Back when the Wii U launched there was one game I was looking forward to and curious as to what Nintendo would do with said game, that being whatever 3d Mario game Nintendo was cooking. 3d platformers have always been one of my favorite game genres and with Nintendo's last console 3d Mario game being Super Mario Galaxy 2, I had very high expectations with what they could make with the new hardware. Then E3 13 came around, and I woke up to the news of whatever 3d Mario game being a Mario 3d Land sequel. Needless to say, I was pretty disappointed at the time. Even with said disappointment in mind, I still thought it looked intriguing enough to get when I had my Wii U. Much like everything else that wasn't Smash, I didn't get far in the game and would eventually abandon my playthrough.

In 2020, Nintendo would go on to announce this version of the game that came with a bonus game, Bowser's Fury. Having not finished 3d Land and with the extra game added, I thought purchasing a Switch copy was well worth the money. I completed Super Mario 3d World last year and a few weeks ago I finally got around to finishing Bowser's Fury. Since I have completed both games, I've decided to write this review.

Super Mario 3d World: Aside from Super Mario 64, Super Mario 3d Land was definitely my least favorite 3d Mario game. I still liked it, but in comparison to the other 3d Mario games and other platformers like the Banjo games, it never scratched that itch for me. Super Mario 3d World is a big improvement over its 3DS predecessor and it did not disappoint.

The levels have more variety and are more refined, there are bosses in this game that aren't just Boom-Boom or 11 different variations of Bowser, the double cherries that allow you to clone yourself, and there is the catsuit. For as stupid as Cat Mario sounds and looks, it is easily one of the most fun power-ups in the series. The catsuit allows you to dive into enemies and climb onto walls. The wall climbing alone makes it one of the most useful and fun power-ups as it can save you from a ton of deaths or help you get collectibles easier. The last notable inclusion is co-op. This is also a big deal because it is the only full-fledged 3d Mario to have co-op that isn't just doing tasks for player one. That alone makes this game worth playing if you have friends around.

It may not have been the Super Mario Galaxy 3 I was hoping for, but it is still a fantastic 3d Mario that lives up to the quality of the games that came before it.

Bowser's Fury: This was an interesting one to play through. It reminds me a lot of Mario Odyssey and with how collecting the moons in that game worked, but it also felt fresh. The impression I got from playing this is that they want to make the next 3d Mario open-world with this game as sort of a test for what is to come. In that case, I really enjoyed the freedom that Bowser's Fury gives you in exploring the world and choosing which bells you'll get as opposed to the more linear approach some of the other 3d Mario games have taken.

My only real flaw with Bowser's Fury is that it is rather short and it can easily be completed within a few hours.

If you previously owned Super Mario 3d World then I wouldn't say Bowser's Fury alone is worth dropping $60 for, but if you're one of those who missed it on Wii U then it is a must-have for the Nintendo Switch.

Calling this Mastered because I beat Champion's Road. Only a true Super Mario Psychopath would aim for the 100% file in this game (beating each of the 82 levels with every character!!).

My girlfriend discovered Super Mario via last year's 3D All-Stars, and has since voraciously consumed pretty much any plumber-based video game I've put in front of her. To see her go from "so if I hold the button in longer, he jumps higher?" in the castle grounds of SM64 to the end of Champion's Road in the space of 6 months is what I think it would probably feel like to see your child winning the 100m sprint at the Olympics.

3D World essentially has two distinct difficulty modes: solo and co-op, each with its own unique challenges. Having to return to the start of the level every time you die in solo play makes it arguably harder than co-op, where fallen players return in bubbles after five seconds, but solo players don't have to contend with the multiplayer-exclusive enemy types - bloodthirsty versions of Mario, Luigi, Toad and Peach who relentlessly chase you across the entire course and attempt to throw you into pits at any convenient opportunity. Terrifying!

In all seriousness - who the hell at Nintendo decided that [Run], [Use Powerup], [Throw] and [Pick Up Player] should all be mapped to the same button?! By trying to simplify the control scheme as far as possible, 3D World's designers have inadvertently made the game harder to play with friends... B-but I also kinda like the chaos that ensues when someone's accidentally picked up? Hmmm...

