© NintendoYou do not have to tell me how 2020 was a challenging year, but for dedicated Super Mario fans there were small amenities to be found. After months of rumors, Nintendo dramatically celebrated the series’ 35th anniversary and it brought no end to the content. Before that, even, Super Mario Maker 2 got a major update in April that added a World Maker, and 3D All-Stars brought us 64, Sunshine and galaxy on the Switch in a single package. Heck, we even have a battle royal game in Super Mario Bros. 35 for some reason, and it’s not even responsible for the spin-off games.
Even though the last two games supposedly only available until March 31 – a fact that has caused no end to controversy – the celebrations are not over yet. While fans keep pondering Galaxy 2’s exclusion of 3D All-Stars (something we have some theories about), Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Wrath next month at Switch, and joins the ever-growing range of Wii U ports. Amidst these commemorative plans, most 3D entries are getting love from Nintendo again, but the predecessor of the 3D world has been left a bit in the dark and it has passed relatively low in our poll on which remasters you want on Switch in June see. last year. To many players, it seems like it’s barely registered.
For those who may not keep up with each installment in the plumber’s cannon, was that game Super Mario 3D Land, a curious entry in the history of Super Mario launched on the 3DS in 2011 Super Mario Land 3D series became the first original 3D Super Mario game for a handheld console (with the exception of the DS version of 64), with the basic gameplay having a classic twist.
Besides Galaxy 2, it is also one of the last 3D entries that it has not made in Switch so far. Of course, 3D Land got mention during the 35-year-old montage, which is more than what we got in terms of space, but this exclusion attracted much less attention from dedicated fans. We would argue that this is a game worth watching on Switch, because it’s simple.
Like many mascots in the 90’s of the platform, Mario made the transition from 2D to 3D game, and Super Mario 64 remains an iconic game to this day and lays the foundation for future entries. The series, launched in 1996, did not return to its 2D roots until another decade New Super Mario Bros. released on DS. Since then, we’ve seen a variety of 2D / 3D entries running parallel to each other. 3D Land lies somewhere in between and Shigeru Miyamoto summed it up best: it’s a ‘3D Mario playing like a 2D Mario game’ and it’s very clear once you dive in.
Shigeru Miyamoto summed it up best: it’s a “3D Mario playing like a 2D Mario game” and so much is clear as soon as you dive.
3D Land’s basic plot does not step too far from the paved pole. We literally start on a dark and stormy night and find a storm raging near Peach’s Castle, one that blows all the Superleaves off the nearby tail tree in the distance. Discovering it the next morning, Mario soon receives a flying letter showing that Princess Peach has been kidnapped by Bowser again, and he also stole the Super Leaves. To give them to his henchmen to give them Tanooki powers, it was up to us to turn him back.
With eight new worlds, 3D Land specifically used various directions from the 8-bit entries Super Mario Bros. 3, and it went beyond the return of Tanooki Mario. Battles fought limited every world, some of which took us to Bowser Castle and in a similar way to Super Mario Bros., had to hit a switch that threw him into the lava below. Others have taken us back to the old airship environment, and although you will not find any Koopalings here, these are occupied by Bowser’s faithful follower Boom Boom, along with his new female equivalent Pom Pom.
It was not too challenging and can be completed fairly quickly, but the game unlocks bonus worlds with bigger problems. Time lapse was also brought back, something that had 3D entries, and the iconic flagpole was waiting for us again. Although 3D Land fitted in significantly with these early entries, it represented elements of every Super Mario game and in some ways had a ‘Best of Mario’ game.
Despite this, it still felt fresh and we thought it was an excellent game, although one that plays things safe. With a name like ‘3D Land’, you would not be surprised to hear that it also took advantage of the 3D effect of the console, although some puzzles felt quite gimmicky as a result, an issue that many critics have addressed wash. After playing it again recently, we would say that criticism still persists, but there is still a lot to like about 3D Land.
It contains a formula that Super Mario 3D World which was successfully built on Wii U in 2013. It was a direct, elaborate sequel and sought to further unite fans of both 2D and 3D titles and offered more than one HD paint layer. 3D World has taken on a life of its own to convey numerous elements of 3D Land such as the Super Leaves, enemies and even a remixed soundtrack. With a greater focus on Cat abilities than your Tanooki powers had, it was a fully collaborative four-player local multiplayer, an area for which previous games provide minimal support. With the Switch port added to online multiplayer and improved performance, this premise is better refined and we still have a lot to look forward to in a few weeks.
Considering how much love Super Mario had on Switch last year, there has never been a better time to bring 3D Land back. Of course, there are some gameplay elements needed to work again, but if Nintendo can pull it off with Galaxy, they can do it again here. It’s by no means perfect, but it remains an almost unique experience in Mario’s history, one that feels significantly undervalued compared to its peers. This is one adventure that deserves a second chance in the spotlight.