Japan: November 3, 2011 · North America: November 13, 2011 · Europe: November 18, 2011 · Australia: November 24, 2011
When a terrible storm hits the Mushroom Kingdom, the gusts spread a special tree's Super Leaves across the land. After inspecting the tree with some Toads the next day, Mario discovers a letter from Bowser revealing that Princess Peach has been captured once again! Mario and the Toad Brigade set off to rescue her, and the adventure begins.
Super Mario 3D Land is being developed by Nintendo's EAD Tokyo studio, whose previous titles include Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, Super Mario Galaxy, and Super Mario Galaxy 2. However, this game is different from Nintendo's previous 3D Mario platformers. It mixes elements from the 2D and 3D games to become something entirely new. For example, although all the levels are 3D, the game does not use analog controls -- you can only move in eight directions, and you control Mario's speed with a run button. The levels are shorter and much more linear than any 3D Mario game, mimicking the 2D games, but the gameplay and level mechanics seem like something out of a Galaxy game.
Too long, didn't read? This is a glimpse at what 3D Mario could have been if Super Mario 64 didn't come out. It's a 3D game, but it adheres closer to the series' 2D roots than any of the other 3D games.
Super Mario 3D Land also takes full advantage of the Nintendo 3DS's autostereoscopic 3D screen. Some parts of levels may look confounding in the 3DS's 2D mode, but in 3D mode their secrets are revealed. Additionally, the game's camera is ideally suited for the 3D mode, allowing you to more accurately judge depth when jumping from a top-down angle, or dodge oncoming enemies when the camera is parallel to the ground.
“Partway into world 5, my battery died. Started playing tonight fully charged! First time a 3DS game has kept my interest long enough to run the battery out. (Also first time to realize how truly shitty the battery life is. Yeesh.) Game is really fun. A little easy (perfected the first four worlds without too much effort), but really fun. Diggin' it.”
“Finished it earlier with every star medal. Wasn't too tough for the most part, only barely starts getting challenging in world 8 (IMO). Really awesome ideas and levels though. Looking forward to the (major spoilers) second quest stuff.”
“Up to world 5 (spoiler!) in the second quest, and have gotten every star medal so far. Really starting to dig it now as the challenge is getting more up to my liking. Think I'm gonna go back and finally play Galaxy 2 when this is done.”
“It's kind of easy, I guess (am only up to 1-4, though) There's plenty to do in each world, so far, although you can complete them really quickly, if you want. It really does feel like what 3D Mario would have been if they'd gone a different direction with 64.”
“Just finished W-2. The game is pretty, very pretty. 3D is subtle, but helpful. It was certainly harder than W-1, but still not outrageous. To put it in perspective I struggled badly with New Super Mario on DS and never got out of W-1 before giving up. Jumping from great heights to platforms below is an odd feeling. Overall, it's a Mario game. It's hella fun, it colourful, There's good ideas here. It does it's job - I've not put the game down beyond posting here for 1.5 hours.”
“Alright, finished the first world (5 actual stages, 1 item box and 1 Toad house). At first the controls felt a bit clumsy to me. Specially having to run around, which was ok on a completely 2D game like SMB or World, but on a 3D world it just doesn't feel as right, and not running is definitely a bit slow. But after a while I got used to it already. The game has A LOT of movements, I think. That I can remember/seen, basic jump, crouch+jump, crouch walk, running, then turning back and making a fairly high jump, ass stomp and.. I think that's it. Basically most of the movements from Galaxy except the twirl thing, and I don't remember being able to walk while crouching, or you could but very slow. Here it feels faster. The graphics.. damn. This game looks pretty. Some levels prettier than other, anyway. The second level from the first world is on the underground and that one is a bit ugly, but still not BAD, just not as pretty as the rest. Music wise, great as always. The levels are not very challenging yet, but then again I've only played through the first world. I will go and start the second world now.”
“I'm right now on World 6 (Special) and this keeps getting better. But I guess after World 8 then it will truly be the end. Wonder if there's something else yet to unlock.. though I guess nope..”
“I bought this yesterday along with uncharted 3 and I ended up playing Mario for much longer than I did with uncharted. It's so much fun although it feels a little slow at the beginning. It picks the pace up around world 3 didn't wanna put it down and I ended up going to bed at 4am causing a huge argument with my wife. :lol I captured the 1hour 45 minutes which uploaded to YouTube. www.youtube.com/redsungamertv I can't wait to get back into it tonight.”
“my incredibly well-informed opinion after playing through world 1 is that it's better than NSMB DS, worse than NSMB wii, better than sunshine and worse than both galaxy games of course, this could change! basic impressions are that the controls are fine for movement but kind of complex and button-heavy considering how 2D the game feels, and the graphics are lovely.”
“i'm through world 4 and haven't found it remotely challenging so far (i say this as someone who thought NSMB wii was hard as hell and have never even finished super mario bros), but it's really brilliant. the way everything works together is just wonderfully thought-out, with cute touches that'll make you smile every ten seconds from nothing more than the ingenuity of it all.”
“Played through the first two worlds so far and I'm really enjoying it. It may not be as expansive as Galaxy but it's still loads of fun. The graphics are really nice and the music, including remixes of classic Mario tunes is great. Looking forward to playing it some more when I get the chance.”
