The Stache and the Furious.
Back in 2013, Super Mario 3D World released on the Wii U to critical acclaim, it was just a shame that due to the Wii U being a commercial failure, that many likely didn’t play it. Thankfully, due to the immense popularity of the Nintendo Switch, the publishing giant has been releasing many of these titles on the Switch, introducing them to new players, while offering those who have already enjoyed those titles, to play them on newer and more convenient hardware. While the core experience of Super Mario 3D World is here in all its glory, the addition of its new content in Bower’s Fury makes this one of the best Mario experiences of all time.
Super Mario 3D World, much like any Mario game is light on story, but big on gameplay. While out for a stroll, Mario and gang find a warp pipe that is broken, and while trying to fix it, they encounter a fairy that is quickly scooped up by Bowser. Hijinks ensue, and the group is transported to a new world. And with the aid of a catsuit or two, Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Toad, will attempt to rescue these captured fairies and stop Bowser’s plan to, well… it’s hard to say exactly what his plan really was. While it’s a shame that Nintendo didn’t also include the 3DS Super Mario Land in this title, possibly spruced up in this sequel’s more graphically capable engine, new players won’t need to have played the 3DS adventure to understand what is going on as it is entirely self-contained.
Similar to 3D Land, you’ll be jumping and bopping on goomba’s via an isometric camera that follows Mario along. While most levels are free to explore, some are pushed along, causing you to race as fast as you can to the exit. Whereas 3D land had you collecting star coins, 3D world has you collecting 3 green stars and a sticker stamp in nearly every single level. These are usually hidden behind blocks, via challenges, or sometimes in simply hard-to-reach places, often requiring the use of a catsuit to climb up and retrieve them. While the stickers are initially just a fun collectible, the green stars are used to unlock later levels that have a certain number requirement, so it’s worth it to often replay levels where you’ve missed a star or two.
Each of the game’s worlds is themed and features a collection of levels that are usually based around a certain gimmick or gameplay mechanics like tilting platforms with a rolling spike bar, a runaway train, or a mobile platform that moves in the direction of where you’re standing on it. There are dozens of these mechanics that are often paired alongside others to create vastly interesting and varied levels that make it feel like you’re never playing the same overall stage twice. Each world features a mini-boss or two, as well as a boss that while not terribly difficult, can still be a very entertaining time, especially the encounter where you’re pushing them into a pipe to crush them down into a kickable can, a battle I was super excited to see return in Bowser’s Fury. I will say that while the bosses are really fun here, they tend to get repeated too often, making them lose a bit of their appeal.
Now, running around with the angle you have, it does make it rather hard to line up certain jumps and get an idea of where you’ll land. This is made less frustrating in multiplayer, as a failed jump will simply have you return to your friends via a respawn bubble, but solo players will be sent back to the last checkpoint flag. I lost track of how many times I’d jump towards an enemy only to land directly in front of it, taking damage and losing my power-up, to say nothing of the failed jumps I’d miss because the angle I’d have made it really difficult to gauge distance. Thankfully, there is a pretty easy trick in one of the early levels to get around a 1000 lives, so dying because of this issue stung considerably less than it would have.
Since the original game was made for the Wii U Gamepad, you often had touch controls and mechanics that used the built-in mic. As the Switch lacks a built-in mic and being less reliant on the touch screen due to being able to be played while docked, many of these gimmicks were either removed or replaced in some way, for better or for worse. The touch screen levels, while not a gimmick that is used a lot here, can be a bit annoying, especially since the gyro control of moving a cursor to move a platform can be a bit unwieldy in docked mode, especially for players who have motor control disabilities or simply lack the speed to pull at platforms than then use the limited time until they move back to bounce up to the goal. In multiplayer, this is made a bit easier since you can have one player ascend where you need to go and then have the other players bubble up and float towards them. If you’re playing portable, these issues are pretty much non-existent, making them far easier with a quick tap of the screen.