The pick-up button dilemma is emblematic of the bold design dichotomy at the heart of this game - it wants to be a friendly-family romp that everyone can enjoy, but it also has a fairly obvious desire to return to the days when Mario games were breathless challenges that required talent and nerve - perhaps partly as a response to all those people who complained that 3D Land gate-kept its good shit behind eight worlds of relatively mindless, toothless platforming.

I read in Iwata Asks many years ago that this game's Captain Toad sections were an attempt to wean casual New Super Mario Bros. fans onto the concept of a 3D camera that's controlled by an analog stick - a new take on the castle grounds for people who weren't around for the Nintendo 64. I think 3D World's secret agenda was to sell Mario Luddites on the Triple Jump Era...

For the most part, 3D World succeeds in its aim to bridge casual and hardcore mindsets - the placement of green stars in the early worlds feel almost tailor-made to cater to multiplayer setups where one person is still trying to grasp the idea of running and jumping while their partner is side-flipping, wall-kicking and dive-rolling all over the space. Unfortunately, around the time of World 6, auto-scrollers and slidey platforms and boost pads begin to run riot and gaps in skill become much more pronounced and frustrating. The bubble-up mechanic is a best-of-a-bad solution to the co-op camera problem, but it can sometimes feel like certain levels were never meant to be played multiplayer. The final showdown with Cat Bowser in particular is a complete fucking nightmare - I remember hating it as a single man and player back in 2013, but trying to get me and my girlfriend up that stupid auto-scrolling tower together in 2021 was nigh-on impossible, with us both randomly disappearing off-screen and becoming bubbles at seemingly random intervals! Ugh!! It's really annoying, because the idea of Bowser getting into Mario's big bag of tricks for a final boss battle is really fun and cool - it deserved better execution!

Funnily enough, we had far less problems with the post-game levels, which in many cases felt specifically designed for ridiculous Mario Party-style fun. The rolling block level in particular is almost a game unto itself, a true test of co-operative spirit and patience that could probably stand alone as its own fun little indie game! Oh how we laughed!! And the shmup-homage level? Wonderful! I like when Nintendo's designers are allowed to crib from boxes of toys outside their own corporate playpen.

I'm gonna go ahead and give the 3D World + Bowser's Fury package a whole-assed 5 stars because even though Bowser's Fury and 3D World are probably worth four stars each when packed apart, together they form this really joyous, heartfelt whole that encompasses almost the entire Super Mario experience - there's homage to just about every mainline game here and then a whole lot more! The ideal jumping-on point for anyone who has somehow managed to miss out on the Mario phenomenon in the last 35 years.

I've felt like I've been in the minority for a while, having loved this game since the WIIU days and not quite understanding the hate it would receive. Now, after finally getting the full 100% playthrough I've aimed for since the original release, I have a newfound appreciation for 3D World, as well as new acknowledgment of its short comings.

Like Mario Kart 8 and other incredibly polished WIIU games, 3D World ushered the 3D Mario series into a new era of polish, being the first HD supported console as well. While it lacks the charming and unique visual styles of previous entries, the upgraded particle/visual effects and clean textures makes it incredibly pleasing to the eye and clearly gave the groundwork to future titles like Odyssey. It's an incredibly vital part of 3D World's identity, and leans more into the controversial side of the argument.

It's undeniable at this point the similarities 3D World shares with the NSMB series, instead in the 3D genre. It's a relatively short and quick experience, that throws as much variety to you in as little time as possible, and never pushes the boundaries to a large degree. Despite the clear comparison in design, the same can't be said in quality. Where NSMB fails in providing a fresh and consistently engaging experience, 3D World never stops being fun. It's so confident in it's bright and bubbly nature, with such vibrant locations and snazzy scores, and never waivers. I loved the different ways it also allowed me to approach each level with the surprisingly unique character selection in favor of a less unique Mario moveset (Not to say it doesn't feel as tight and fun to control as ever; The dive mechanics and speed increase make it somehow even more perfect. I can't ever imagine playing this game again without them.) It really feels like the developers were allowed to have full creative reign with this game's design, and while it led to a less focused experience, it doesn't devalue just how fun of a game it can still be.

