Bowser's Fury is a neat expansion with a cool progression idea, and aside from maybe wanting a bit more from it, I don't have any meaningful complaints about the way the extra mode plays. The main game itself is not too shabby either, but I'm not particularly fond of the "3D" take on what is ultimately Mario's 2D formula.
I view the express benefit of the 3D space to be the greater ability to explore and discover as well as facilitating different kinds of objectives. Odyssey & even Bowser's Fury do this well enough, and the Galaxy games' levels have enough anti-gravity or otherwise unconventional layouts that none of it feels transparently linear in nature. 3D World by comparison feels very limited in its scope and only a marginal improvement over 3D Land when not accounting for the consistent nostalgic Mario theming. The levels can feel like they've ended as soon as they've begun, collectibles are exceedingly straightforward to find, and due to the accommodations made to support 4 players, the difficulty curve is way less steep than even 3D Land. The beautiful worlds and environments are almost wasted on levels that occasionally feel interchangeable and can only be approached and appreciated in one way -- pretty backgrounds over an equally as pretty basic straight path.
There's still plenty of fun to be had here, I've heard good things about the online play also, and Bowser's Fury at least rounds out the package well either way, but this is 3D Mario's closest analog to the New Super Mario Bros. format, and I wish there were more bold design ideas on display in general. Increasingly clear to me is the fact that most of Nintendo's ideas for Mario are recycled or re-imagined interpretations of their early gaming years, and that tactic threatens to lose its luster after so many iterations.
I view the express benefit of the 3D space to be the greater ability to explore and discover as well as facilitating different kinds of objectives. Odyssey & even Bowser's Fury do this well enough, and the Galaxy games' levels have enough anti-gravity or otherwise unconventional layouts that none of it feels transparently linear in nature. 3D World by comparison feels very limited in its scope and only a marginal improvement over 3D Land when not accounting for the consistent nostalgic Mario theming. The levels can feel like they've ended as soon as they've begun, collectibles are exceedingly straightforward to find, and due to the accommodations made to support 4 players, the difficulty curve is way less steep than even 3D Land. The beautiful worlds and environments are almost wasted on levels that occasionally feel interchangeable and can only be approached and appreciated in one way -- pretty backgrounds over an equally as pretty basic straight path.
There's still plenty of fun to be had here, I've heard good things about the online play also, and Bowser's Fury at least rounds out the package well either way, but this is 3D Mario's closest analog to the New Super Mario Bros. format, and I wish there were more bold design ideas on display in general. Increasingly clear to me is the fact that most of Nintendo's ideas for Mario are recycled or re-imagined interpretations of their early gaming years, and that tactic threatens to lose its luster after so many iterations.