Each of the game’s five playable characters; with Rosalina being unlocked after the main game is completed, have their own abilities and jump styles. Mario is essentially your jack of all trades; being an overall well-rounded character, whereas Luigi can jump higher, and Peach can float for a small period of time. Toad is a bit faster, but his jump isn’t nearly as good as either of the main cast. Rosalina; however, has the best jump, as well as a melee attack that can aid in defeating enemies with ease. Certain levels will also have buttons that require the use of a specific character to unlock, so it pays to revisit levels with each character to unlock some of its secrets. Even after “beating the game” you’ll unlock not just Rosalina, but another whole new series of worlds, each with a ton of new locations and some of the most challenging levels in the game.
While the catsuit was the new feature added to 3D World, the other reliable powerups are all still here as well. You have the Super and Mega Mushrooms, Fire Flower, Boomerang, Tanooki Suit, Super Star, Propeller, and Cannon box, as well as an invincibility suit should you end up dying a handful of times and need a bit of a boost. There are also a few additional power-ups like the Double Cherry that duplicates a character to aid in puzzles or the Goomba suit that is more or less there for a laugh. Lastly, is the Lucky Bell which can transform you into a cat statue, giving you a wealth of coins should you ground pound from high up. While you’ll be wearing your active power-up, you can keep one in reserve. While I’ll be talking about it shortly, Bowser’s Fury has a power-up system that feels considerably better and can almost come off as a game-changer.
Bringing the game to the Switch has also altered and enhanced the game in a variety of ways. You can now play the game online with friends, instead of only having access to local 4-player co-op. While this does require a Nintendo Switch Online account, it still offers up a very crucial way of playing this game with others especially with what the world is going through right now. Other changes are the ability to use Amiibo’s for accessing power-ups and items, and the Captain Toad levels finally allow for everyone to take part in them, even if the color matching from character’s to Toad’s don’t always line up. You also have the snapshot mode to take pictures, allowing you to take those collected stickers and have some fun with them. Lastly, the game has seen changes to run speed and how high you can climb in the catsuit, not to mention just how much more fluid everything feels. This is without a doubt the best playing version of this game by high Mario leaps and bounds.
Now, speaking of how well the game runs, the Switch certainly is a more powerful console than the Wii U and it shows. The game looks considerably sharper and with the characters being able to run faster, there is a much greater sense of speed with this version of the game. Playing the game portable will bring it in line with the Wii U version which ran at 720p at 60 fps, whereas docked, we see the resolution bump to 1080p while still locking in at 60fps. However; Bowser’s Fury, due to its open-world nature, keeps the action at 720p 60, with bringing the framerate down to 30 when playing portable. While I played a few hours of the game portable, it never once felt inferior or lacking in any conceivable way.
So, speaking of Bowser’s Fury, let’s dive into what is easily my favorite Mario experience thus far, a game mode that I hope is a precursor of things to come. Bowser’s Fury is a whole new experience that takes the gameplay systems of 3D World and places them in a full camera moving 3D world similar to what we got with Mario Odyssey. It’s one massive open world that keeps changing and evolving the further progress you make. This means that previously completed areas will continue to change and evolve to a certain point, giving you new and exciting reasons to return. There are no loading screens or breaks from moving from one area to the next as they all exist in one expansive cat-themed environment.
As you complete areas by placing shines into the numerous lighthouses that are littered around the world, you’ll see the world shift and change, bringing those areas out of the water, or out from the black goo that is poisoning this land and has transformed Bowser into a Kaiju-sized threat. To counter this, Mario, with the help of Bowser Jr, can rely on giant Giga “Cat” Bells that supersize Mario into a mega Cat Mario to combat this Fury Bowser, which some fans have been referring to him as God Slayer Bowser, a name I’ll playfully use to reference him from now on. As you run around the environment, you’ll collect cat shards and cat shines. Shards can be converted into a shine when you collect five of them and shines not only help you unlock the ability to use the Giga Bells but also can halt the advances of God Slayer Bowser in his large black goo tracks. In fact, he will appear to wreak havoc every couple of minutes, forcing you to either hide from him or use his rampaging skills like his flame breath, or firebombs, to shatter special blocks. These blocks often hide cat shines, or at least when shattered, can allow you to access the shines that are hidden behind them.
