Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury became the best-selling game in the United States in February 2021, according to a report by analyst firm NPD. It also ranked second in sales of all games released since the beginning of the year.
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury is coming to Nintendo Switch on February 12. It is an improved port of the Super Mario 3D World platformer, which was released in 2013 exclusively for Wii U, but this time with the new addition Bowser’s Fury.
Almost all critics unanimously praised both the game and the addition, which some found slightly ridiculous but charming. At the time of publication of the material, the score on Metacritic is 89 points.
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury: What’s new?
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury is one of the games with which Nintendo celebrates 35 years of the Super Mario franchise. In 2020, the company has already presented several remasters of the classic parts of the series. However, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury is still not a remastering but an augmented port with online multiplayer and amiibo support.
It is not much different from the original and even looks almost the same. Those who played Super Mario 3D World on Wii U will get much of the same game, but reviewers say it’s worth replaying anyway. It’s also great that you can still find Wii ISO downloads and play your favorite games from childhood.
Characters, for example, have become a little faster. The levels have been improved and corrected in places. Moreover, now, there is online multiplayer, which in the right company will prove itself from a good and a little awkward side. It is the ultimate version of an already great game.
Destructoid’s Chris Carter writes that the speed boost seems insignificant at first, but as the player moves on to the next levels, the gameplay will become much better in terms of action. Sam Loveridge from GamesRadar+ was also very pleased with the port. She, like other reviewers, emphasizes that the game could already be called one of the best in the lineup, and small changes only decorate it.
Levels are not afraid to introduce mechanics once and never come back to them again. There are also many settings — from gorgeous beaches to a circus. Although the levels are quite short, it’s hard to find fault with how diverse the gaming experience will be. The only thing that the reviewer wrote down as cons is the unintuitive controls, due to which the player will miss at first.
Peculiarities of the gameplay
It takes time to get used to the controls, and you will definitely get frustrated that you are not landing exactly where you were going. Not the best feature for a game, the camera is a little awkward, but you need to jump with precision.
Sam Shi of IGN writes about this. According to him, due to the camera limitations, it is hard to judge the trajectory of jumps, and the control there loses in intuition to other games about Mario.
In general, IGN is one of two publications that at the time of publication gave the game a score of 70 points (the second is CGMagazine, whose author, by the way, was also dissatisfied with the management). Shi praised the gameplay variety but felt that the mechanics still didn’t fit well enough.
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury has very engaging gameplay, but none of it works as gracefully as it could. It is a fascinating game for those who miss Super Mario on the Switch, but not the must-play Mario game Shi was hoping for.
Nonetheless, most reviewers agree that playing Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury is a great way to celebrate the series’ anniversary and pay homage to its classics.