[ThumBlister] Super Mario 3D Land

Platform: 3DS

Super Mario 3 has officially been dethroned. [Allowed time for gasps]. I understand this may come as a blaspheme to many people, as I consider myself among them, but Super Mario 3D Land is Mario perfected. In fact it alone may be worth the purchase of Nintendo's new handheld.

[Story]

3D Land is the standard you've come to expect from a Mario game. Lot's of running, jumping, and princess saving. Levels are spread out across 8 worlds, around 5 levels per world. With the levels themselves falling into the relms of both the classic side scroller, or top down view ala Mario 64.

So yes, Princess Peach has been kidnapped again, and it's your job to rescue her. Fact is, Mario probably needs to realize Peach 'might' just want her some Bowser. Sure people in the Kingdom think its wrong, but the heart wants what the heart wants.

Even so, athough our plot has less creativity than the average Michael Bay film, there is so much more to this jewel than meets the eye. Or rather, because of what meets the eye.

[Presentation]

The forefront of this game is in it's 3D. There's no getting around it, this game was made for 3 Dimensions, and is all the better for it.

Let me assure you, the 3D on display here is not some humdrum addition like a random hollywood movie. It is serious, and completely game changing. The most profound option here being a single button. With a click the display changes from pop out of the screen 3D, into a diorama mode where depth falls back into the screen. This feature singularly sets up Mario 3D as not only the greatest game on the 3DS, but raises it to the top of a long line of Mario games.

Pardon my pun, but this option literally adds a new dimension to the gameplay. During the classic side scrolling segments you'll have the 3D cranked to the max with pop out turned on. Everything from fireballs to bullet bills will be flying right out the screen. Suddenly, during the same level, the camera shifts from a side angle into a mostly overhead view. At that point, although jumping out of the screen is nifty to look at, the pop out 3D can really throw off your jumps. Shift into Depth mode and you allow for a much greater sense of spacial perception previously impossible to the platform genre. And you'll need both views, as this game will punish your hand eye coordination in the latter levels.

Objects in the background fly from the back, right out of the screen, and at your face!

[Level Design]

As mentioned Mario 3D is broken up into the standard Mario board game setup. 8 worlds, each with an elemental theme, at around 5 levels apiece. Every world is ended by a boss, occasionally even Bowser himself, all leading up to the final epic finale to save Peach. And these 40 or so levels would be enough to make the average handheld gamer happy.

But that's only the warm-up.

WARNING! The following can easily be considered a spoiler some may want to skip. Upon defeating Bowser and rolling the end credits, the game suddenly doubles in length! Luigi is kidnapped and yet another 8 whole worlds are added to the games already large size! Some of these levels are new, some are advanced versions of ones already completed. Either way you can bet these 8 worlds will test every platforming skill you possess. This is especially true for those players in pursuit of the 3 golden star coins in every level, all of which are needed to purchase the final, most difficult, levels.

And yet, even with all this, Nintedo manages to cram more. During this second world, upon saving Luigi, he actually becomes a playable character! Fans will absolutly love this bit of service, as he is not just a skin, but an actual 'character'. Luigi controls entirely different than his shorter brother, such as higher jumps and more slippery stops.

-End of Spoilers-

If any complaint can be found in the game at all, and this is far reaching. It could be in the power ups. There isn't a whole lot new on display here. Standard Fire Flower and Tanooki Suit are available, as well as a new Boomerang Mario. Not that you will care at the lack of options. All you will ever want is the Tanooki suit, which grants the ability to glide in the air for a few seconds. This will become the deciding factor in most of the difficult platforming segments of the game.

Boomerangs are actually super fun, too bad you will always skip it for a Tankooki Leaf

So yes, while most likely not get a chance to play it due it's system of choice, this is the best Mario game to date. Please do not let the 3DS's lack of a current Library discourage you from trying out this one of a kind classic platformer. It will be worth it.

10/10