As God Slayer Bowser is ready to hunt you down, you’ll know it when it happens; the rain starts to become more intense, the music kicks off, and before you know it, he has leaped into the air and comes crashing down, dead set on locating Mario. The intensity that this brings to the game is easily one of my favorite parts of what Bowser’s Fury offers as it doesn’t feel like any other Mario experience out there. While you may end up getting tired of this repetition, I never once wavered in my appreciation for what this experience offered.
As you find cat shines, you’ll also etch away at God Slayer Bowser’s health, and once you unlock a Giga Bell, you can trigger Mario’s mega cat form to leap into battle against the towering Bowser. You’ll dodge attacks, fling objects at him, stunning him just long enough to butt slam onto his belly. Do this enough times and Bowser will retreat back into the black goo once again. Eventually, you’ll trigger a final showdown, a fast pace chase battle to put an end to his plan once and for all. You’ll then be put back into the open world to retrieve any missing shines that will unlock a fun secret that can feel a bit too little too late since you’ve sort of already done everything. I enjoyed what was unlocked, but I would have preferred that it would have been something I would have had access to after beating the game initially, allowing me to use this secret as I tracked down everything else I was missing.
Now, all throughout this adventure, you’ll have Bowser Jr. to help you, as he flies around in his little floating vessel. He’ll wield a paintbrush that you can use to paint away at certain points on the map, or he can use it to bash away at enemies. While there is co-op to allow another player to play as the young Koopa-ling, you share the camera of the first player, making it a tad awkward to control and feels sort of tacked on. Bowser Jr. can also be made to act considerably more or hold back, doing very little to nothing at all. I set him to act occasionally, allowing me to get the most out of the game, but I can see younger children or those who need the extra help to place him on full power. Bowser Jr. also stores away all your power-ups, and I mentioned before that this system is really impressive, and it’s because it gives a sense of freedom we never really had in Mario games before, at least to this extent. See, Bowser Jr. holds onto five power-ups at a time, storing a set number of each that you can swap to at any point, as long as you have some in reserve. This allows you to swap to catsuit Mario when you need to climb, Boomerang Mario when you need to keep some distance between you and your foe, or Lucky Bell Mario when you need to score some extra coins. This freedom of swapping powers feels incredible, and when I returned to play 3D World, I wished the same power selection system had been integrated here as well.
Bowser’s Fury, from start to 100% finish lasted around 6 hours, and if you don’t plan on collecting every single shine and simply want to roll credits, you can easily complete it in around 3 hours. While I wouldn’t say that this new mode is worth the price of admission alone, I found it to be the best part of this overall package and something I hope we see more of in the future. An open-world Mario game wasn’t something I thought I wanted, but after witnessing it here in this basic form, it’s all I can think about from wanting from a future main series title.
Super Mario 3D World and its Bowser’s Fury addition is easily my favorite Mario release so far. 3D World does have its issues with gauging distance with your jumps, but its clever use of mechanics and gameplay still holds up to this day in spades. Bowser’s Fury may come across as a simple and short experience, but the intensity the game brings alongside its constantly evolving open world makes for one of the best Mario adventures I’ve ever had. This is a must-own for Switch fans and a hopeful glimpse into the future of everyone’s favorite Italian plumber.
Developer - Nintendo, 1-Up Studio, Nintendo Entertainment Analysis & Development, Nintendo EAD Tokyo. Publisher - Nintendo. Released - February 12, 2021. Available On - Nintendo Switch. Rated - (E) Mild Cartoon Violence. Platform Reviewed - Nintendo Switch. Review Access - Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury was purchased by the reviewer.