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So, for no better reason than “Mar.10” resembling Mario’s name, March 10^th is widely regarded as being “Mario Day”, a day to celebrate Nintendo’s portly plumber, an overalls-wearing mascot who literally changed the videogame industry forever and shaped the home console market of the nineties.

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Quick Facts:
Following the critical acclaim of Super Mario 3D Land (Nintendo EAD Tokyo, 2011), a blending of Mario’s 2D and 3D mechanics, the developers explored ideas for a follow-up for Nintendo’s ill-fated Wii U console. Desiring intuitive controls and unique movement in a 3D space, the team developed a new cat suit to enable players to climb walls and producer Yoshiaki Koizumi lobbied to make Princess “Peach” Toadstool a playable character. The game was met with universal acclaim and inspired a spin-off series based on its diorama-like minigames and this enhanced port. Despite high sales and reviews praising Bowser’s Fury’s experimental, open-world mechanics, reviewers were frustrated by the game’s inconsistent performance, uninspired challenges, and its more chaotic presentation.

Gameplay and Power-Ups:
Super Mario 3D World is a 3D/2.5D hybrid action platformer that mixes gameplay elements from the New Super Mario Bros. series (Nintendo EAD, 2006 to 2019) with his 3D adventures, allowing for a limited degree of movement on the whimsical Sprixie Kingdom overworld and in certain stages (referred to as “Courses”) while also offering traditional, sidescrolling platforming. The game supports up to four players in simultaneous co-op, with players initially picking between the classic Super Mario Bros. 2 (Nintendo R&D4, 1988) line up of Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Toad (though a blue-coloured version). While each character shares the same controls and many basic abilities, they all play a little differently: Mario is the all-rounder, Luigi is faster can extend his jump by kicking his legs but is very slippery, Peach is slower but can float for short periods, and Toad is the fastest but has a stunted jump. As ever, players collect yellow Coins (with 100 granting an extra life, also gifted by 1-Up Mushrooms or defeating multiple enemies in a row), play against a timer (extended by collecting +Clocks), and must reach a flagpole to finish each Course. Players can hop to platforms and bop on heads using A or B, holding it to jump higher and tapping it to swim, and run by holding X or Y. ZL or ZR see you crouch to fit through narrow gaps and you press B to jump, or press a trigger in mid-air for a ground pound (performing a boosted jump if you hit B as you land). Rotate the left stick and hit B to perform a spinning jump, hold a trigger and press Y to roll or press B for a long jump, and press Y in mid-air for a jumping roll. Characters perform a wall jump by jumping against walls, perform a side flip with a flick of the left stick and a press of A/B, and spawn a reserve power-up by pressing up on the directional pad (D-pad), with left allowing you to scan an Amiibo and down activating snapshot mode. You can also hold Y to grab and throw items (like Koopa shells and snowballs), with the projectile collecting Green Stars and Stamps, and you can bash blocks for Coins and power-ups or hit POW Blocks to wipe out all onscreen enemies.

When hit, your character loses their power-up and/or reverts to a “small” form, though you can power back up with any item and will return to your base “super” form by passing a checkpoint. The classic Super Mushroom grows you to normal size, the Fire Flower lets you toss bouncy fireballs with Y to light torches and defeat enemies, the Super Stars turns you invincible for a short period, and the Super Leaf garbs you in a Tanooki suit to whip enemies with your tail or flutter jump. Super Mario 3D Land’s Boomerang Flower and the Double Cherry let you toss boomerangs with Y or produce up to four duplicates to activate weighted platforms. The returning Mega Mushroom grows you to gigantic sizes to smash through the environment, and the Super Leaf spawns an invincible Tanooki suit if you struggle to clear a Course. The game’s big gimmick is the Super Bell, which puts you in a cat costume and lets you scramble up walls, swipe with your claws with Y, and perform a claw dive by pressing Y in mid-air. The game greatly emphasises this, with special ramps and goodies purposely hidden unless you have the power-up, and you can even grab a Lucky Bell to become a golden statue off a ground pound for extra Coins. You can hop into ice skates to better cross slippery ice, and grab a Goomba Mask to stop Goombas attacking you, the Cannon Box to fire cannon balls to blow up weak walls or hit far away switches, the Light Box to light up dark areas and dispels ghosts, and the Propeller Box to fly and hover for short periods. You’ll also jump on Plessie to careen down rapids, flying off ramps, bopping on enemies, and passing through rings for extra Coins. Captain Toad also transports you to a diorama-like world that limits your movements since the explorer can’t jump. In these fun little side sections, you must rotate the diorama with the right stick and hit switches to rotate the environment, move platforms, or use pipes to collect five Green Stars all while avoiding enemies and hazards since Captain Toad cannot attack.

