It’s always been a truth that, as long as there has been cinema, there have been film executives with a love of a good pun. Not that I can blame them; I’m not completely shy about doing some punnage myself. Hence why there have been films such as ‘Cradle 2 The Grave’, emphasising it’s the second film. Connected to this it has always been difficult for film makers to steer away from the obvious marketing ploy of making the third film in a series in 3D so they can slap a ‘D’ on the end of the title and hope that the audience chuckle a little whilst consuming their expensive tub of popcorn and losing patience with the idiots three rows back texting their mates.
Clue: they don’t.
It’s obvious in films such as the classic (I use it in the sense of old, of course) Jaws 3D and the upcoming Men In Black 3D, plus countless examples that I can’t name because my brain appears to have blocked them out. Therefore it follows that the new Super Mario game for the 3DS, Super Mario 3D Land, is a 3D version of Super Mario Bros 3. from the end of the eighties.
The first Mario platformer for Nintendo’s new-ish and struggling glasses-free 3D bag of tricks handheld console should be the shot in the arm that the 3DS needs, coming two weeks before the second cup of revitalising coffee that will be Mario Kart 7. You cannot deny that the 3DS is a powerful piece of kit with impressive 3D, augmented reality, StreetPass, 3D photographs and loads of other bells and whistles, but it’s hardly been well endowed in the games department and has annoyed fans with price drops, sticking two fingers up to early adopters, even if they have been offered a sticking plaster of a solution in the name of twenty free retro games.
So it seems the fat plumber has arrived in time to cheer up Nintendo’s ailing spreadsheets in the run up to the Christmas period.
Super Mario 3D Land, the title of preference by dyslexics it would seem (surely Super Mario Land 3D, or does that bring back too many memories of the Game Boy?), is an unusual beast in that it plays like a 2D platformer in the spirit of the classic NES and SNES games but with a three-dimensional twist. Not, like in the case of Super Mario 64, Sunshine, Galaxy and Galaxy 2 in that you can roam wherever you want, but on a linear path like the original expanded into a 3D environment, like if the horsepower of the N64 was mated with the stallion that was Super Mario Bros. 3. Though you are restricted to one path, there is some freedom to move around so it doesn’t often feel like you are ‘on rails’.
It’s a full retro trip for longstanding Mario fans like myself. All the hallmarks of Mario 3 are there – arguably the highlight of the Mario platformers – along with other nods to other episodes, from the classic level end flagpole from the first platformer, to the countdown clock, to the retro powers including the Tanooki suit (here, for the most part, as a cut down raccoon power up but with the full suit), plus loads of classic baddies.
There’s a great video on YouTube I saw that matched up scenes from old Mario games to almost note-perfect replicas in 3D in this game, showing the attention to detail for older fans given by the development team.
But it’s not all old, as we sees two brand new power ups in the forms of Boomerang Mario and the Propeller Block, plus new enemies, and the general feeling that it’s ‘Super Mario Galaxy’ in platform form, with some challenges mirrored from that game.
At this point I’d normally discuss the plot of the game but that would be just a waste of ASCII as, as always, the scriptwriters have not been original. But, that just means more time to get on with the game. Here you are presented with eight worlds of five levels each, a mixture of grass levels, underground ones, a few water levels, castles, airships, ghost houses and other staples of the Mario level canon. Taking its cue from the Galaxy games most levels are presented as floating in the sky, leading this to be one of the most palm-sweating-inducing Mario games in a long time as you know that one mis-timed jump means death.
But thankfully the controls of the game are as tight as ever, with jumps and movement so fluid you cannot fault the system, helped by the impressive glasses-free 3D that really gives the game a sense of death. The 3D has always been impressive on the Nintendo system and though, for the most part, it’s unobtrusive, there are times when things come at the screen or you are falling down vertical levels, that it’s really quite awe-inspiring and actually adds an extra level of fear to falling down those heights. The levels that utilise slides are particularly note worthy and, with some bonuses only possible by using the 3D, you’d be a fool to play it without it even though, as I’d forgotten, it drains the juice out of the power-hungry and under-capacitated 3DS battery faster than a hungry man at a poorly-stocked fridge.
