Reviews VideoGame / Super Mario 3 D World

A fantastic distillation of everything Mario should be about

Super Mario 3D world represents something interesting. While Mario Galaxy 1 is my personal favourite Mario game, and a game I find superior to this one, I get the feeling that this game is the culmination of many years trying to create a "perfect" Mario game, accessible to casual gamers and hardcore gamers alike, in a 3D environment. I feel it's the best attempt at distillation what Mario IS about, even though it's not my absolute favourite entry in the series.

To me, the essence of Mario is fun, accessible, if not always easy platforming, with a focus on linear obstacle courses and with plenty of charm along the way. This is vital to my opinion, because in my opinion 64 at the very least betrayed this formula, while 3D world largely adheres to it.

It picks up elements of numerous Mario games and puts them in a blender. Linear level design? mall/big/powerup health system? check. Collecting stars to progress through the game? Check. Creative one-level gimmicks, straight from Galaxy? Check.

The game is separated into many short levels, and they are successful partly because they don't outstay their welcome. Most of them focus on one particular obastacle/gimmick. For example, There's Mount Must Dash, A Mario kart style level with a lot of focus on dashpads. There's Puffprod peaks, where the touch screen is used to pull blocks out from the wall as platforms. Most levels feel unique, and because of this are replayable and memorable.

There are 4 playable characters, while alters how the game is played, and different playstyles will be suited to different characters. I, for example, mostly stuck with Luigi for his high, floaty jumps. Players who like to rush through the stage or speedrun will find a liking for Toad. And players who want a little extra distance in their jumps can use Peach.

The graphics are beautiful. Galaxy may have it slightly beat in Art style, but the splendour of the graphics cannot be ignored. I have an SDTV for god's sake, and it still looks fantastic! The music largely follows suit, as a mix of classic style themes and Galaxy esque orchestra.

I enjoyed 3D land, and this is definitely a large improvement. If you somehow knew someone who hadn't played Mario before, you should probably show them this one first. I don't feel it's the ABSOLUTE best Mario game, but definitely ONE of the best.

Don't miss out on it.