Since I rarely play games in time to properly review them, I occasionally take a post to discuss whatever games I am playing at the moment, and create a "review," of sorts, that may or may not convince someone else to play it or not play it. These games may be recent or old - either way, you get to hear about it from what I hope is a different perspective.
Mario has gone on many adventures by now, and despite the fact that these games tend to follow the same kind of dynamic (run and jump to get places, pick up power-ups here and there), most of them feel incredibly unique. Sure, some feel like retreads (New Super Mario Bros. U feels like leftover levels from New Super Mario Bros. Wii) and others don't always feel like genuine Mario experiences (Super Mario Sunshine, as good a game as it is, just doesn't always play like you'd expect a Mario game to play), but on the whole, when you go into a Mario game, you tend to expect something different.
Super Mario 3D World is no exception - pulling its gameplay style from Super Mario 3D Land, this game manages to present some wonderfully innovative gaming experiences. From the multitude of stages, to fighting Bowser in his car that looks like a product of Pimp My Ride, to the chaos of multiplayer (seriously - it's harder to play multiplayer than it is to play alone), this game offers a continuous barrage of things to catch your interest. Just when you think a series of levels feels the same, over and over again, you get hit with something completely different, forcing you to adapt to face the new challenges.
That doesn't mean the game is particularly difficult - overall, if you care mostly about the main game (excluding the extra worlds at the end), and you consider yourself an experienced gamer, then you'll have no trouble finding your way to the end. If, however, you are the level of gamer that our little foster daughter is, you might find some levels are rather vexing. The game does offer its share of challenges, and for experienced gamers, those challenges don't come until the end, but overall, this is not the hardest Mario outing (that, in my opinion, belongs to the real Super Mario Bros. 2, known as The Lost Levels here in the US).
The game, like pretty much every Mario game these days, follows a map screen in which levels pop up each time you beat one. Sometimes you've got a single path to follow, and other times, you have a couple of choices. To avoid spoilers for those that haven't played it, there are a bunch of worlds, and each time you beat a castle, you move on to another world. Each level has its own care of collectables - the typical ones have three green stars and a stamp. The stamps can be used to post messages to the Miiverse, Nintendo's attempt to make gaming into social networking (really not my thing). Once you beat enough levels in the game, you start being able to see with which character you beat the level, meaning yes, in order to unlock everything in the game, you need to beat every level with every character. If you play primarily alone, like I do, then that means you essentially need to play through the game 5 times (so far, I've only bothered to do that in world 1). Notice I said five times, as opposed to four - there is a hidden character much later in the game.
I do primarily play alone, even though the little lady is more than happy to play with me, but in order to effectively play this game with others, you need excellent communication and the ability to coordinate your movements almost effortlessly. Unfortunately, that's just something I cannot do with our little one, try as I might, but I could see it working well with the right group of friends. I worked through New Super Mario Bros. Wii with my brother and a friend, and we managed to coordinate extremely well most of the time, rarely giving in to the temptation to put ourselves in a bubble and let one person advance while the rest of us get dragged along. I think that the temptation to do that in Super Mario 3D World would be greater, mind you, but the levels are not impossible to do together if the group practices coordinating and timing things effectively.
Even if parts of the game aren't that tough, the game is quite long, even before you go through and do every level with every character. I myself am a completionist, so if I miss any items on my first play through a level, I play it again right away to get what I missed. If that isn't your strategy, you'll find some levels blocked off because you don't possess enough green stars. I am also unsure of how exactly to unlock the extra worlds - I imagine you need all of the green stars, or to get to the top of each flagpole at the end of each level - because I made sure to get everything in each level before moving on.
Some fun breaks from the main action involve Captain Toad - you get to play as him on some levels in which the play style changes considerably. You need to follow a 3D path in what amounts to a level shaped like a cube, without jumping, but hitting switches to unlock other paths and changing the camera angle to see all of your options. The levels are fun, and I am under the impression that the game Captain Toad: Treasure Trackers is essentially this style of gameplay the whole time, so that is a game I might make the time to check out at some point. The little lady would certainly enjoy that game, and it would probably be more on her gaming level than Super Mario 3D World.
What impresses me most about Super Mario 3D World is that when it does get difficult, it gets really difficult. The extra worlds can get insanely hard, especially if you want to collect everything, and after about fifty to sixty tries, I still haven't managed to beat the very last level in the game. I recently started going back to play through the other levels as the other characters as a break from the frustration of the final level, going back and making attempts at it when I have the right items in my possession. I hope this eventually does the trick, because after all, I need to complete that level five freaking times in order to unlock everything. Thanks, Nintendo.
As usual with Nintendo titles, the sound, music and visuals are clever and beautiful. The music reflects the light-heartedness and fun of the game, while the visuals are cartoonish and bright (unless it's one of those underground levels, then sometimes you are puttering around in the dark). There are levels in which you need to watch the shadows on a wall to get the whole story, and some that keep the camera above you as you navigate a maze-like area. It's no Super Mario Galaxy in terms of the scale of each level - it's as if original, platforming Mario levels have been stretched into 3D - but it's still great to look at.
Overall, this game, like nearly every Mario title before it, is an instant classic, one that captures one's attention quickly and never stops throwing creative challenges into the mix. From platforms that appear and disappear based on the beat of the music to bodies of water that move in the air, forcing you to jump between them, this game does what a game is supposed to do: challenge you repeatedly and make you marvel at the world in front of you. The creativity on display in this game is quite impressive, and if you still haven't picked up a Wii U, or have a Wii U and somehow missed this game, you need to alter your priorities.
And if I ever beat that final level, you will all be the first to know. Well, second to know - anyone within a several-mile radius of my location will probably hear the screams first.
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