“Got the game, cleared the first two worlds. This is exactly what the 3DS needed at launch. It's got that familiar feel and makes you jump through a bunch of hoops.”
“I'm in the middle of World 5, and this is really what a Mario game should be: lots of obstacle courses testing the player's dexterity and inquisitiveness. It also does away with the pure fluff of star bits from Galaxy and nonsensical enemies dancing to certain beats of repetitive music of the NSMB games. Yeah, this is awesome.”
“Yes, thankfully this game lets players just jump right in without lecturing them with endless tutorials or a shallow story. I don't want to scroll through the same text between every level. It has that feeling of 'conveyance' missing in so many modern games.”
“Played up to W2-1. I remembered the days I got suffered in Mario Galaxy 1/2. Yes, this one is much easier. But still it's got the feel of Mario platformer. I would imagine it is excellent to play short sessions on bus/rails.”
“I only just hit world 2, but I'm really enjoying my time with it so far. Level design is a lot of fun and it feels more reminiscent of what a Mario game should be: fantastic level design etc. Really dug the 'boss' of world 1. Totally unexpected and very, very cool. I do miss the orchestral music, though I know that's probably an unreasonable expectation.”
“I feel like this has been understated, but SM3DL is REALLY pretty. Because of the simple visual style, the graphics are super clean. Kind of like how the Galaxy games looked gorgeous despite not being filled with graphical details. The 3D also works exceptionally well, and I find myself not wanting to play with it off. In some ways it's actually easier to play with it on, due to the overhead sequences. I'm not a big fan of 3D at all but Nintendo clearly thought this one through. And as noted earlier by others, the lack of text is really refreshing. The game doesn't hold your hand with tutorials.”
“Beat it. Love this game. I haven't been this entertained by a Mario game in a long time. I liked the Galaxy games and all, but they didn't keep me playing like this has.”
“This is the first game for the console where I've felt as though the 3D was truly a BIG benefit to the experience. I played the whole game through with it on. It was also just easier to measure distance and figure out where I should be jumping when the 3D was on. Just for some context, I'm not a big fan of 3D in games or film.”
“Got the game last night. Quickly got to World 3 this morning. This game is quickly climbing up on my list of most favourite Mario games. At the pace it's going, it's already past NSMB, and soon even go past Galaxy 1/2.”
“I really like the fact that the game has almost ZERO text. It was one of the most annoying thing ever in NSMB. Also, I was very surprised to be thrown right into the action without any tutorial whatsoever. Having played Galaxy you would at least think there are some visual clues on screen that teaches you how to play the game, but no! The only visual clue so far is press L to go into a pipe. Really like how clean the game is.”
“Tried it today; game seems amazing, graphic is delightful, 30fps though (and surprisingly, after having seen Mariokart7, which is 60fps and absolutely stunning).”
“Got the game yesterday but could only sample it for like 15 minutes, I was like meh, Gameplay feels different... Today got to play for a few hours, got the hang of the game. I love it now. Levels are short and I'm already in world 4 with only about 2-2.5 hours of playing, so I'm worried I might finish the game too quickly to my taste. Sometimes I notice framedrops, but not a lot. Game is good but too easy up till this point and worried about game length. Must buy though.”
“Not really digging this game, was expecting more. Or at least more 'fun'. Good thing Layton is on standby on my DS!”
The Mushroom might be the most well-known power-up in all of gaming, but in case you forgot, it turns Small Mario (one hit until death) into Mario (one hit until being turned back into Small Mario.) This system is based on the 2D games in the series instead of the 3D ones, which use a life meter.
The Fire Flower allows Mario to chuck fireballs at enemies, as well as don a snazzy white and red suit.
The Star makes Mario invincible and more athletic for a short period of time.
The Super Leaf gives Mario his signature Tanooki Suit from Super Mario Bros. 3. It lets Mario float down more slowly, whip enemies with a flick of his tail, and turn into a statue to throw enemies off his trail. It does not, however, let Mario fly in this game.
The Boomerang Flower gives Mario the Boomerang Suit, which lets him cosplay as the Boomerang Bros.
The Propeller Block isn't a power-up per se, but more of an equipable item that lets Mario zoom up vertically and descend more slowly. It's very similar to the Propeller Suit from New Super Mario Bros. Wii.
The Invincibility Leaf appears after a player has lost five lives on a single level. It gives Mario the powers of the Tanooki Suit but also makes him invincible. If this appears even once during your playtime, you will not attain shiny sparkles on your save file on the file select screen (similar to New Super Mario Bros. Wii.)
The P-Wing appears after a player has lost ten lives on a single level. It's this game's "Super Guide," transporting Mario to the end of the level, allowing the player to beat it but not achieve any collectibles.
Aggregators:
Magazines:
- Game Informer: 9.5 / 10
- GamesTM: 8 / 10
- EDGE: 8 / 10
- Famitsu: 38 / 40
- Nintendo Power: 9 / 10
- Official Nintendo Magazine: 91%
Websites:
Official Sites:
Iwata Asks: Super Mario 3D Land:
