When it became clear that Nintendo was porting many of its Wii U games to the Switch, many fans naturally hoped that Super Mario 3D World would be one of the games that would make the leap. It’s hard to believe it took almost four years, but it’s finally only a few weeks before this much sought-after Mario gem gets a second chance in the spotlight, this time in the guise of Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury, it packs an extra mode to boot.
For those who missed it the first time, Super Mario 3D World is the sequel to the brilliant 3DS game Super Mario 3D Land and tries to build a sort of middle house between the linear 2D gameplay of the New Super Mario Bros. games and the more free 3D gameplay from Galaxy and Odyssey, for example.
That said, it leans more heavily towards the 2D games. While each of the game’s 100+ stages is technically ‘open’ so you can run around anywhere, they still have a linear path with a flagpole at the end, rather than different stars or moons with different tasks up to them assigned. Your character’s movement is also locked in eight directions to emphasize that this is essentially still a game about straight running, just like its 2D siblings.
If you’ve already played the Wii U version, you might notice some improvements have been made to this Switch port. Many of them are subtle; the UI has been tweaked a bit, the native resolution seems to have been increased and some of the default camera angles seem to have changed (although we need to spend a bit more time comparing the game side by side to the Wii U version before we can figure out how much Nintendo spent on this). The cat’s power-up also allows you to climb a bit higher before it runs out, making it easier to reach higher ledges.
The most noticeable difference, however, is the increased walking speed. As brilliant as the Wii U version of 3D World was, the characters could have used a little boost and that’s exactly what happened here. Granted, each character still has their own unique running speeds (Toad is still the fastest and Peach is still the slowest), but they’ve all been increased accordingly to make the game a bit crunchy. This is especially welcome if you’re revisiting older stages to pick up the hidden green stars and stamps you missed along the way.
Speaking of stamps, they are indeed still here, although used for a different purpose. In the Wii U games, the stamps you found could be used in Miiverse (ah, remember Miiverse? The glory days), so you can add some flair to your messages. Since Miiverse is tragically no longer with us, the stamps are now used in the glossy new photo mode. If you’re familiar with the photo mode in Super Mario Odyssey, it’s the same here: you can rotate the camera, zoom in and out, add filters and the like, but this time you can also get your collected stamps right on the game world (and this time they are also in color).
One of 3D World’s main selling points is its co-op support for up to four players, and the Switch port has gotten some improvements on that front as well (for example, the Captain Toad stages can now be played with four players instead of just a). Where the Wii U version insisted that everyone played on one system, here you also have the option to play local wireless multiplayer with multiple Switches, so that everyone gets their own screen.
There is also online multiplayer, but we’ve only worked with it a bit at this stage. We played a short four-player session with a few other publications, and while it was a fun time, it also emphasized the importance of a strong connection. One of the other players in our group was playing in a shed with a weak Wi-Fi signal, which resulted in the action freezing while their connection was being caught up. When things went smoothly, the performance was fine, so we aim to spend a little more time online before giving our final thoughts.
Good with the main game so far, but there’s also the not-so-minor issue of the brand new spin-off mode, Bowser’s Fury. From what we’ve played of it so far, here’s the best way to describe it: you know how we said 3D World was a mix between the 3D open-world Mario games and the linear 2D games, but more to the 2D versions? Bowser’s Fury is what you’d get if it leaned more towards the 3D versions instead.
The short section that we can talk about in this preview is a small area called Scamper Shores. It’s an island on a larger map that acts like a standalone stage. When you pass underneath a giant cat head arch, the area is ‘activated’ and you can collect Cat Shines, the main collectible for this mode. Essentially, there is a giant bell called the Giga Bell that sits at the end of Scamper Shores. To activate the bell, you need to collect a set number of Cat Shines: once you’ve had enough, the bubble will come to life and you can collect it, turn Mario into the huge Giga Cat Mario and take on the huge Fury Bowser.
The Cat Shines are collected by taking on a series of missions similar to that of Super Mario 64 or Sunshine. For example, in Scamper Shores, you can get a Shine by reaching the lighthouse on the stage, and earn another by finding and defeating an evil Shadow Luigi. There are also five smaller Cat Shine Shards hidden in the area, which together form another Shine when you find them all.
While this makes the whole thing sound like a full-fledged 3D Mario game, it’s worth bearing in mind that, as we say, it’s still more of a cross between 2D and 3D. While you can roam around Scamper Shores freely, and although Mario now has full 360-degree directional movement instead of being stuck in eight directions, there’s still a pretty clear path through the island: if you could zoom in all the way and get to it could look from a distance it would still look like a 3D World Stage. It’s just that instead of aiming for a flagpole, you go back and forth to collect a series of Shines.
You will be joined in this adventure by Bowser Jr., who can be controlled by a second player or the AI. You can’t play without him by your side at all, as he has to uncover some secrets with his brush, but you can at least control how much the AI version decides to join: a lot, a little, or not at all. In any case, opt for some help and Bowser Jr. will dive around, collect loose coins and defeat enemies to make it easier for you. It also keeps track of any power-ups you get and keeps them in an inventory, which means you can build a hefty collection of backup power-ups and request them right away. No more searching for a Boomerang Bro suit when you already have a pair on the couch.
If you don’t like Bowser Jr. makes it easier for you, you can turn off the help altogether. Because of this, you can still summon him by pressing the R button to display a cursor, which can be pointed with the gyro to point to areas you want him to explore. Incidentally, this is also how you activate some of the objects in the main game 3D World that previously required the Wii U GamePad’s touchscreen (and yes, you can use the Switch’s touchscreen in handheld style if you prefer) .
At this early stage, it looks like Bowser’s Fury will at least offer something different for fans who may have already thoroughly flushed 3D World when it was originally released seven (!) Years ago. While it remains to be seen how long this mode actually is, it’s safe to say this is going to be an impressive package anyway, especially for those who missed the Wii U game the first time. We’ll have our final impressions closer to launch next month, but things look promising so far.
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury will launch on February 12, 2021.
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