"3D World" is absolutely the perfect title for this game. To me this feels like the answer to "what if we made Super Mario World but 3D"; the Classic 2D Super Mario formula but with an extra dimension of movement. Like if this would have been the actual first 3D Mario game, instead of SM64, it would have felt like the natural progression. And I realize this means both that SM64 was indeed a massive jump forward back then and also that 3D World might feel like a step back in some ways.

The things that immediately win me over are the gorgeous and shiny visuals, the jazzy soundtrack, the cast of playable characters - each with their own unique skills, and the sheer amount of levels and variety.

However, it isn't that hard to get the 3 stars, the stamp, and the golden flag in your first visit to a level which leaves little or no incentive to revisit them. I think this is a shame because it makes the levels less memorable overall; no matter how nice a particular level was, if you manage to get all of the level's collectibles in one go, you're unlikely to go back to it. Even less if you don't care about getting all the collectibles and only about reaching the goal and moving on.

In comparison, the other 3D Mario entries have far fewer but much bigger worlds and you have to spend a long time on each which makes it easier for them to stick in your mind and become familiar and therefore memorable.

I guess if it had tried to strike a balance with the 64/Galaxy formula of requiring to revisit the same worlds - sometimes with variations - to get the all the level's stars, it would have made it more enjoyable for me.

Also I'm not a fan of the cat power.

Still, it's a super polished package full of the Mario World fun, charm, and style that I love.