When exploring the overworld, you’ll find Toad Houses to grab random power-ups, slot machines to gain extra Coins, and find hidden areas in each Course that lead to more goodies. While your main goal is the end flagpole, each Course hides three Green Stars needed to unlock additional Courses and boss castles. Some Green Stars are in plain sight, others require power-ups to reach, and others are hidden in alcoves or out of the way areas, so it pays to explore. You can use pipes to warp across stages, hop to moving and temporary platforms, and must avoid spikes, fire bars, fireballs, and crushing Thwomps (though these can also boost you to higher ground). Some Courses have a strict time limit; some contain clouds the blast you above the clouds for a quick run through the sky; and some contain blocks that extend horizontally or vertically to cross gaps. Some Courses contain deadly lava or toxic gunk, others see you swimming through water and avoiding vortexes and spiked hazards, while haunted mansions contain door mazes and Boos masquerading as flagpoles and items. You’ll clamber to moving and flipping fences, race across conveyer-like platforms, explore behind waterfalls, and navigate tricky platforming sections where every jump flips coloured platforms. You’ll also have to light up tiles to progress, use spring pads, hit switches to generate tracks to keep from falling, and even tap the screen in some Courses to open doors. Mystery Boxes on the overworld warp you to timed platforming and combat challenges to earn additional Green Stars, Bullet Bills must be tricked into destroying certain blocks (or bombs must be tossed), and you’ll race through autoscroller sections to hop across a speeding train, avoid blasts from tanks, or to keep from being devoured by ravenous Fuzzies! You’ll also be avoiding searchlights, hopping to turning platforms and jumping between cogs, swinging from trapezes, chasing panicked rabbits, being blasted along by dash panels, gingerly hopping to seesaw platforms, and traversing invisible platforms to snag goodies and reach the flagpole.

In Bowser’s Fury, you only play as Mario (with all the same abilities and power-ups as in the main game), though a second player can jump in as Bowser Jr. If you don’t have a friend, Bowser Jr. will still automatically help out, attacking enemies and grabbing items and interacting with the environment when you touch the screen, and you can customise how much he aids you from the settings. This game is akin to Super Mario Odyssey (Nintendo EPD, 2017), with Mario tracking down Cat Shines like Power Moons. Each area has four islands or sub-areas that hide five Cat Shines and a bunch of additional ones. The easiest Cat Shines are at the foot of lighthouses, which will clear the goop covering them to offer tips and additional power-ups (with multiples of each held in reserve), though you’ll also be collecting Blue Coins and five Shine Shards to earn additional Cat Shines. Others are earned by fending off enemies in an enclosed arena, racing across the water on Plessie, running to a specific point against a time limit, finding a key to unlock a cage, chasing a suspiciously familiar “Fury Shadow”, and defeating mini bosses. You’ll be clambering up walls, desperately running around rotating blocks and cylinders, avoiding lava pits, dealing with switch switches, and hopping to moving and temporary platforms and blocks, tapping the screen to reveal invisible areas and blasting across gaps with cannon-like pipes. Wearing the cat suit lets you spin special wheels or fling yourself about using special coils, and you’ll again need bombs and ice skates to progress. The purpose of the Cat Shines is to clear up the goop, uncover the “Giga Bell”, and access new areas, but you’re constantly under threat from the Kaiju-like “Fury Bowser”. After a short time, Fury Bowser rises from the oil and bombards the island with falling spikes and unleashes his devastating fire breath, though these can be used as temporary platforms and will shatter “Fury Blocks” to uncover additional Cat Shines. Fury Bowser’s rampage ends after a short time but can be dispelled by collecting Cat Shines and using the lighthouses. You can also engage him directly by activating the Giga Bell, though the mechanic does quickly grow tiresome despite how epic and ominous hiss appearance is.

