1438: Mario Time!

Finally picked up Super Mario 3D World today with some of our Christmas money. (Andie spent all hers on Lego; I still have some left, which I’m probably going to spend on board games.)

What do you know? It’s fantastic, and to be honest I feel a bit sorry for anyone playing through the PlayStation 4 or Xbox One’s weak launch lineup in preference to the variety of really great games available for Wii U this Christmas time, with Super Mario 3D World certainly being a candidate for strongest of a strong bunch.

I’ve played through two “worlds” so far, and already it’s shown considerably more invention and creativity than almost any other game I’ve played in recent memory. Nintendo just gets “fun”. The Mario devs know what would be enjoyable and memorable to play, and they implement it in such a way that it manages to be consistently surprising and delightful even as you continue to progress through the levels. Rarely does it become predictable, and rarely does it get so hung up on a single trick that it becomes stale or boring; often, you’ll come across an enemy or trap that shows up maybe once or twice and is then never seen again — a far cry from some other games that repeatedly fling the same generic tricks and traps at you over the course of a lengthy adventure.

The thing I particularly like about Super Mario 3D World and its predecessor Super Mario 3D Land for the 3DS is how intuitive it is. You’ll very rarely be given an explicit tutorial or an insultingly simple level to teach you how things work; rather, you’ll immediately be given a new item and it be implemented in such a manner that you can’t help but figure out how it works and what it’s for straight away. Beautiful game design.

Take the very first level: almost right off the bat, you’re given Super Mario 3D World’s new power-up, the cat suit. You’re not explicitly told how the cat suit works — how you can run up the walls, how you can “pounce” while you’re in the air — but the way the first level is designed encourages you to try these things out for yourself. You’ll naturally discover how the mechanics work, and it’s always pleasing and delightful to do so. The first time I found that wearing the cat suit allowed Mario and friends to climb up the flagpole at the end of the level for an easy gold flag put a genuine smile on my face.

The presentation is immaculate, too. A rock-solid 60fps; some well-designed, clear visuals; a minimal but informative interface; and some really, really great music performed on real instruments — Super Mario 3D World is without a doubt one of the most polished Mario games I’ve seen in recent memory, though I understand the Super Mario Galaxy games — which I’m yet to play — probably give it a run for its money, albeit in standard definition.

I’m looking forward to playing more, but I flattened the GamePad battery playing earlier. Perhaps I should invest in one of those new high-capacity batteries!