One of the first and most notable titles on the 3DS. It's not notable for being an amazing game or anything, it's just notable for being a 3D Mario game. And why shouldn't it? Mario is what started the entire 3D genre, and is the main innovator of it to this day. However, this title sits on a different couch than the main 3D titles. Unlike 64, Sunshine, the Galaxy games, Odyssey, and even it's direct sequel on Wii U, this black sheep of 3D Mario games doesn't do much to innovate. It's kinda just a 2D Mario game that decides to use the z-axis.
While 64, Sunshine, and Galaxy have their own unique controls and mechanics, 3D Land aims for something much more standard of the Mario franchise. What it does is take the formula of 2D Mario games and implement them in a 3D environment. This includes many things that make it completely different from every other 3D title.
Instead of a health bar, Mario's health is now determined by his current power-up. Small Mario has 1 hitpoint, a mushroom will turn that into 2, and any other power-up will make that 3. Levels are now incredibly linear and end at a flagpole rather than a collectible. Although the Galaxy games also had a somewhat linear level structure, there's still more room to explore as well as more depth to the level design itself.
Mario's moveset is withered down to fit with the "2D in 3D" environments. You've got the normal jump, side somersault, and long jump for basic movement options. No double or triple jump this time around, which is weird because those were also present in the New Super Mario Bros. games. Instead of a traditional backflip, you can crouch for a second to charge a backflip akin to the high jump in Super Mario Bros. 2. This move has little to no use and I cannot recall a single time I used it. Mario can roll by pressing the dash button while crouching, and this also has little to no use. This is only mandatory to use if there's a block in front of you that you needed to break and you don't have a tanooki suit. It's incredibly unreliable as a movement option because it has an insane amount of lag and doesn't increase your speed because of that. The weirdest thing about the movement is how stupid the normal jump is. It goes just as far, if not, further, than the long jump, goes about as high as the side somersault, and still allows you to keep your momentum after. If there's a jump you need to make to the flagpole and you need a lot of distance to get to it, don't long jump, a normal jump will do just fine. The inclusion of a dash button also feels somewhat redundant, mainly because there's never a single moment in which you won't be holding it down.
The power-ups don't change his basic moveset much aside from the tanooki suit, which is actually really fun to use. It allows you to hover and gain more speed with a weird dash crouch hop movement trick. The other power-ups are just there. The fire flower lets Mario shoot fireballs, and the boomerang flower lets Mario throw boomerangs. Nothing noteworthy outside of the tanooki suit.
To be fair, Mario's movement was made this way so it would fit the with level design perfectly. In that regard, I would say these movement options are fine. The level design present here is very linear. You need to get from the start to the flagpole, while collecting star coins along the way. You can really tell that this is just a 2D game brought over to 3D, because there's almost nothing special here that's noteworthy. Generic looking platforms on a generic looking background for every single level. There are almost no interesting gimmicks or design choices in general that caught my attention or made me think. The levels would enter my mind the moment I started them, and leave the instant I touched the flagpole. That's not to say that the level design is bad, far from it, but it lacks its own personality and identity. It doesn't help that the game directly after this, 3D World, adopted this exact same approach but with better level design.
There's nothing here that stands out to make this Mario title a unique experience. Everything that's present in 3D Land, you can find in 3D World with interest. The level design is boring and uninspiring, literally just taking 2D level themes and putting them in 3D. The movement is weirdly limiting and standardized. Say what you want about any of the other 3D titles, but when I pick one of those games up, there are differences aplenty. Each title gives Mario different movement options to help him traverse through the levels. No two games feel similar in the slightest. 3D Land takes the most standard movement options and does nothing new with them. The movement here feels like a 2D game at best and a more barren version of any other 3D game at worst. It fits the level design, sure, but it's definitely the most "Mario feeling" Mario game out there. This kind of standardization is even seen in the soundtrack. I can't recall a single original theme off the top of my head, every track is either a remix from Mario 3 or straight up recycled from the Galaxy games.
Something else to note is that this game is really easy. Like, Kirby levels of easy. The only times I found myself dying were because I was being impatient and trying to speed through the levels as fast as I could with no regard for my lives. Even the final level, which is supposed to be a super difficult gauntlet filled with obstacles seen throughout the whole game, is a joke compared to other gauntlet levels. Combine this with the tanooki suit, which lets you fly your way out of many dangers, and the whole game becomes a cake walk.
With all of that being said, I want to make it clear that this is far from a bad game, but it definitely is a very disappointing game. Mario 3D games are possibly the biggest game releases in the entire gaming industry, so to see a 3D title come out with nothing new to add to the table and nothing to say for itself is certainly sad to see. What's here is enjoyable, nothing more, nothing less. It fits the nature of many 3DS games of being easy to pick up for a couple of minutes and then put down again. If you want a very standardized game that's good fun the whole way through, then this fits the bill nicely. However, if you want a game that actually stands out, for better or for worse, then any of the other 3D titles will offer a much more memorable experience.