On the other hand, the similarities that run between 3D World and the new content expansion, Bowser's Fury, are almost nonexistent. If anything, it's proven to me that we have the most competent and promising 3D Mario team in the history of Nintendo. It's so chaotic in structure and level design; There are no limits in how you approach almost every task ahead of you. It's pure, adrenaline-filled, 3D collect-a-thon enjoyment, with one hell of a final act. It's hard to say whether or not it's better than the base experience, but it easily makes the port rebuy more than worth it.

I'm really happy with how the public perception of this game has changed. Odyssey has filled the need for a new Collect-a-thon 3D Mario game, so 3D World has more room to thrive as its own being. It doesn't push the boundaries of one of the most inventive franchises in gaming history, but it's a shining example of the quality we can still expect from Nintendo blockbusters today.

I wanted this to turn out differently, I really did. I wanted to put more than 3.5 stars up there and write something goofy like “first giant fetish in New Super Mario Bros and now fursuits, what kind of deviantart-ass shit is Nintendo trying to get me into, there better not be any vore in Odyssey lol, lmfao even.” Unfortunately, such is not to be.

I’m going to level with all of you. I may seem like the kooky and lovable Gare that you all know and exactly 102 of you follow, but once you get to know me you’ll find out that I have the emotional intelligence of a toddler. That is to say I get ah, frustrated easily. I spent most of my childhood being told I was smarter than most of my classmates and naturally talented and I could do anything I set out to do, so now if I ever find anything difficult on the first try, anything at all, I get angry and give up. On top of that, I’m pretty sure I have high blood pressure. If I ever tried to play a single dark souls game I think it would literally kill me.

Having said that, I now understand exactly what I want when I play a game. I view them at this point like movies, that is to say for storytelling, writing and acting and the interesting juxtaposition of disparate elements. If there’s not really a story to it, then I want to experience all the levels while controlling the hero as if they are in the full capacity of their abilities and reach an ending where, even if they don’t technically “win,” it still wraps up in a narratively satisfying way. To me, games are stories, not sports. I can accept that sports are essentially sets of conventions and rules that one must practice to master, but I don’t agree that games are necessarily the same in this way. If some bullshit is going to get in the way of me experiencing a game all the way through, I’m going to bypass it one way or another, by cheats, by save states, whatever it takes. And if I can’t do any of that, I don’t play it. Simple as that.

A few things influenced this philosophy of mine, such as the above-mentioned tendency for me to temper tantrum. Another is that difficulty is artificial, a choice on the developer’s part, and often one rooted in condescension for the player, a desire to wring out perceived value in a $65 game package, or even porque no los dos. Another still is that I’m just aware I don’t have a lot of time. I’m well past half the age of threescore and ten that in the Dantean tradition is meant to be what all men are doled out in life by God Almighty if you’re into that, and I still have like over 300 games left on my list. I had 300 on there for the past four years! I want to play as many as I can but I mean, I want to do other shit too. I do really like RPGs, but I’ve played enough of them to the point where farming for gold is pretty much the same in all of them. Do I really have to spend an extra half hour around the town mashing the A button just to get some good weapons, or can I do something that brings me closer to the moment I get them faster, like folding two points together in an Einstein-Rosen bridge?

All this, after becoming aware of how much I needed a personal set of tenets like this after my roommates heard me through my room during the pandemic, worked well for me for a long while, until I decided that for better or worse the switch was going to be the one modern console I’d have for the time being. When you download a game on the switch, you see, you can’t get rid of it, it’s on your profile forever. Which means that, if I happen to download something that I’m not aware goes against my personal policy until it’s too late, like maybe Hollow Knight for example, I can’t stop playing it. It’s always in my redownload page if I ever want to redownload something else. The save file is always backed up in the Nintendo cloud. It’s always there. It’s torture for me, tearing out my hair getting through bitch mantises and fuckmoths and Celeste spike rooms, then going online and being exposed to the worst debate that will never end. For eternity, until the aliens visit the ruins of our fallen civilization, one side being like accessibility for us is going to in no way whatsoever diminish the sense of accomplishment for you, and the other being like lmao it’s not for you crybaby, go play Kirby or Mario.

