Starting off with this game, Mario feels too slow for my liking. Long jumping is really the only way to gain speed and the triple jump is almost useless. Really miss the snappy controls of Sunshine. I also don’t think the swimming controls well either, though thankfully in most of those levels they give you a shell to propel yourself forward so it isn’t too awkward. I also don’t like the powerups in this game. Fire Flower is sluggish, Ice Flower is very fun but temporary for whatever reason, spring Mario...exists I guess, Bee Mario is kinda goofy but I do like using him, and Ghost Mario is also just sort of whatever. The temporary powerup mentality again is something I don’t understand, I guess it makes sense for the invincibility star but for everything else? Why?

Why am I starting with a lot of negatives right out the gate you may ask? It’s because to be honest, I don’t really have much negative to say with this game. The level design is super fun, the antigravity is a blast to mess around with, the worlds are varied and a lot of fun to go through, despite being a more linear affair there are a lot of offbeat paths and secrets you can uncover, and the story (more so the backstory of Rosalina) is incredibly touching to see unfold. Even the motion controlled levels handle very well which was surprising to me. Definitely recommend this one, this is easily my new favorite 3D Mario.