It's an understatement to say that, by the start of the 2010s, Super Mario was fully back. Within the span of less than a year, Nintendo released New Super Mario Bros. Wii, the first 2D Mario game for a home console since 1990, (or 1995, depending on your opinion of Yoshi's Island) to tremendous success, and Super Mario Galaxy 2, a sequel to one of the most beloved games of all time and which garnered unanimous critical acclaim. From both of these games, though, it seemed like a core philosophy for Super Mario was emerging; the 2D games had 3D sprites and implemented moves typically found in 3D Mario, and the 3D games were becoming more linear and less sandboxy. So in retrospect, with the announcement of the Nintendo 3DS set for release in early 2011, a game like Super Mario 3D Land should have been an obvious next step. As the first original 3D Mario on a handheld console, it naturally wowed critics and fans alike, becoming one of the best selling games for the system. But a decade on, there are reasons its become one of the more forgotten titles in Mario's illustrious history.
Super Mario 3D Land was certainly a pretty unique concept; it takes all the typical features of 2D Mario and brings them into the 3D space. Flagpoles to finish levels, Bowser battles, quick bursts of platforming levels, fixed cameras. For many Mario fans in the 90s, this was basically their dream game. And the core gameplay holds up well. The game is as polished as any Mario game you would expect; controls are precise and intuitive, depth perception is handled surprisingly well, (especially for a handheld game) and it's a great game to pull out and play at any time to get a few levels in. As its name suggests, there's a good amount of reimagined content from the NES classic Super Mario Bros. 3, and it's a welcome return for old fans and new ones alike. The Tanooki suit (even if it's been nerfed slightly) is easily the best power-up in the game, and the White Tanooki variety adds some accessibility options for less seasoned players. There's also the return of the Airship levels, a staple from SMB3, and the 3D interpretations of the Bowser levels are actually quite impressive and unique.
Admittedly, the game seems short on content at first; there are only about 40 levels before Mario rescues Peach and saves the day. Then, suddenly, the world count doubles in size, and 8 new special worlds are unlocked for players to test their skills against (and rescue Luigi.) Now, take the phrase "test their skills" lightly here; Mario games have generally never been supremely difficult, but if there's a competition for easiest 3D titles in the series, it's hard to see how 3D Land doesn't win. Difficulty is, of course, not a measure of quality, and there's something to be said for a game where you can kind of turn off your brain and just enjoy the great level design, but 3D Land might be a bit too relenting. Especially with the Tanooki suit, your deaths are likely to be minimal, and your lives are almost certain to be well into the 100s. Again, this isn't intrinsically a problem, but it does coalesce with other features which overall makes the game feel a bit dull.
This is a Mario game, so of course the levels are well made. But they're also very forgettable, and forgettable leads into repetitive, and repetitive leads into tedious. Somehow, you're likely to find yourself simultaneously remembering hardly any of the levels, all the while feeling like you've played each one half a dozen times. And when you get to the special levels, that feeling is only exacerbated; many of them are remixes of previous levels with more hazards, enemies, harsher time limits, or an enemy that follows your movements. And what's worse, they're still not very challenging. No, if you want a true challenge, you'll need to look towards the game's final level. There's only one problem; the unlock requirements for it are beyond unenjoyable. Because not only do you need to beat every level, collect every star coin, and golden every flag (which are all pretty reasonable criteria), but you have to do all of that as both Mario and Luigi. This would be pushing it for a game with excellent, memorable levels; for 3D Land, it's an exercise in futility. And what's somehow worse? The mythical final level you spend all your time unlocking...isn't even very hard, either.
As a game in a long running series where excellence is expected, Super Mario 3D Land is a game in limbo. On one hand, it's a Mario game, so the fundamentals are great, the soundtrack is great, and the idea is engaging. On the other hand, it's a Mario game, and in that regard it fails to live up to the base expectations that its name carries. 3D Land is an intriguing concept-the great 3D World's improvement on it in basically every way is proof of that-and it was a massive boon to the 3DS library and assisted its success. But as a Mario game? It's not hard to find better.
Super Mario 3D Land was certainly a pretty unique concept; it takes all the typical features of 2D Mario and brings them into the 3D space. Flagpoles to finish levels, Bowser battles, quick bursts of platforming levels, fixed cameras. For many Mario fans in the 90s, this was basically their dream game. And the core gameplay holds up well. The game is as polished as any Mario game you would expect; controls are precise and intuitive, depth perception is handled surprisingly well, (especially for a handheld game) and it's a great game to pull out and play at any time to get a few levels in. As its name suggests, there's a good amount of reimagined content from the NES classic Super Mario Bros. 3, and it's a welcome return for old fans and new ones alike. The Tanooki suit (even if it's been nerfed slightly) is easily the best power-up in the game, and the White Tanooki variety adds some accessibility options for less seasoned players. There's also the return of the Airship levels, a staple from SMB3, and the 3D interpretations of the Bowser levels are actually quite impressive and unique.
Admittedly, the game seems short on content at first; there are only about 40 levels before Mario rescues Peach and saves the day. Then, suddenly, the world count doubles in size, and 8 new special worlds are unlocked for players to test their skills against (and rescue Luigi.) Now, take the phrase "test their skills" lightly here; Mario games have generally never been supremely difficult, but if there's a competition for easiest 3D titles in the series, it's hard to see how 3D Land doesn't win. Difficulty is, of course, not a measure of quality, and there's something to be said for a game where you can kind of turn off your brain and just enjoy the great level design, but 3D Land might be a bit too relenting. Especially with the Tanooki suit, your deaths are likely to be minimal, and your lives are almost certain to be well into the 100s. Again, this isn't intrinsically a problem, but it does coalesce with other features which overall makes the game feel a bit dull.
This is a Mario game, so of course the levels are well made. But they're also very forgettable, and forgettable leads into repetitive, and repetitive leads into tedious. Somehow, you're likely to find yourself simultaneously remembering hardly any of the levels, all the while feeling like you've played each one half a dozen times. And when you get to the special levels, that feeling is only exacerbated; many of them are remixes of previous levels with more hazards, enemies, harsher time limits, or an enemy that follows your movements. And what's worse, they're still not very challenging. No, if you want a true challenge, you'll need to look towards the game's final level. There's only one problem; the unlock requirements for it are beyond unenjoyable. Because not only do you need to beat every level, collect every star coin, and golden every flag (which are all pretty reasonable criteria), but you have to do all of that as both Mario and Luigi. This would be pushing it for a game with excellent, memorable levels; for 3D Land, it's an exercise in futility. And what's somehow worse? The mythical final level you spend all your time unlocking...isn't even very hard, either.
As a game in a long running series where excellence is expected, Super Mario 3D Land is a game in limbo. On one hand, it's a Mario game, so the fundamentals are great, the soundtrack is great, and the idea is engaging. On the other hand, it's a Mario game, and in that regard it fails to live up to the base expectations that its name carries. 3D Land is an intriguing concept-the great 3D World's improvement on it in basically every way is proof of that-and it was a massive boon to the 3DS library and assisted its success. But as a Mario game? It's not hard to find better.