I purposely got a bunch of Mario and Kirby games this year expressly for this reason. I wanted to chill out for a couple months. Super Mario Bros Wonder was great for that. Then I played this.

Lives in Mario games are a staple since time primordial, but in recent years, and especially in Wonder, they’re more of an afterthought, probably because the green mushroom and coins are so iconic they still need a token reason to be there. I went into 3D world viewing lives with the same nonchalant attitude I had for them in Wonder, and around the beginning of the first stage in world three maybe, I had about forty lives. When I beat the stage, I had three. Turns out you’re more mindful of them when you lose them over and over again. Everything seemed to be a middle finger right in my face, from the levels to the slot machines never paying out, to the magical golden train disappearing after I casually died on it seconds after starting it, to hating the very appearance of small Mario, losing powerups as often as I did and finishing seemingly every level hatless and looking like some horrible chubby little Dutch boy. I began to get frustrated again, maybe not hollow knight levels, but enough to where I thought I maybe shouldn’t be. How much of this was just me, and how much of it was, you know, it’s kind of consistently a pain in the ass to gauge exactly what direction you’re jumping and/or shooting a projectile in, in a way that 3D land, which no one here seems to like, almost never is?

Well, an interesting-for-about-three-minutes YouTube video suggested that maybe it was me. It was about how Mario games are designed to be as difficult as you choose them to be, with more difficult routes over easier ones, little optional features to keep you going if you’re stuck somewhere, and whether or not you decide to play as Luigi. I guess that’s what I did, because I decided to get all the stamps and green stars, the staple of every Mario game since 64 (and also I played as Luigi a lot. Luigi’s my favorite, I love Luigi, I personally identify as Luigi, the fuck Nintendo, why would you make the openly-gay Mario brother the hard mode character). But the problem is, it’s not really optional, is it? Just like Hollow Knight on my switch profile, it’s always there! Right in front of you, every time you go to any level, “did you get the stars? Did you get the stamp? Did you remember to flagpole sitta?” It involved me dying a few times, sometimes deliberately sending Mario into hot lava with not a small amount of satisfaction, until I could get the sparkly tanooki suit (funny enough, at one level the suit actually prevented me from getting a star, as it destroyed a thwomp you needed to jump on to reach it). “Gimme the suit, I don’t have time for this,” I said to the game over and over again. Because what choice do you really have? You can no more ignore those hollow star-shaped slots in each level than you can “Makeba” playing on a ten hour loop or someone constantly poking you in the back of your head. Just ignore it? You sound like the switch support rep I spoke to who told me “just don’t ever redownload games.”

Ultimately, I got through it. I chilled out and got the hang of the slot machine, racking up lives again, and realizing that I should save the bells for the parts where I really need to climb up to get something. I couldn’t believe that after the last castle, complete with a bowser fight, there was STILL one more bowser world to go, and my heart sank when, after painstakingly collecting stars and stamps all throughout, I found out that there are four long-as-shit special world super-hard “get skullfucked land” levels full of more of them, which I will never in a million years even hope to collect. Nonetheless, I rescued the fairies or whatever (I also coincidentally on the same day finally beat the last boss in Metroid Dread, who by the way is fucking bullshit, it’s like four tiers and if you lose one you have start back at the beginning).

Look, on the one hand, I love Mario, and short of like a Mario hentai snuff game I’m gonna like anything Mario does. But on the other hand, Wonder made me happy the whole time, and 3D world made me mad. It’s a pain in the ass to play, but maybe it’s my fault too? I dunno man, 3.5 stars I guess. I’m also being told that in Odyssey you can choose to play the entire game with Mario clad only in his underwear. Sigh…

I'm so sorry Super Mario 3D World.

I disliked you for not being Mario Odyssey, but in a post-Mario Odyssey world, I can truly see how fantastic you are. You are beautiful. You are exciting. You are bursting with individuality. You take those classic Mario concepts of the NES/SNES era and breathe new life into them with your cooling minty fresh breath. You are the most consistent and easy to digest 3D Mario.

I love you, Super Mario 3D World.



Your sister, Bowser's Fury, is pretty hot too...

