Super Mario 3D Land (Nintendo 3DS) - Review by Andrew

Introduction

Nintendo's most famous franchise has always been there from the beginning pushing the boundaries of the new hardware; the incredible Super Mario 64 allowed gamers to actually play what had previously been 'cut-screen' visuals, Super Mario Sunshine opened up a vast playable world and Super Mario Galaxy took the concept one step further. It’s been quite a wait for gamers to get their hands on Mario’s latest handheld outing but with every Nintendo news outlet watching this game closely since it’s announcement; was it worth the wait?

Gameplay

You could be forgiven into thinking that Super Mario Land 3D allows for a free-roaming experience where the gamer can wander around spending hours discovering the hidden corners of each area. It isn't and instead gamers follow a reasonably linear path with the aim to collect as many coins as possible (including three special larger coins) and reach the flagpole at the levels end. The coins here reward you with extra lives (should you amass 100) whilst the larger coins are essential in order to gain access to later levels.

If you have played some of the other games in the series (and why wouldn't you?) you'll find that sections here have been borrowed from other titles. The cannons, in particular, which allow Mario to be propelled though the air to reach valuable coins and higher platforms, are directly lifted from the Galaxy series. You are unlikely to be too distracted by this though with the rest of the worlds featuring more than enough original content to please any Mario enthusiast. In fact it’s the variety here that really sets the game apart and you'll be challenged to find coins underwater, in Luigi's Mansion inspired haunted houses and other worlds which take place high above the ground in the clouds. There's Music Blocks, Timed Platforms and those all important destructible boxes all of which continue to reassure you that you are deep in Mario's very own world. All of this has an almost perfect learning curve and while you'll fly though the first few levels you'll be thankful of passing the checkpoints only minutes later when you’ve failed to get past an obstacle for the sixth attempt.

A Mario game wouldn't be complete without power-ups and there a few new additions here most of which you've no doubt already seen on the various screenshots. The most useful of these is the new Boomerang Suit, which allows you to take out enemies from a safe distance. Even more useful is the ability to momentarily float in mid air thanks to the Tanooki tail. This is especially useful when hovering over lava or reaching a rather problematic coin. There's even a Gold Invincibility Suit and should you fail a level repeatedly. This allows you to take advantage of full indestructibility in order to reach the levels end. Essential for some of the end-of-world bosses, which do become very challenging indeed.

Controls

The control system here uses just about every button available on the 3DS and the games packaging even features a separate mini-manual detailing what everything from the shoulder buttons to the d-pad is for. Fortunately all of this is both incredibly responsive and very intuitive so there's absolutely no need to worry about becoming lost or pressing the wrong button.

Graphics

You may want to just take a moment and simply marvel at the visuals in Super Mario 3D Land. They are incredibly beautiful and not only are the worlds brilliantly designed but also expertly shaded featuring crisp, colourful textures. There's also a huge amount of variety here and rather than mindlessly re-use building blocks, the developers have instead taken the times to plan out a generous amount of levels with their own unique look and style. The camera also behaves itself throughout the game. One thing that plagues most third person titles but would you expect anything less from Nintendo?

Sound

The soundtrack is a somewhat upbeat affair and mixes a selection of brand new tunes and rearranged classics. If fact there were a few tracks that we really couldn't get out of our heads. A rarity in gaming music.

Dual screen

Oddly there's no use of the touch-screen at all so keep that stylus safely secured.

Special features

In addition to the impressive 3D the developers have also used some of the systems other unique features. The first of these is the Gyroscope, which is called upon when Mario looks though a set of binoculars during a level. This allows you to fully survey the lay of the land and plan the best route to the end and the elusive flagpole. Street Pass is also used and meeting other players not only displays their high score but also 'gifts' Mystery Boxes that can contain anything from power-ups to coins.

Final comments

You should be reading this nodding your head with Super Mario 3D Land already safely in your collection and if not, why not? First party games have always been more successful at showing off the systems strengths and this title seems to push it further than you could every have hoped for. In addition to all of this you'll also get to play one of the most perfectly crafted platformers to appear on a handheld which is both immersive and challenging. If all that wasn't enough there's still the great use of the StreePass functionality and a generous amount of replay value, should you decide to collect absolutely all of the coins. It's difficult to find any flaws with Super Mario 3D Land but if you do own a 3DS this is one game you absolutely, positively must have.

Pro: Looks and Sounds Wonderful, Great Use of StreetPass, Lots of Replay Value
Con: Not Much Really
Final score: 9.4

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