Super Mario 3D World, the newest 3D Mario platformer, is at first glance, possibly the most re-hashed of all the Mario games. All the successful elements of the past Mario games, from Bros. to Galaxy, are present in Shigeru Miyamoto's final Mario title as director. The plot of this game is about as deep as you'd expect of a Mario game: Bowser is back, kidnapping and building castles, so Mario's off to stomp him straight. This time, however, Princess Peach isn't the damsel in distress. Peach, Mario, Luigi, and even Toad are all the heroes of this adventure into a magic pipe-land inhabited by fairies. Having played Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door and loved it, I'm now conditioned to expect some kind of elaborate twist or secret villain at the end of the game. The only effort SM3DW makes to twist the plot is the revelation that Bowser's final castle is not his final castle. Instead, he's running a carnival high in the stratosphere, and instead of a castle, he's built a black monolithic skyscraper that looks exactly like Lord Business's from The Lego Movie. Unless your hero instinct kicks in to rescue these fairies like your life depends on it, there is nothing compelling about the narrative to this game. But through 11 worlds and 350+ stars to collect, I kept playing. Why?
The world of SM3DW, split up into around 100 levels, offered some of the most exciting gameplay I have experienced in a Mario game thus far. Each level, clearly and concisely designed with a theme in mind (spikes, piranha plants, boos), evoked the memory of encountering these things for the first time previously in Mario's adventures. For a long-time Mario fan, this game is essentially a final exam. What makes the whole experience feel whole is that you don't just get to tackle this adventure with Mario. Playing as Luigi, Peach, and Toad gives the player four different styles of play to work with, a fantastic way to pay homage to Super Mario Bros. 2. In fact, in one way or another, SM3DW pays homage to just about every game in Mario's repertoire. There is even a level based on Super Mario Kart, complete with a remix of the theme song.
The levels themselves are a careful balance of the two types of Mario games, 2D and 3D, in more ways than one. The 2D games are always about finding the way to the flag or goal at the end of the level, while the 3D adventures task you with collecting stars (or shine sprites) across the map. Each level has a time limit and a flagpole, which marks the end of the level. But in the level are also hidden three green stars and a stamp that might be at the end of an intense platforming challenge, or carefully concealed by a puzzle. As if that weren't enough, players are also rewarded for touching the top of the flagpole at the end of the level, and for beating the level with every character.
An added element of depth in the gameplay was the option to play co-operatively. In past Mario games before New Super Mario Bros., this meant taking turns trying to beat the level. But now, the multiplayer Mario experience is as many as four people simultaneously playing the level all together. This was a source of enjoyment and frustration for me and my friends who joined me in playing, as we could work together to make some challenges easier, but were also hindered by the different speeds and physics of the characters. Getting too far away from your friends causes your character to enter an invulnerable bubble that brings you back to the group, and if you're playing Peach and Toad, the slowest and fastest characters, respectively, Peach will find herself in the bubble a lot unless Toad slows down. To keep the spirit of competition alive under the co-op intent of the game, the character with the most points at the end of the level is given a gold crown worth a few extra points if they keep it through the next level. The crown can be stolen mid-level by other player's attacks, which might distract players with a mindset to "win".
As the first major Mario title on Wii U, SM3DW makes full use of the console's HD graphics to show off some dazzling environments and effects with glowing particles, crisp models, and smooth animation. The aesthetic design of the levels themselves is also seamlessly professional. Some subtly brilliant design choices include the trees in the first level, where the cat bell item is introduced, which are actually shaped like the item, or the blocks in later levels that actually disappear and re-appear to the beat of the game's music. I also discovered on the slot machine bonus levels that hitting blocks in time with the music will always give the player a perfect jackpot. A game that encourages players to immerse themselves in every element of the design, from the art to the music, is an amazing example of design. The use of music, something that's rarely considered more than just a scene-setting tool, to actually train players to platform levels better, is an impressive feat for a game designer.
After two months of struggling to 100% complete the game, and being given a ride through a glowing neon pipe shaped to spell "THANK YOU" at the end of the final level, I applaud Miyamoto's farewell to his favorite son. The rewarding experience of reliving every major Mario title in one game, as well as re-establishing the modern Mario franchise, has made Super Mario 3D World this generation's Super Mario 64. In another 15 years, I'll be excited to see how this game has contributed to the plumber's legacy.