This is mostly a review of Bowser's Fury. But let's get the main game out of the way real quick:

Super Mario 3D World is a fantastic game. Always has been. This is definitively the best version of that game simply because it speeds up the character movement. Nice to see everyone's got a bit more pep in their step compared to 2013!

Not a whole lot else to say here, it's a perfect co-op game, but still fun solo. Go for it if you haven't already.

Super Mario 3D World: 4.5/5 Stars

But if you're a Wii U apologist like me, you completed this game ages ago, and Bowser's Fury is the reason you're here. I had seen a lot of takes comparing it to Odyssey, claiming that this new open-world approach to Mario is the future of the franchise, and I gotta say:

...why?

Bowser's Fury is fine! It's better than most 3D platformers, without a doubt. But comparing this to Super Mario Odyssey is like comparing a tasty little tapas plate to a Michelin Star 5-course meal.

In Bowser's Fury, you gradually open up the world by uncovering islands which have been hidden by Bowser's goop, which seems rooted in the same base concept as Ganon's Malice goop in Breath of the Wild. Collecting Cat Shines powers up Giga Bells and lighthouse towers which lead to giant-sized boss fights and the clearing away of the aforementioned goop. Each new group of islands is quite small, with Cat Coins and Cat Shines densely packed. Size-wise, they're smaller than your average Super Mario Galaxy level. This means the game is itty-bitty and you'll likely be finished in a couple of hours. (I 100%ed the game in just under 4)

Unfortunately, many of the Cat Shines recycle identical challenges across each of the islands you encounter. This was a major letdown for me, and reminded me of Yooka-Laylee more than anything else. You're gonna chase a goopy Luigi a lot. You're gonna bait Bowser into breaking big silver blocks. You're gonna collect a handful of blue coins within a time limit. The back half of the game was mostly filled with disappointment, as the game settled into rinsing and repeating Cat Shines. Don't get me wrong, when you first reach a new area, the challenges are diverse and enjoyable! But after the main Shines have been collected, the game pads the content with these repeated filler Shines. If you notice that you're missing 2 or 3 shines on each island, you can probably guess what they're gonna be without even going there.

When the trailers showed Super Saiyan Furry Mario fighting Fury Bowser, I was excited to give that a shot. It does end up being fun, but it still boils down to a classic "jump on them three-ish times" Mario boss battle. I'd say the final boss battle is moderately satisfying, though 100% completion doesn't offer anything new in terms of the boss fight mechanics or the ending cutscene. (The first ending occurs with half of the game's Cat Shines)

All in all, Bowser's Fury is a fun way to spend 2-4 hours, but I cannot for the LIFE of me fathom why so many people are touting this as the future of Mario. There is nothing that this game does exceptionally well. Everything falls somewhere in the vicinity of "pretty good". I doubt there are any challenges or set pieces besides the repeated boss fights that will stand out in players' memories in a few months' time. Maybe I can't see past the game's small scope and repetitive challenges, but Super Mario Odyssey does literally everything better than Bowser's Fury. If the next mainline Mario game takes after this instead of SMO, it will be a huge missed opportunity.

Bowser's Fury: 3.5/5 Stars

tl;dr: 3D World owns. Play it! Bowser's Fury is fine. If you're buying 3D World anyway, play BF too! But don't drop $60 just for the new content.

Super Mario 3D World is a very delicate transition of Super Mario Bros. courses into 3D and captivates with an incredible level design and creative ideas. Finding all secrets and completing this game is a fun challenge.

Mario has been granted new moves and his movement speed is higher than ever — which allows him to jump even further.

This time, 3D World comes with an optional online multiplayer (which Shigeru Miyamoto scrubbed for the Wii U version) and I’m fascinated by it, since I didn’t experience many lags. It almost works flawlessly. No online multiplayer for Bowser’s Fury, though.

Bowser’s Fury is a sandbox Mario with the mechanics of 3D World and surprises with an unexpected spectacle, without losing its focus on gameplay. This addition is full of unusual surprises. When I listened to its soundtrack, I wasn’t sure if I’m playing a Super Mario game or Shin Megami Tensei.

Bowser’s Fury contains a lot of Super Mario Sunshine references, so I immediately felt in love with it, since Sunshine is one of my most beloved childhood games.

