nintendo Direct, I was completely unimpressed. This was an E3 where Nintendo needed to both showcase and sell their system. They were going up against the big bad boys from Microsoft and Sony; another side scrolling Mario game wasn’t going to give the best of first impressions. But like all Nintendo games recently, you can’t form a proper first impression without actually playing the game. It’s here where Super Mario 3D World soared.
Thankfully, I was able to get an extended hands-on session with the game, playing through a few stages and a boss battle. The familiarity of the game was felt immediately. Like getting back on top of a bicycle, I felt right at home with the game. That was until I turned into a cat and started climbing on the walls. That wasn’t familiar at all. And yet its addition to the game felt natural. Being able to scratch enemies and scale walls allowed for a smooth platforming experience.
3D World is able to combine the platforming we’ve come to expect with a traditional Mario title, the openness of a 3D Mario world, and the co-operative play of the New Super Mario Bros. franchise. Yes that’s right, a Mario platformer is once again a multiplayer adventure. Players can choose the role of Mario, Luigi, Peach, or Toad. Each character has their own unique play style and I don’t doubt that each character will have specific challenges they’ll come across in the game. At least, one can hope after Super Luigi U.
After playing through the game’s demo at E3, a couple of things also became clear. There’s a lot of inspiration from past Mario titles found in 3D world. More so than New Super Mario Bros., in fact. It’s the sense of travelling through a world that’s bigger than it looks that gives this feeling. Every time you think you’ve found everything available, something new opens up. This shouldn’t be that much of a shock, though, seeing as Nintendo EAD Tokyo is developing the game. They’ve done excellent work on the Mario Galaxy franchise and Super Mario 3D Land, so the excellent work found in the game should have been expected. Regardless of my first impression of the game, that is.
In addition to the cat suit, there’s another new feature to be found: transparent warp pipes. Instead of the traditional green warp pipe, the transparent ones whisk you away across the stage, but you’re given the option to quickly react and change direction. It’s a trend that Mario games seem to be headed to: quick thinking and fast reflexes. Personally, this is a trend I am all for to help bring a challenge back to platforming. Some of the recent Super Mario Bros. titles have failed to either challenge me or spark my imagination, but Super Mario 3D World is shaping up to change all of that.
The recently released Super Luigi U reignited my love of the Mario franchise. Here’s to hoping 3D World will be a match made in heaven.
