Jogo divertido e completo. É um jogo de Mario e nisso não tem muito o que errar, gameplay responsiva e divertida, gráficos cenários e músicas belos. O game padrão é até bem fácil e curto (é na verdade o mesmo tamanho de qualquer jogo de Mario comum, 64 fases, mas por ser meio fácil passa rápido) entretanto, temos um modo 'Special' que, pelo menos para mim, é bem mais desafiador.
A adaptação de cenário 3D ficou muito boa na minha opinião mas não espere cenários abertos enormes como em Super Mario 64 ou Super Mario Galaxy por exemplo. Esse jogo seria muito mais uma interpretação 3D de um cenário de New Super Mario Bros. Wii o que funciona muito bem e especialmente na tela 3D do console, que ajuda com questão de se localizar em profundidade e ângulos em alguns momentos.

A common criticism for Mario games released in the 3DS and Wii U era was that they were getting very bland. Not bad really. Just nothing new. Every game was designed to appeal to everyone. No risks of attempts to change the game like with 64 and Galaxy. Just very basic Mario platforming. Super Mario 3D Land!

This game is nothing special. It is marketed as the 3DS's mainline Mario game and that's all it was. The story is the same as usual with no new characters besides Pom Pom... I guess? Bowser kidnaps Peach and Mario has to do platforming to save her. Its the exact same you've seen a ton of times. To be fair, no one is playing Mario games for the story. You're playing it for the fun gameplay but it really does make you wish for something more than just cliff-notes after how bombastic Galaxy was.

The level design is simultaneously really interesting and also really basic. At the time we were just off the heels of Super Mario Galaxy 2, debatabley the beginning of the "Bland Era." The Galaxy games kind of did away with the open level style started by 64 and turned into a mission based style of replaying the same level with minor changes. 3D Land does this too but takes it to a whole new degree. Gameplay is designed like the New Super Mario Bros. series but in 3D. Typical 3 collectibles per level, 8 worlds with 7-9 levels each ending with a flagpole. Again, this isn't a bad thing. I'd argue with some good unique level designs and elements this could work really well, (Like in 3D World) 3D Land doesn't have this. This game is doing NOTHING you haven't seen before. The only thing keeping this game from being considered part of the New Soup series is that it is "technically" in 3D however its hard to care when the game still feels and plays like a 2D game.

I like what this game was starting. It's not a bad game. It's painfully generic but I would not call it bad. Just... another Mario platformer. And thankfully we'd get this game done right with 3D World a couple years later.

I can't recommend this game to anyone but those morbidly curious. Anything this game does is done better and more uniquely by 3D World. Play that instead because you will find nothing here.

There have been tons of great Mario games but I think this is one of the more influential 3D entries. At this point, 3D entries like Mario 64, Sunshine, Galaxy, etc. created gameplay systems that strayed from the 2D formula; this game is a literal translation of the 2D mechanics into the third dimension. The concept is the best thing going for this game: it's fun to experience Mario in this new way. This game has since been eclipsed by 3D World but it's still worth playing if you're a fan of the franchise.

Better than any 3D Mario game before or after it?

No, not even close.

Wii U-to-literally-right-now-era baby game design?

Yes

A genuine fun game that you can sit and chill with that’s unique enough to exist as a pre-Switch handheld game with secrets that at least appease what I would expect to find in a Mario game?

Yes

Summary: New Super Mario Bros. but what if Nintendo made a sequel that did not make me want to sell it within the first week of me acquiring it