Presentation:
Super Mario 3D World is as gorgeous and colourful as you’d expect from a Mario title. All the usual tropes and mechanics are here, from vivid overworlds, warp pipes, an abundance of mushrooms and various platforms, to quirky moments like Goombas panicking when they spot you and Boos going shy when you make eye contact. Each character plays differently, which I very much appreciated, and is accompanied by gibberish sound bites and cries of enthusiasm or pain, celebrating with a victory pose at the end of each Course. Mario and Luigi even lose their hats when in their “small” forms and characters scamper about with meows when wearing a cat suit, a gimmick also adopted by the game’s title screen and many enemies. Similarly, translucent pipes are everywhere in Super Mario 3D World, with the Fire Flower and Fire Bros. even shooting down them, alongside new gimmicks like the ice skates and 2.5D reimagining of the tank stages from Super Mario Bros. 3 (Nintendo EAD, 1988). Courses and Worlds adopt recognisable aesthetics such as sunny hills, dark underground passages, deserts full of quicksand, and ominous castles full of lava. The game’s jaunty soundtrack features remixes of returning themes and enjoyable beats, though nothing really stood out to me as all that memorable. There aren’t too many cutscenes here save for the intro and outro, though there’s often a little cutaway when you enter a castle or confront a boss. Similarly, the story is mostly conveyed through an omniscient narrator and pantomime, with both being employed to amusing effect in Bowser’s Fury, where Bowser Jr. conveys his thoughts and concerns through crude paintings. The overworld is quite lively at times, with new areas and shortcuts popping up as you progress and collect Green Stars, and it’s fun seeing the captive Sprixies both crying for help on the overworld and waiting at the flagpole after you defeat the boss guarding them.

Unfortunately, the Courses aren’t all that inventive in Super Mario 3D World. While not surprising as Mario games always stick to a well-crafted formula, it is a bit disappointing seeing the game rely on the same gimmicks and aesthetics as previous titles. While each World’s overworld has a theme, Courses don’t always reflect that: you’ll explore rolling hills, haunted mansions, and toxic swamps whether the overworld is a desert, in the clouds, or at the beach. Some Courses are pitch black, requiring the Fire Flower or Light Box to illuminate the way; other times, you run around in silhouette, pushing over Bowser standees and hopping to blocks. Sometimes, you jump into paintings or use mirrors to see goodies hidden behind you; other times, the game pays homage to Super Mario Galaxy (Nintendo EAD Tokyo, 2007) or features Easter Eggs celebrating the “Year of Luigi”. Some Courses adopt a quasi-third-person perspective and are pure 3D platformers, while others incorporate 2.5D sidescrolling, with the perspective often shifting mid-Course, especially if you’re in water or riding platforms. Some Courses are autoscrollers, forcing you to race away on a 2.5D plane or desperate jump as Fuzzies consume the ground. Panels shift and move, the ground and cog-like platforms turn over bottomless pits, and you’ll hop across and racing down lit-up blocks to avoid plunging to your doom. The Courses are all very colourful and have a fair bit going on, with hidden areas access by pipes or hopping to suspicious out of the way alcoves, and a fair bit of depth in the background, though I did sometimes struggle with the camera perspective, which led to me repeating certain jumps or get confused about where I was. This is even worse in Bowser’s Fury, where the camera is a constant headache, sticking either too close to Mario or being obscured by the environment. I enjoyed the quasi open-world nature of this mode, which basically acts as a scaled down version of Super Mario Odyssey, and the additional rain and ominous storm effects really added to the ambiance and panic when Fury Bowser awoke. However, it can be difficult to navigate the islands as the map isn’t much help and you’re not given much indication on where to go or when the areas have spawned new Cat Shines.  

Enemies and Bosses:
Hordes of Goombas, Koopa Troopers, Boos, Cheep-Cheeps, Spinys, and Piranha Plants all return and many are bolstered by their own cat power-ups. Goombas also slide around in ice skates or attack in totems, sometimes with Fire or Hammer Bros. atop them, and Piranha Creepers stretch out from pipes and walls to make hopping across lily pads even trickier in the swamp stages. Boos disguise themselves as items and flagpoles and Big Boos loom out of walls and chase you through shifting mansions, Parabones constantly rebuild themselves, Stingbys incessantly pursue you, and Conkdors try to crush you with their beaks. You can hop to higher areas or goodies using bouncy Biddybuds, uncover frog-like Coin Coffers hiding in bushes and topple bigger, meaner Galoombas, and will find mouse-like Skipsqueaks running on rolling platforms and adorable Blocksteppers marching to the game’s soundtrack. Bullet and Banzai Bills fire from cannons, often homing in on you, different bro variants Boomerang, Fire, and Hammer) and teleporting Magikoopas act as mini bosses and you’ll be precariously hopping onto giant Ant Troopers to cross spike beds. Spikes toss pointed logs to upset your jumps, Brolders pop from the ground in lava Courses but can be thrown as projectiles, Bullies try to push you to your doom, and Charvaarghs and Fuzzies instantly kill you if touched. Walleyes try to block you, Ty-foos can blow you off the Course, you must plan your jumps and positioning to avoid being hurt by flipping spiked squares, jump over flaming shockwaves emitted by Ring Burners, and avoid Rammerheads when swimming through tight underwater passages. Cat variants of many of these enemies also pop up in Bowser’s Fury, alongside the fleet-footed Fury Shadow and kittens corrupted by Fury Bowser’s goop, though they otherwise function exactly the same, despite their cuter appearance.

