This is only a review of the Switch version of Super Mario 3D World, my review of Bowser's Fury is posted on the separate page for that game (spoiler alert, Bowser's Fury is one of the best 3D Mario games ever).
In his review of Super Mario Galaxy, Tim Rogers bemoaned that the game was not a cultural event, it was just a video game. Super Mario 3D World, in my circle of friends and acquaintances, very much was indeed a cultural event. A friend of mine with whom I shared an interest in Atari 2600 games, who I don't even think owned a Wii U, could frequently be found listening to the game's soundtrack on Youtube. I first played the game at a friend's house, 3 player co-op on Grumblump Inferno. It would not be a complete exaggeration to say that Super Mario 3D World is the reason that I bought an HDTV.
Tevis Thompson's review of Fortnite laments that the game simply is no longer what it once was; the true cultural event of Fortnite has passed, the experiences of playing the game during that moment in history can never be recaptured. Miiverse is gone, even in the Wii U version the reason for stamp collecting has disappeared, leaving behind vestigial empty space. Separated from the apparent community engagement, the mood of the game has changed.
I didn't play Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury until about a month after it came out, and reading other people's thoughts about the game confused me. People kept comparing Bowser's Fury to 3D World. I saw the trailers, I saw let's plays, reviews, breakdowns. The smooth transitions into pipes, the increased movement speed, the dive, the increased jump height after a ground pound, these are all Super Mario Odyssey maneuvers. None of them were in the Super Mario 3D World that I played for the first time nearly 8 years ago. Then, as I watched more videos and eventually played the game myself, I realized what had happened. Mario's new moves had been brought over into the new Bowser's Fury scenario, and then retrofitted onto this new version of 3D World.
None of the changes here are huge, none of them are terrible or irredeemable on their own, but each of them is a piece of straw that piles together to undo the polish of the original. Every time I pick this game up, my thumb reaches for a D-pad that I can't use anymore; even while using the analogue stick, Mario can only move in 8 directions. This game may use 3D graphics but it was clearly designed with the mindset of 2D course-clear/flagpole Mario. Not even being given the option to use the D-pad is kind of unbelievable, especially since the Switch port of NSMBU gives players the option to use that game's original control scheme, albeit hidden behind what practically amounts to a cheat code.
Ever since the original Super Mario Bros. (arguably earlier) this series has stealthily contained within itself an element of rhythm. The speed that Mario moves, the length of his jumps, contrasted with the size of the blocks and the spaces between them, all amounts to scenery for an unmatched acrobatic digital dance performance. Changing the speed at which the player runs in a Mario game, even before factoring in the additions to the moveset itself, is on its own enough to completely change the characteristics of the game. In the Switch version, Mario often feels slippery in moments of precision platforming. His greater speed and extended jumping capability make it almost impossible not to reach the top of the flagpole on every stage.
Effort has been made to remove from the game the various gimmicks of the Wii U gamepad controller, to varying degrees of success. Level 2-2, Puffprod Peaks, features platforms that were once controlled using the Wii U gamepad's microphone; they now move automatically, which is frankly a welcome change. There is, however, a platform in the stage with half a dozen small goomba enemies on it, which in the Wii U version would be blown into the abyss below upon the player expelling their lung wind unto the controller's listening hole. There isn't any reason for this enemy placement in the Switch version, it should have been something else, a piranha plant or the galoombas seen earlier in the stage. It isn't terrible, I just wish they had put more thought into why these enemies were put there in the first place, that maybe if the mechanics of the level were being changed the enemies should be altered too.
The UI is all over the place. The empty space left behind by Miiverse's absence has not been filled, rather the design has been further gutted, made more minimal, sterile. The menu's characteristic chevron borders have been done away with in favor of a small list in front of a mostly blurred screen.
The last big family get-together I had before the Current Health Situation was inviting everyone over to my then new apartment for dinner. A handful of us played Super Mario 3D World on Wii U, we had enough controllers for it, the gamepad, 2 pro controllers, and a remote-nunchuk combo. Despite the Nintendo Switch's popularity in terms of sales figures, I don't actually know a single other person in real life who owns one. I could play this with 2 other people at most, and that's only if 2 of us used single joy-cons.
Ultimately the level design is largely unchanged, and the art direction is still the most cohesive the Mario series has ever had. Most people probably don't care about the minor changes, but I do. This might not in any objective sense be a worse version, but it isn't the same, and I don't like it as much.
In his review of Super Mario Galaxy, Tim Rogers bemoaned that the game was not a cultural event, it was just a video game. Super Mario 3D World, in my circle of friends and acquaintances, very much was indeed a cultural event. A friend of mine with whom I shared an interest in Atari 2600 games, who I don't even think owned a Wii U, could frequently be found listening to the game's soundtrack on Youtube. I first played the game at a friend's house, 3 player co-op on Grumblump Inferno. It would not be a complete exaggeration to say that Super Mario 3D World is the reason that I bought an HDTV.
Tevis Thompson's review of Fortnite laments that the game simply is no longer what it once was; the true cultural event of Fortnite has passed, the experiences of playing the game during that moment in history can never be recaptured. Miiverse is gone, even in the Wii U version the reason for stamp collecting has disappeared, leaving behind vestigial empty space. Separated from the apparent community engagement, the mood of the game has changed.
I didn't play Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury until about a month after it came out, and reading other people's thoughts about the game confused me. People kept comparing Bowser's Fury to 3D World. I saw the trailers, I saw let's plays, reviews, breakdowns. The smooth transitions into pipes, the increased movement speed, the dive, the increased jump height after a ground pound, these are all Super Mario Odyssey maneuvers. None of them were in the Super Mario 3D World that I played for the first time nearly 8 years ago. Then, as I watched more videos and eventually played the game myself, I realized what had happened. Mario's new moves had been brought over into the new Bowser's Fury scenario, and then retrofitted onto this new version of 3D World.
None of the changes here are huge, none of them are terrible or irredeemable on their own, but each of them is a piece of straw that piles together to undo the polish of the original. Every time I pick this game up, my thumb reaches for a D-pad that I can't use anymore; even while using the analogue stick, Mario can only move in 8 directions. This game may use 3D graphics but it was clearly designed with the mindset of 2D course-clear/flagpole Mario. Not even being given the option to use the D-pad is kind of unbelievable, especially since the Switch port of NSMBU gives players the option to use that game's original control scheme, albeit hidden behind what practically amounts to a cheat code.
Ever since the original Super Mario Bros. (arguably earlier) this series has stealthily contained within itself an element of rhythm. The speed that Mario moves, the length of his jumps, contrasted with the size of the blocks and the spaces between them, all amounts to scenery for an unmatched acrobatic digital dance performance. Changing the speed at which the player runs in a Mario game, even before factoring in the additions to the moveset itself, is on its own enough to completely change the characteristics of the game. In the Switch version, Mario often feels slippery in moments of precision platforming. His greater speed and extended jumping capability make it almost impossible not to reach the top of the flagpole on every stage.
Effort has been made to remove from the game the various gimmicks of the Wii U gamepad controller, to varying degrees of success. Level 2-2, Puffprod Peaks, features platforms that were once controlled using the Wii U gamepad's microphone; they now move automatically, which is frankly a welcome change. There is, however, a platform in the stage with half a dozen small goomba enemies on it, which in the Wii U version would be blown into the abyss below upon the player expelling their lung wind unto the controller's listening hole. There isn't any reason for this enemy placement in the Switch version, it should have been something else, a piranha plant or the galoombas seen earlier in the stage. It isn't terrible, I just wish they had put more thought into why these enemies were put there in the first place, that maybe if the mechanics of the level were being changed the enemies should be altered too.
The UI is all over the place. The empty space left behind by Miiverse's absence has not been filled, rather the design has been further gutted, made more minimal, sterile. The menu's characteristic chevron borders have been done away with in favor of a small list in front of a mostly blurred screen.
The last big family get-together I had before the Current Health Situation was inviting everyone over to my then new apartment for dinner. A handful of us played Super Mario 3D World on Wii U, we had enough controllers for it, the gamepad, 2 pro controllers, and a remote-nunchuk combo. Despite the Nintendo Switch's popularity in terms of sales figures, I don't actually know a single other person in real life who owns one. I could play this with 2 other people at most, and that's only if 2 of us used single joy-cons.
Ultimately the level design is largely unchanged, and the art direction is still the most cohesive the Mario series has ever had. Most people probably don't care about the minor changes, but I do. This might not in any objective sense be a worse version, but it isn't the same, and I don't like it as much.