3d World follows the Galaxy track of more linear 3d Mario's, the levels itself set the ton of your gameplay that is unique for each level, but distinct from galaxy the power ups are a great factor here, you start the game in the cat suit, in fact most of the better parts of the game are centered around the cat suit.
3d world started slowly for me, but it was a pleasant surprise how most of the levels had an unique level design, the soundtrack is as always a blast, and the last playable character you unlock makes for the best gameplay mechanic, having air control is the seed for odyssey and made replaying the levels so much better, also captain toad! those levels are adorable, a nice change of tone.
Overall an excellent 3d Mario, while it may start slow and it may be more linear than others, as well as some anoyng things towards the end and with repetition, is just a safe bet, well executed and fun to play