The brutish Boom Boom and the more effeminate Pom Pom regularly appear as boss battles in enclosed arenas, with Boom Boom whirling his stumpy arms like a dervish, temporarily turning invisible, and ricocheting off the walls as a spinning shell. Pom Pom prefers to throw shurikens and spawn duplicates to disorientate you, though bouncing on each of their heads three times will do them in. Cat variants of both also appear in Bowser’s Fury, though the strategy remains the same. This is true of the Cat Prince Bully, a variation on the armoured Prince Bully from World 6. When first encountered, you must force the Prince Bully into one of the pipes lodged into the arena walls to compress him and attack and, in both encounters, players must watch for his charged fireball. The regal Hisstocrat also pops up twice, first in World 2 and then in World Bowser, with subtle differences between them (their gender, for one thing, and raining either boulders or fireballs). In both encounters, players must avoid the falling hazards and scamper up snakes to attack Hisstocrat’s weak spot, being careful not to linger as the snake columns will bite and Hisstocrat will destroy them. Players will also battle Boss Brolder in a sweltering volcano, avoiding his lava trails and hitting the Brolders he spawns to toss them at him. This can be a gruelling fight in World Castle as flaming Splorches also patrol the small platform and King Brolder’s attacks are far more aggressive. The jester-like Motley Bossblob is also fought several times, with this trickster transforming into a bulbous form that bounces around, producing shockwaves, and splitting into gelatinous orbs that scatter across the circus-like arena. Finally, there’s King Ka-thunk, a giant Ka-thunk who flips about the arena and tries to skewer you with his spikes. To beat him, simply stand in the middle to avoid being hit and jump or butt stomp onto his backside, though be wary as his movements speed up. All these bosses return in “Boss Blitz”, the final Course in World Flower, where you must run the gauntlet against them all with no power-ups and no checkpoints.

In addition to hopping along his trains and tackling his tank brigade, players will naturally battle Bowser on numerous occasions. The first time is at the end of World 1, where he awaits atop his keep and drives his bitchin’ muscle car. Bowser accelerates away from you, forcing you to chase, dodging pools of lava left behind by his fireballs. Bowser tosses bombs that you must kick back to deal damage to his car and eventually send him packing. This fight is revisited in World Castle, though made much more gruelling as the “road” is littered with hazards such as spikes, gaps, and flame bursts, alongside Bowser’s usual and much more lingering fireball attacks. Bowser’s bombs can also have a short fuse this time, or are thrown at odd angles, or you’ll have a hard time hitting them due to the obstacles, though projectile-based power-ups help chip away at his car. In the finale of World Bowser, Bowser grabs a Super Bell and transforms into “Meowser”, a gigantic, cat-like form that scampers up and down a tower, bursts from walls to swipe at you with his huge claws or his Tanooki-like tail, and breathes fire. You can scare him off by hitting POW Blocks but cannot attack him directly, and Meowser even duplicates himself with a Double Cherry to make the frantic climb even more tense. This is actually a fun platforming challenge, however, and an incredibly simple boss. Once you reach the roof, you must hit a Super POW Block four times before the duplicated Meowsers finish you off, sending him into the gloop-infested islands of Bowser’s Fury. Here, Fury Bowser awakens and causes havoc, prompting you to activate the Giga Bell and transform into Giga Cat Mario to fend him off. In this titanic fight, you can melee attack Bowser but mainly attack by butt stomping his exposed belly after dodging his shell slam. Bowser charges at you, leaving a trail of goop that slows you down, spits fire, rains spikes across the environment, produces shockwaves, and spawns bombs and pillars you can use against him. After the fifth encounter, players battle Giant Bowser, riding around on Plessie to dodge his projectiles and ramming a crystal to damage his vulnerable belly.

