Trivia / Super Mario 3D Land

• Killer App: This game, along with Mario Kart 7 and a price cut, significantly boosted the lackluster early sales of the Nintendo 3DS.
• Pre-Order Bonus: Players received a Tanooki Mario keychain if they pre-ordered.
• Throw It In!: The idea of making 5-2 Zelda themed came from the team developing a top-down level as a way to play around with the game's 3D gimmick, with the team realizing that it resembled a Zelda dungeon, leading them to add references to the franchise into the level.
• What Could Have Been:
  • Raccoon Mario was considered for the game, but Tanooki Mario was used instead for visual clarity.
  • Cape Mario was going to return, but Tanooki Mario was eventually chosen.
  • Goomba's Shoe and Tanooki Mario's flight ability were considered, but were rejected.
  • Yoshi was going to appear, but was rejected.
  • Some members of the team apparently wanted the Koopalings to appear in the game alongside Boom Boom. Only Boom Boom appears in the final game though.
  • Director Koichi Hayashida has revealed several rejected ideas during a panel at GDC 2012, such as an Cockroach enemy that can only be defeated by shutting the 3DS itself, a feature that would let you replace Peach's face with a Mii, the return of the Mega Mushroom power up, and a stretched out, lanky Mario. The latter idea would eventually be realized in Super Mario Maker via Weird Mario, and the Mega Mushroom would be saved for Super Mario 3D World.
  • Originally, the team wanted to have world 5-2 be world 2-5 as a way to subtly acknowledge the The Legend of Zelda's 25th anniversary at the time, however, they didn't think it was a good idea to put it in early, so they moved it to 5-2 instead, keeping the subtle reference intact.

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