This thing is good, but it is also the epitome of this increasingly predominant logic that Nintendo has with its present and its past, a toymaker one, and not a craftsman who cares with affection for his games and ideas put into his creations, rather like that of a luxury company that offers disposable and immediate products with a careful presentation.

Here is the new one of the toy known as "SUPER MARIO 3D WORLD WOHHOHHUHOOO", with improvements that will make you not want to go back to the original Wii U, in fact, they do not want you to, nor will they want you to go back to this version of switch when remaster it again on their next generation of hardware.

This logic extends to the entire game itself because its approach to action, while satisfying on the spot, also reveals how little real thought went into the designers working on such a solid and simple foundation as Super Mario. 3d Land- That game was in good health, but it was addictive like pringles-.
Why is there a multitasking button [Run], [Use Powerup],[Pick Up Player]
[Throw Things/Player] on a controller with so many buttons?
Probably no one thought of it, but in 3DLand it worked, so here too, right?
Yeah, no, the truth is that it doesn't work that well. With so many different power ups that alter the way the game space is operated, objects to throw, enemies that need to be dealt with in different ways, and, most importantly, a multiplayer in which all this is multiplied and also adds the possibility picking and throwing other players to win levels in the (seemingly) funniest and most creative way... One can't rely on a multitasking button, it's just impossible. Because obviously it's not just about the actions you can perform with your character, but how those actions relate to and impact the environment, or in this case -action platforms- what the environment demands of you as a player.
And precisely that, the environment, the levels, the world, Why is this game called 3D WORLD?
Not even the world map, probably the freest interplay of all the level-structured Super Marios, offers a sense of the world. It's a minor detail, and I don't have much problem with this, I think that the sensation of the digital world is achieved through more resources than simple physical literalness, but I also think it illustrates another point that was dealt with on autopilot.
The levels capture very well the texture of super mario in my opinion: color, fluffiness, sound... Joy as a whole.
But also full of ideas that, while creative and enjoyable, are also disposable almost the moment they are presented, more articulated around the mobility/attack variations provided by the Powerups than the jump itself, and that's a problem, because if you don't get the necessary powerup in advance the level design turns out to be a little soft, and that coupled with the problems of the multitasking button leaves some absurdly frustrating moments for a game that, if it had a better interactive layout, would be even easier than 3D LAND. Apart from the moments where the game tries to create a directed action sequence in which we have to fight a boss or stay on a platform on rails while the camera beats us - you go out of frame, you're dead - they make me sick, There is no redemption there, neither here nor in almost any platform game, it is an absurd way of killing pacing.

In the end, I liked the game, and I give it 4/5 because of Bowsers Fury and also because from time to time I actively look for a Toylogic game, that is just plain fun. I will probably come back to this game with friends.

--------------------------------------
I haven't been a Nintendo believer for a decade, but this way of supercharging its sequels with mechanics that born and die in the moment which a level takes place is a super evil company move

"duh, Nintendo is a company"



Yes, but even so I would dare to say that Nintendo has not had its own ideas or approaches since the 80s. Rather, it has offered quite innovative pieces of hardware (Nintendo DS?) to share -or even take advantage of- the ideas of others producing works of studies external or minor that would enrich their own corporate image as well as their catalogs

"well, sure, but Nintendo was always like that deep down"

Whispers hushed upon from fellow gamer,
“Brother we live as his retainer”,
Hymn’s echo down the chosen aisle,
as the crowd adjourn in single file,
The cloud room not but lay silent until chapel doors slam violent.
“Together we prayer upon his chair”
the Priest declares onto compliant stares,
as he turns to B-L-J up big, grand case of stair,
and look upon his crying heir,
“My sons gathered here in jury,
See the one who dares to question, one to query,
be this a lesson to those who's faith un-purely,
for see he shall receive Doug Bowser’s Fury”.

I was initially skeptical on this game because I had never played a level-based 3D Mario game. It ended up being everything I could've asked for in a Mario game and more. Fantastic level design, great co-op, great music, and overall an extremely fun experience that had me wanting to come back to it 24/7. The co-op in this game was surprisngly flawless. I played the last 3 worlds on my save file co-op and it was overall a better experince to play this game with someone else. Certain levels are better off played solo though. I also absolutley love how the levels in a world do not follow the theme of their level select screen. The game would've gotten stale quick if they went that route.

