Super Mario 3D World
Publisher: Nintendo Developer: Nintendo Platform: Wii U Players: 1-4 Release: 2013 Genre: 3D Platformer / Adventure Rating: 9.5 \ 10.0: Masterful
Above is 4 people playing the stage "Sprawling Savannah" using Cat Suits
Finally! After two years, the sequel to 3DS masterpiece Super Mario 3D Land has arrived! I knew throwing a penny into a fountain would actually cause this game to be announced... it just took a year-and-a-half (still waiting on Super Mario Galaxy 3, Miyamoto!). You might be wondering, why is this game on Wii U and not 3DS? I mean, it has "3D" in the title! Well, that's likely because the Wii U just needs more quality first party experiences. The story has a twist which, after almost 30 years of the same thing, is greatly unexpected. Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Toad are taking a walk on a beautiful night when they discover an odd clear Warp Pipe. A green-garbed fairy emerges from the pipe in a panic, and is followed by Bowser, who captures the creature in a jar. With Peach right in front of him. Boom! Bet you didn't see that coming! Peach catches here first real break from being kidnapped. 25 years ago, she managed not to get kidnapped in Super Mario Bros. 2-- but that was Mario's dream. The four friends enter the transparent pipe, many of which will be found as they explore the new world of the Sprixtie kingdom on a quest to save the land's fairies form Bowser's evil clutches.
Super Mario 3D World presents many new features, the most notable being the new power-up, the Super Bell. This golden bell grants you an adorable cat suit that allows you to claw at enemies and climb up walls. There is also another new power-up: the Double Cherry. This pair of fruits creates a clone of you that copies your actions. Each Double Cherry you collect creates another clone. You can assemble an entire army of duplicates of you, but they will evaporate if they take damage. There is also the Cannon Box, a block that can be worn on your head to endlessly blast explosive spheres, and charge up more powerful cannonballs by holding the attack button; and the Light Box, which projects a beam of light that lights the darkness and evaporates ghosts. There are also returning Super Mario 3D Land favorites, such as the Boomerang Flower, the Propeller Box, and the Super Leaf-- its Super Mario 3D Land incarnation. You can play with up to four people, and, as a reference to Super Mario Bros. 2, the playable characters have retained there skills from that game, despite the fact that the game took place inside Mario's head. You now get a lot more freedom when you traverse the world maps-- you move in any direction, and they are goodies such as coins and 1-Up mushrooms hidden throughout them. The game takes excellent advantage on the Wii U's capabilities. The GamePad's touchscreen can be tapped to reveal invisible objects, and blowing into the microphone can blow small enemies away.
The visuals are beautiful, most of all the incredible lighting effects. The graphics are plagued by mild but almost unnoticeable pop-up. This is made up for by the vibrant, colorful, and detailed environments that make Super Mario 3D World a visual marvel overall. The game's musical score is also one of my favorites in the franchise. While nothing can top the work of the Super Mario Galaxy Orchestra, but the musicians behind this game's soundtrack come very close. The score mixes upbeat jazz tunes will keep you snapping to the beat (that is, if you know how to snap ... which I do not) with some Galaxy-style orchestral tracks.
In another reference to Super Mario Bros. 2, there are slot machine stages that plays a remix of the classic's character selection screen music. In addition to all the new features, many throwbacks involving enemies are features. Among the classic foes are Chargin' Chucks (Super Mario World), Bullies (Super Mario 64), Flurries (SMB2), and when you stomp on a Koopa, it's knocked out of its shell (not an enemy, but it's a feature unseen since SMW), and in some stages, Goombas can be found riding in large ice skates reminiscent of Kuribo shoes from SMB3.
To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Mario's overshadowed younger brother Luigi (aside from an entire game), you can unlock Luigi Bros., a remake of Luigi's debut game Mario Bros. starring the overshadowed brother. If you have New Super Luigi U save data on your Wii U, Luigi Bros. will automatically be available to play. There are also several stages in which you can spot the shadow of Luigi's sprite from Super Mario Bros. As a single-player affair, Super Mario 3D World is still outstanding, but it's best enjoyed with pals. The multiplayer is chaotic and fun, and the game encourages teamwork far more than it did in New Super Mario Bros. Wii. For example, you now have to consider the consequences of tossing your buddy into a pit, because all of the players share the same pool of lives (an annoyance when your friends are newbies). Additionally, there are some fun stages where you ride a dinosaur named Plessie (a remix of the Secret Slide theme from SM64 plays in the background), all of the players must work together to control the creature. There are even a few hidden Green Stars that are accessed via platforms that require a certain number of people on them to move. However, everyone will still compete for the highest score, for at the end of the each stage, the player with the most points receives a crown. This piece of jewelry serves no purpose but to paint an imaginary target on the player wearing it and awards them with an additional 10,000 points if they finish a stage while wearing it, nearly ensuring that whoever has it at the end of a level will have it in the next.
The game takes advantage of Miiverse by allowing you to use collectible stamps hidden in stages to create pictures for others to view. With Miiverse, you can also find Miis on the world map and comment on or give a Yeah! to their posts, as well as race ghost Miis in stages. However, the game is not at any point a cakewalk, much unlike the game's predecessor, and there can be frustration at times, in fact. Additionally, when you play Luigi Bros., when you're done playing you must return to the Wii U homepage rather then SM3DW, which can be annoyingly time-consuming. And it just doesn't feel right to put a game that could be almost exactly the same on 3DS on Wii U, thought the multiplayer does make up for this. The mere fact it's on the system is to further popularize the console and boost sales. Even so, Super Mario 3D World is another amazing and imaginative Mario title chock-full of surprise and joy that never ceases to amaze, and it's pretty much the best reason to own a Wii U.
Ups
Awesome new power-ups
Beautiful visuals (with mild pop-up)
Creative use of the GamePad
Chaotic co-op
Fun stamps
Miiverse connectivity
Downs
Sometimes frustrating difficulty level
Game must be reopened after playing Luigi Bros.
Could have been almost the same on 3DS
ESRB: E Content: Mild Cartoon Violence Price: $59.99 (Retail)
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