Super Mario 3D Land

Originally written 11-15-11

King Koopa (Bowser) is at it again. The villain kidnaps Princess Peach and it's up to the super plumber to save her. -summary

The Super Mario franchise might be the only series of games to re-use the exact same story over and over and get away with it. There would be some small details tossed out there, but it's still the same old story. So why people seem to never get bored of it? Well, it's the game play. I will admit, I did take a hiatus from the Mario games for a very long time due to that redundancy, because I need a story with my game play. I like to be sucked into the game and feel I'm a part of it. Mario games don't do that for me. So what attracted me to this latest outing? Well, I liked what I saw in the screen shots and that's probably about it.

Super Mario 3D Land had been massively hyped up. But the question is, does it live up to that hype? My answer is yes and no. Nintendo manages to pull off the game play very well, and the visuals are simply outstanding. However, when compared to earlier games in the franchise in regards to difficulty, this game is just way too easy. In all honesty, the Ice Land in Super Mario Bros. 3 will trump all the late stages in this game in terms of difficulty, and let's not even go there with Pipe Land. Speaking of that NES classic, the developers dug deep into the crates and used it as a reference, with a bit of SMB and SM 64 thrown into it. This game was no doubt put together for the fans to stimulate nostalgia, and at the same time being made accessible for newbies and casual fans. I find it hard to believe that even non fans and the tough to please will turn a nose up to this game. In any case, if Nintendo did anything right, they planted the seeds for future Super Mario games that will no doubt succeed.

Game Play:

The game is single player and the goal is the same as always; the player will run and jump to clear the stages and make it to the castles to battle with a Koopa minion, there are 8 worlds total of doing this. The stages are indeed timed, and they're fairly linear which keeps you on a straight path. To complicate matters, there are three star coins in every stage. These coins are meant to be used on the worlds map to unlock certain stages. Those who are thinking to just come into the game, and run through the stages forsaking the stars should be warned, that there are stages that cannot be opened unless you have a certain number. Some can be skipped, but the most important ones cannot be skipped, and you'll find yourself having to go back to each of those stages where you left these coins behind. Thankfully, there's a meter that keeps track of them in every stage once you stand in front of it. More often than not, these coins will be in plain sight. Some will be very easy to get, others will have to be found, others will be in plain sight but kind of hard to get. Be prepared to die many cheap deaths for these coins. To make matters worse for those who may have trouble; the game isn't like Super Mario World, where you can return to stages, pick up what you need and then exit. When you return to them, the stage will have to be completed all over again, and if you die before making it to a checkpoint with all three stars, then you'll have to go through all of that again. Sounds difficult I'm sure, but you'll be surprised how easy it can be.

The usual powers are present; super mushroom, fire plant, and starman. The Tanooki makes its return. For those who may not know what that is, it's the raccoon tail that gives you the ability to float. This is by far the most important ability in the game, because it makes getting through the stages much easier. Mario can also became a boomerang brother and use them as a projectile. They not only kill enemies, they can also be thrown to capture coins. The player can only carry two of these items at a time, and they can be switched at will.

There are many classic enemies that make their returns, such as the Goombas, Bob-omb's, Spiny's, and Bullet Bill with a few new ones. Some of the stages can feel a bit uninspired mainly because they were meant to be simple. However, later on they can be very creative; some of them are littered with moving platforms, moving stages which were introduced in SMB3 that will kill you when you go off screen, water stages, the return of the ghost houses and airships, and of course, the lava-filled castles complete with sinking platforms and jumping fireballs. There are even references to The Legend of Zelda and the original Donkey Kong here.

The gameplay has a lot going for it, and many stages will cause problems, especially for the less patient but it's still fun. Unfortunately, everything really isn't as great as one may think. One of the things that have always bothered me about Nintendo made games, Mario in particular, would be those extremely easy boss battles. The boss battles are seriously a joke, and you won't encounter anything the least bit challenging until close to the end. Personally, I didn't find a challenge until the very end. Another thing that leaves me completely dumbfounded, is that Nintendo made their game somewhat beatable, by granting the player total invincibility through an unlimited star power Tanooki suit should the player die too many times in a stage. I thought this was a rumor, so I killed myself probably about a dozen times, and the item does exist. Those who argue that the games of the past were much harder have all the proof they need right there. I really don't like this addition at all. I look at this as Nintendo taking pity on very bad gamers.