Bowser's Fury is incredible. It was a brand new, albeit short, sandbox mario experience with 3D World mechanics. Bowser's Fury was an absolute blast to play. Incredible final boss fight too.

What a delightful surprise, this port made me have a complete 180 on this game and learn to absolutely love it when I just liked it before. All the enhancements in this port fix a lot of my issues with the original. This time the game is a super fast paced frantic adventure with new moveset options that add to the flow, making this incredibly fun. All the levels have fucking incredible design albeit they can be a bit basic at times, but they are so much fun and a joy to play I could hardly care less. The secrets in every stage are super fun to try and find, some being pretty cryptic. Bowser's Fury adds a nice bit of sandbox Mario into the mix (my personal favorite) which is a nice breather from all the linear levels and is a ton of fun to boot! They balance spectacle and gameplay almost perfectly with astounding music that I would absolutely not expect to hear in a Mario game. Do I have to even say Bowser's Fury is a blast too? Future Connected this ain't. I still think this game plays it a bit too safe, but I have so much fun with this I could hardly care less, and I love playing online with friends. This is easily a strong recommendation from me and a must have for the Switch.

The gameplay is close to perfect in my opinion. 3D world has incredible level design all split into bite sized levels which keeps the game incredibly fast paced and mechanically interesting constantly. Movement and control is perfect, the move set is a bit more limiting than Odyssey but it's still incredibly fun to use, I like the addition of the dive here too.

Bowsers Fury is fantastic aswell since it takes the levels of 3D world but puts them in an open world instead. This is genius because it adds non linearity to the formula but doesn't make collecting Shine Sprites boring, each Shine Sprite feels like it's worth something because there aren't many of them and are generally harder to get than Moons. Also the atmosphere of Bowser's Fury is so raw.

The only minor flaws this game has is I don't like how they nerfed the Cat Suit slightly and the touch control sections are annoying and jank but frankly these complaints are so minor I don't care too much.

If you count this as one whole game, it's the best Mario game ever made imho, if they are separate games to you the package itself is still fantastic.

Never thought I’d like Mario 3D World more than Galaxy 1 but damn playing this with friends for the first time really changed my opinion on it. This game as a whole was made for multiplayer, and while some of the levels of clearly weren’t designed for it, almost all of them we’re fun regardless. Bowser’s Fury is also a great addition as well and it makes me excited for the future of 3D Mario. I wouldn’t recommend it for just Bowser’s Fury alone, but I’d still recommend it just because 3D World is a great game worth playing, with Bowser’s Fury as a wonderful bonus. Definitely the best port Nintendo has made yet.

Really makes you think how long it took Nintendo until 2021 to port 3D World to Nintendo Switch. The engine was there since 2019’s Super Mario Maker 2, Nintendo is known to sit on completed games in their vault, and the 2020 pandemic affected them harshly. Like 2019’s New Super Mario Bros Deluxe’s metadata was found in 2018 on the eShop alongside Tokyo Mirage Sessions: Encore, which was released in 2021 as well. So at the earliest, 3D World could have been ready by late 2019 to early 2020 but alas Nintendo loooooooves sitting on completed games. Long day for Wind Waker & Twilight Princess HD fans…
Anyways…game’s fun! I got nothing else to say, online co-op is neat but idc. I’d like for future 3D Mario games to be course clear and open air, as in separate games and not Bowser’s Fury hybrid. I like that game, but making big open zone Mario game might limit scope to me.

Nintendo is still a top tier platform games developer!

It was my first time playing Super Mario 3d World, and at first i found it easy to pick up and complete the levels. But i struggled a LOT after, let’s say, the fifth world. It was a fun experience, i imagine jt being a lot more fun with friends (cause the game has 4 player co-op)!

Bowser’s fury was an amazing addition! I didn’t like it very much in the beginning, but as soon as i picked up the pace, i found myself addicted to the game! And didn’t stop until i finished it. I did not went for 100% and don’t pretend doing it now, but if i had more time, i sure would do it!