I'll begin by saying that this game has exceeded my expectations. Upon
watching online videos, I figured this would be a watered-down Mario
Galaxy title, but boy, was I wrong! The videos DO NOT do the game
justice. I didn't think Nintendo would have been able to do it, but this
is by far the first Mario game in a long time that has retained the
uniqueness and charm of the series as I remember it on the NES. New
Super Mario Bros. Wii came really close, but Super Mario 3D Land does it
for me.
~ First, the power-ups:
The Tanooki suit's revival in
this game is genius. You can hover with Mario's tail for a while and
tail-strike enemies just as you can in Super Mario Bros. 3. I'm a little
bummed you can't actually fly this time around, but I'm guessing it
wouldn't have worked as well in this title anyway. Fire Mario feels
great, too. I haven't played far enough into the game to obtain the
Boomerang Bros. suit or Statue suit, but I'm sure they will be awesome
too based on what I've seen thus far.
~ Second, the levels:
While
at first I thought the levels in this game seemed vacuous and dull and
too similar to the levels in the Galaxy series based on online videos
I've seen, my first hands-on experience with this game proved my initial
thoughts to be WAY incorrect. The level designs are brilliant. The
designers have packed so many obstacles, enemies, warp pipes, music note
blocks, and hidden areas into the levels that the game stays exciting
throughout. Also, the levels are not too long since you are timed. Thus,
you can get through a level in a few minutes, but if you need more time
there are stopwatches you can collect along the way to add valuable
seconds to your overall time limit for the level. These come in handy if
you want to do some exploring for the three hidden coins in each level.
If you're like me and occasionally grow tired of some of the longer
levels from Galaxy, then you'll be happy with the quickness yet depth of
the levels in 3D Land. The levels look AND feel like actual Mario
levels in their design. To top it all off, you'll recognize remakes of
some classic Super Mario Bros. 3 tunes, as well!
~ Third, the controls:
Mario's
signature moves are back: crouch, backflip, long jump, side somersault,
wall jump, and ground pound. There is also a new move - the roll - in
which Mario can roll forward from the crouching position. The only move
that hasn't been brought back is the triple jump, but I don't feel as
though it would've been useful in this style of Mario game anyway. The
moves are easy to execute with the layout of the 3DS's thumbstick and
buttons. Furthermore, controlling Mario feels completely natural. For
instance, running with Y and tail-striking enemies along the way is both
easy and fun to do! As I mentioned earlier, the Tanooki suit's
signature moves are back, too, such as hovering and tail-striking, both
of which feel great.
~ Fourth, the graphics and the 3D:
The
graphics in this game are on par with, if not better than, the graphics
in the Galaxy series. Mario, the enemies, and the levels all look
stunning. The 3D effect in the game looks stunning, too, and it's
awesome to see Mario in full 3D for the first time. The 3D also helps
with depth perception, and, as anyone can guess, the ability to see in
3D certainly comes in handy for a platforming title such as Mario in
which you have to make perfectly executed jumps. Also, in addition to
the 3D slider bar, you can also control the 3D effect by choosing from
two 3D options while playing that will provide either a shallower or
deeper depth of field, so the 3D is more customizable in this 3DS game
than in any other.
FINAL THOUGHTS
If you don't own a 3DS yet
but want one, then this is the time to get it. Super Mario 3D Land,
maybe aside from Zelda: OoT or Star Fox 64 (both of which are remakes,
anyway), is the best original game on the 3DS, hands-down, and it
combines everything gamers adore from Super Mario Bros 1 and 3, and
Super Mario 64. From the controls to the level design, every aspect of
this game retains the fun and charm of the original NES Mario titles
that I remember so fondly but have not seen in any Mario title in recent
years.