Controls:

I have to say that these controls are about as perfect as a plat-former can get. Everything can be pulled off relatively easy. Mario has a couple of new moves, like a lunge jump, and he can pull off a somersault which is very similar to the U-Turn jump in SM 64. Switching items is done through the touch screen, and it's a snap to pull off. The only issue that I had was with the slide pad for movement. I kind of felt it was a bit sloppy at first, and it just didn't perform well with a Super Mario 3D platformer, but that just wasn't the case. It takes some getting use to, and precision is mainly the key here. I had it down around the fourth world, so if you're having problems making jumps then it's more than likely you, sorry to say.

Graphics:

I am very impressed in this area. From a visual stand point, the game is awesome. The game uses stereoscopic 3D visuals, with a heavy emphasis on perspective which plays into judging distance for precise jumping. You will have to pay close attention to your shadow. Some stages, mainly the early stages use this 3D effect very well, while later stages simply blows away everything you seen before that. Remember in Super Mario World the Chocolate Island, where some of the castles had those very large pillars that would thrust very quickly into the ground? Well, there's a stage where these exact pillars begin moving from the background into the foreground, and the animation is very fluid and perfect in its frame rate. This goes the same for the moving platforms.

I believe the final stage handles the graphics the best, and there isn't the slightest bit of slow down. I enjoyed the ghost house stages as well, that features these re-appearing platforms that give off a ghostly-like effect. The water stages also look very nice, and Mario's movements are quite fluid there too. The environments also consist of rotating gears and wheels. Some of the stages feature an over-head view, and others are from like a third person view. The camera is fixed, and I can't think of a bad thing to say about it. It follows the character and all the action very well. You will also either know or have an idea where everyone is located. The camera work is fantastic for the final battle and one sequence just comes as a surprise.

As great as everything appears, I think the stages could have used some more variety though. There's a desert here and there, but for the most part many things look the same. Super Mario Bros. 3 set the standard on what a Mario game should be like with its depth. It featured total ice worlds, water, pipes, and even a cloud world where falling to your death was beyond easy. This game lacks heavily in that area and almost feels like a backwards in creativity. I think this type of diversity would have showed a lot more what the 3DS is capable of.

Music/Sound:

Long time fans are going to get a kick out of the remixed songs from days long gone, no doubt about it. There are plenty of familiar tracks that will take you back, and at the same time they fit very well with the game. There are some new songs here, but I feel they're overshadowed by the classic themes. The final battle has an epic theme song, that perfectly fits with the great battle going on. When battling against King Koopa, it feels as if you're fighting the devil himself. The sound effects have their moments, and you will be able to detect the sound of crumbling platforms, and the light sizzling of something falling into the lava. Many of the classic sound effects, like squishing the goombas, and slapping enemies with the tail is intact. My biggest problem is the near complete lack of dialog. Outside of the Princess crying out Mario's name, and him making those same stupid noises he's known for, there's really nothing there.

Replay:

I ran through the main game and found all of the stars in a little over 8 hours. The thing that saves this game for me completely are the special stages you unlock after beating the game. These stages are indeed more challenging than the main game, in fact, it heavily resembles The Lost Worlds to me; but I could imagine the completest going back to all those stages for the stars only for bragging rights. There's also a feature called the Street Pass, which allows you to exchange items with other players. I haven't used this and I don't plan on it either.

Final Thoughts:

Super Mario 3D Land is a good game. Some may find it too easy, and I can imagine some having a hell of a hard time getting through it. My advice is this, the star coins are very important and they should be your main focus. Forget taking risk for batches of coins and hard to get 1ups. You will get free men in this game through coins and completing the stages alone. I'll go ahead and add this part, you only need 100 coins to get through the main game, and I think the earlier stages are the hardest with getting them. If you find yourself heading into the sixth world with about 85 coins, then don't go even back, the sixth and seventh worlds are too easy with getting those coins. In closing, it's a very solid game and the 3DS is showing promise finally. Recommended.

Rating: 8/10

Pros:Visuals, Music, Moderate challenge, Replay

Cons:Can feel too easy at times, Stages needed more variety