While 64, Sunshine, and Galaxy have their own unique controls and mechanics, 3D Land aims for something much more standard of the Mario franchise. What it does is take the formula of 2D Mario games and implement them in a 3D environment. This includes many things that make it completely different from every other 3D title.
Instead of a health bar, Mario's health is now determined by his current power-up. Small Mario has 1 hitpoint, a mushroom will turn that into 2, and any other power-up will make that 3. Levels are now incredibly linear and end at a flagpole rather than a collectible. Although the Galaxy games also had a somewhat linear level structure, there's still more room to explore as well as more depth to the level design itself.
Mario's moveset is withered down to fit with the "2D in 3D" environments. You've got the normal jump, side somersault, and long jump for basic movement options. No double or triple jump this time around, which is weird because those were also present in the New Super Mario Bros. games. Instead of a traditional backflip, you can crouch for a second to charge a backflip akin to the high jump in Super Mario Bros. 2. This move has little to no use and I cannot recall a single time I used it. Mario can roll by pressing the dash button while crouching, and this also has little to no use. This is only mandatory to use if there's a block in front of you that you needed to break and you don't have a tanooki suit. It's incredibly unreliable as a movement option because it has an insane amount of lag and doesn't increase your speed because of that. The weirdest thing about the movement is how stupid the normal jump is. It goes just as far, if not, further, than the long jump, goes about as high as the side somersault, and still allows you to keep your momentum after. If there's a jump you need to make to the flagpole and you need a lot of distance to get to it, don't long jump, a normal jump will do just fine. The inclusion of a dash button also feels somewhat redundant, mainly because there's never a single moment in which you won't be holding it down.
The power-ups don't change his basic moveset much aside from the tanooki suit, which is actually really fun to use. It allows you to hover and gain more speed with a weird dash crouch hop movement trick. The other power-ups are just there. The fire flower lets Mario shoot fireballs, and the boomerang flower lets Mario throw boomerangs. Nothing noteworthy outside of the tanooki suit.
To be fair, Mario's movement was made this way so it would fit the with level design perfectly. In that regard, I would say these movement options are fine. The level design present here is very linear. You need to get from the start to the flagpole, while collecting star coins along the way. You can really tell that this is just a 2D game brought over to 3D, because there's almost nothing special here that's noteworthy. Generic looking platforms on a generic looking background for every single level. There are almost no interesting gimmicks or design choices in general that caught my attention or made me think. The levels would enter my mind the moment I started them, and leave the instant I touched the flagpole. That's not to say that the level design is bad, far from it, but it lacks its own personality and identity. It doesn't help that the game directly after this, 3D World, adopted this exact same approach but with better level design.
There's nothing here that stands out to make this Mario title a unique experience. Everything that's present in 3D Land, you can find in 3D World with interest. The level design is boring and uninspiring, literally just taking 2D level themes and putting them in 3D. The movement is weirdly limiting and standardized. Say what you want about any of the other 3D titles, but when I pick one of those games up, there are differences aplenty. Each title gives Mario different movement options to help him traverse through the levels. No two games feel similar in the slightest. 3D Land takes the most standard movement options and does nothing new with them. The movement here feels like a 2D game at best and a more barren version of any other 3D game at worst. It fits the level design, sure, but it's definitely the most "Mario feeling" Mario game out there. This kind of standardization is even seen in the soundtrack. I can't recall a single original theme off the top of my head, every track is either a remix from Mario 3 or straight up recycled from the Galaxy games.
Something else to note is that this game is really easy. Like, Kirby levels of easy. The only times I found myself dying were because I was being impatient and trying to speed through the levels as fast as I could with no regard for my lives. Even the final level, which is supposed to be a super difficult gauntlet filled with obstacles seen throughout the whole game, is a joke compared to other gauntlet levels. Combine this with the tanooki suit, which lets you fly your way out of many dangers, and the whole game becomes a cake walk.
With all of that being said, I want to make it clear that this is far from a bad game, but it definitely is a very disappointing game. Mario 3D games are possibly the biggest game releases in the entire gaming industry, so to see a 3D title come out with nothing new to add to the table and nothing to say for itself is certainly sad to see. What's here is enjoyable, nothing more, nothing less. It fits the nature of many 3DS games of being easy to pick up for a couple of minutes and then put down again. If you want a very standardized game that's good fun the whole way through, then this fits the bill nicely. However, if you want a game that actually stands out, for better or for worse, then any of the other 3D titles will offer a much more memorable experience.