Though the basic premise of each level is the same – get from the start to the final flagpole whilst collecting coins, avoiding enemies and picking up power-ups along the way, and ensuring you hit the half-way marker to save your progress – each episode is unique with a different enemy, or obstacle, or theme that keeps it fresh, be it a rollercoaster through Bowser’s castle, blocks that appear and disappear with the beat of the music, or running across a bridge avoiding Cheep-Cheeps. There are also three star coins on each level to collect which allow you to unlock secret levels as you progress.
So is the game any good? Well it’s a resounding yes. Graphically the game is amazing, being as good as anything the Wii has pulled off. The 3D works marvellously – and is changeable from pop-out to depth depending on your preference – and adds peril to otherwise calm levels. There are graphical tweaks such as footprints in snow and sand, birds that shed feathers and much more. The controls couldn’t be more perfect. The music – a mixture of old and new songs – are just as catchy as they’ve always been, and the levels are inventive and the enemies intriguing, even if the humble Koopa Troopa gets very little screen time.
There is even a great throwback to Mario 3 with the screwed on scenery plus wooden cut-outs of baddies, which though random has a reason behind it which I won’t spoil here.
The most exciting about the game, though, is that the final boss is the first decent battle with Bowser in ages. Though the ending of ‘New Super Mario Bros Wii’ was a great battle and dramatic, it was one of many that were short, unimaginative and simple. This one beats that with more tension, false-ends and peril. Sure, it’s not massively difficult, but I consider myself a good player and it was exciting to play.
Difficulty wise the game is more of a challenge than other reviewers have said. It’s certainly not Super Mario Bros 3 or Super Mario Galaxy 2 difficult but it’s not a walk in the park. It’s just a shame that Nintendo keep liberally splashing coins and 1 Ups around so a ‘Game Over’ is never a likely outcome. They have thrown in two helps for less-able players with five deaths in a level allowing you to complete the level invincible; ten deaths sees the return of the P-Wing, now an immediate transport to the final flag.
There are a few bug-bears in the game, more down to personal preference. I still want the return of the Super Mario World-style overmap as that was great to explore, and the secret exits to levels were amazing; the star coins are, in the most, not that difficult to find; and the end world bosses are all very similar without the imagination of the Koopalings.
But these are just minor criticisms when you consider how much fun the game is to play. There are so many smile moments they’re difficult to count, from the ending of world 1-3, I think it was? – with its extreme retro throwback; the funny cut-scenes between worlds with images you can save to your SD card; and the impressive mix of graphics, challenge, 3D and music.
Plus there are very few games that would just have a random power-up, appearing in one of the last levels of the main game, in one third of one level. Most would milk it to its worth; here Nintendo allow you to enjoy it while it lasts, like it’s the 2011 Kuribo’s shoe.
And you’ll notice there that I said main game. Without spoiling too much, once you complete the first eight worlds – which took me eight hours to complete with all the star coins – you do get some extra, more challenging levels, a power-up wrong is righted, time attack challenges are made available, and some more surprises that I won’t spoil here – so although I’ve not done them all it’s not unreasonable that you’ll get fifteen hours out of this game with all the levels and star coins, and that’s not before you get to challenging your mates to beat your times. Which isn’t bad for what is a platformer and not an open-ended sandbox game.
With this game you can also throw in StreetPass assist, with friends you bump into on the street with the game giving you power-ups, even though it’s not an amazing feature.
Overall, Super Mario 3D Land is pretty much everything you’d want from a new Mario game. There’s plenty of challenge; a lot of retro love for the longstanding fan; a game that not only looks beautiful but plays beautiful, sounds beautiful and makes excellent use of the 3DS’ main selling point; and lots of content for a game you’ll be dipping in and out of for a while.
Until Mario Kart 7 comes out anyway.
But, most importantly, the game is just plain fun and it makes you smile, which is something a lot of games in 2011 just lack.
9.5/10
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