Additional Features:
There are a whopping 380 Green Stars to find in Super Mario 3D World, many hidden out in the open, spawning after collecting eight Green Coins, or hidden behind platforming or combat challenges or in obscure areas. You can earn additional Green Stars in the Captain Toad and Mystery Box challenges, which test your puzzle solving, platforming, and combat prowess, and earn others for battling mini bosses like Boom Boom when they appear on the overworld. Green Stars unlock additional Courses and adds a special stamp to your save file, with another awarded after beating the game. There are also 85 Stamps to find across each World and in Sprixie houses, with players earning a piece of character art for each one, and players can track their progress regarding these collectibles by pressing the – button on the overworld. Courses and Worlds also contain hidden exits and optional routes, hidden areas where you can stock up on Coins and extra lives, and even Luigi cameos to celebrate Mario’s brother. Clearing the main game unlocks Luigi Bros., a modified version of the original arcade Mario Bros. (Nintendo R&D1, 1983), and opens World Star, World Mushroom, World Flower, and World Crown. These Worlds feature much tougher, remixed Courses with tighter time limits, tougher enemies and challenges, and rematches against previous bosses. Clearing the “Super Galaxy” Course unlocks Rosalina, a slow character with a spinning attack, as a playable character, and you’ll also be encouraged to replay previous Courses to set new times and high scores. There are 100 Cat Shines to collect in Bowser’s Fury, with additional ones appearing after you clear the game alongside a useful quick travel feature. Grabbing all the Cat Shines alters the final battle with Giant Bowser and also awards an alternative ending and grants Mario and Bowser Jr. some new cat duds.

Final Thoughts:
You can never really go wrong with a bit of Super Mario. The franchise excels by taking what should be a repetitive and tired formula and presenting it with colourful visuals and crisp controls, constantly delivering top-notch titles despite recycling the same gimmicks. Super Mario 3D World doesn’t stray far from this formula, presenting fun, varied 2D and 2.5D worlds that get progressively more challenging and reward exploration, skill, and trial and error. The game heavily relies on the Super Bell power-up and constantly reminds you of the cat suit by dressing enemies up as kitties but, while the suit is fun to play as, it’s not really doing much new and its abilities are somewhat limited. I liked seeing the Tanooki Suit return and useful power-ups like the Boomerang Flower, though the Mega Mushroom was similarly wasted and the Double Cherry was more of a hindrance. While I had fun with the Courses and the different gimmicks, it was a bit disappointing seeing the same assets recycled and not tying each World to a specific theme. The Captain Toad sections were a fun distraction, and it was enjoyable hunting down Green Stars, though having to backtrack to collect more to unlock new areas can be a pain. The bosses were all visually interesting and generally unique, save for the repetitive battles with Boom Boom and Pom Pom, though the final battle with Meowser was a bit simple. Bowser’s Fury makes up for it with its epic depiction of Fury Bowser and open-world aesthetic. However, the camera ruins the immersion, it was a bit confusing figuring out where to go, and Fury Bowser’s repeated attacks quickly become more aggravating than entertaining. Still, I had a lot of fun with Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury and there’s a lot to see and collect, and a decent challenge on offer. Super Mario 3D World features everything you could want from a 3D/2.5D hybrid Mario title and constantly rewards you with collectibles and power-ups. While Bowser’s Fury feels a bit tacked on, limited, and a like a poor man’s Super Mario Odyssey, I liked how it offered a different twist on the main game’s mechanics and challenged the player in different ways that leaned into open-world exploration.

My Rating:

Great Stuff

Did you enjoy Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury? How do you feel it compares other Mario titles, specifically the New Super Mario Bros. games? Which of the playable characters was your favourite and what did you think to the Super Bell power-up? Were you disappointed that each World didn’t stick to a set theme? What did you think to the Captain Toad challenges and the boss battles? Did Fury Bowser also annoy you, and did you enjoy the open-world aspects of Bowser’s Fury? Did you ever collect all the Green Stars and Stamps and best the additional Worlds? Which of Mario’s Switch games was your favourite and how are you celebrating Mario’s birthday this year? Whatever your thoughts on Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury, feel free to share them below, support me on Ko-Fi, and check out my other Mario content!