Super Mario 3D Land

By: Robert Murphy

As I said before, I recently purchased a 3DS for the enjoyment of playing the new Pokémon game but that can only get me so for and I was in need of some more games and have now picked up Super Mario 3D Land. The game obviously offers to bring Mario into the 3D experience, but will it be any good? The answer is a definitive yes. Super Mario 3D Land brings a completely immersive three dimensional experience and takes you into newly design Mushroom Kingdom levels, power ups and new challenges, that bring back new life to an old favorite.

I truly must applaud the level of work that has been done in this 3D experience, each world is completely takes advantage of the functionality of the 3DS and creates worlds that are engaging and fun. Super Mario 3D Land takes the handheld versions of this side scrolling game and brings it to a new dimension, quite literally, whether it’s clever level design or puzzles that use the third dimension to mess with your perception of what you are able to jump on, almost ever feature of the game has been heightened in this new addition to the Mario universe.

We are welcomed with the usual standard of eight worlds to play through in order to once again rescue Princess Peach from the evil Bowser with some levels paying homage to some old favorites and some new ones as well. While the levels themselves shouldn’t be anything too problematic for players, they are none the less enjoyable and fun to play through. We still see hidden collectable coins to be found throughout the levels, along with our favorite power ups like the Flame flower and Raccoon suit, with the addition of some others like the Boomerang suit (lets you throw a boomerang like the boomerang koopa) and the Statue Suit (turns you into a stone statue when attempting a ground stomp). But for the Mario player looking for a bit more of a challenge, we see the addition of eight more special worlds that can be played once you beat Bowser in the first world. These special levels are much like the ones you could play in Super Mario World; they provide a much more challenging experience and are a flip flop of the original eight worlds you play through. And there are eight whole worlds worth…..EIGHT! This made for hours of more fun and challenge for me, even as a seasoned player of the Mario games.

Now a gripe, as some of you may or may have not seen in my last review of New Super Mario Bros. 2 was the Tanooki Suit and how it turns you into an unstoppable juggernaut, well it returns this time around too but I found it to be less of a cheat to the game. Not only does it not come as easy as it did in New Super Mario Bros. 2, it can now only be accessed in the first eight worlds, if you even need it. In the harder eight worlds you aren’t given the Tanooki Suit so you are made to play through the challenge and so you can learn to play the tough stuff.

All the levels together are memorable gems that make me yearn for the old days, especially since they were snuck into this new adaptation of Mario. Super Mario 3D Land has brought new life and innovation to the games with well crafted levels, loads of content and hours of enjoyment to be had. The game also gives me the first immersive 3D experience on my 3DS that I have and I’m glad that a Mario game was the game to do it.

Good:

- The gameplay is solid on every level

- An amazing 3D experience and world

- A mix of old classic gems and the establishment of new ones

- Not only are there the standard eight worlds to enjoy but eight more challenging worlds to work through

Bad:

- Nothing, I absolutely loved this game

Scully Rating: 9.5 out of 10