Super Mario 3D Land 3DS Review

Super Mario 3D Land is a 3D Platformer Game for 3DS, Which was developed and published by Nintendo, as being the first Mario title being released for the 3DS in November 2011.

The game was combined the elements from both traditional 2D Mario side-scrolling games and modern free-roaming 3D Mario games similar to Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Bros 3.
It was critical and commercially success at the release which sold over 12 million units making it a sixth best-selling 3DS title. The game was considered as technical marvel which showing off the 3DS's third-dimension auto-stereoscopic effect which I think it's amazing to see how this game was being capable of utilising the 3D effects for the groundbreaking graphics design seems to be very impressive for the Nintendo's handheld device.
With the colourful and cartoony graphics are very appealing to the casual audience, it starting out pretty good with the clever level design for its puzzle and platforming gameplay featuring some wacky stages, several of awesome power-ups, collecting coins, finding secrets, cool bosses, and has more content were included in the game, but there are some minor problem in the game that I finding it not as good as in comparison with the earlier 3D Mario titles, but please don't get me wrong I still liked Super Mario 3D Land as I much prefer this game over the other 3DS's Mario titles because it has creative stages to choose, fantastic overall presentation with memorable characters and bosses, awesome looking graphics for handheld system, and has fair amount of replay values which really adds the positively to this game that the 3DS owners are able to enjoy this type of game.

So without go further do, let's start the review.



Presentation

The game is obviously taking place in Mushroom Kingdom just like every Mario games. It starting out very dark night storm with a tail-like branched tree known as Tail Tree, which stands on Princess Peach's castle grounds, is completely being flowned away which were taken by Bowser who is using them to bestow Squirrel Tails on his minions allowing them to perform new abilities in limited flight.
A day later where Mario and Toads had discovered a flying envelope as they find out that Bowser has finally taken their Princess once again which leds Mario and Toads set out their action to locate and rescue Peach.

Yeah it's a Mario game with small opening intro doesn't really need much of the storyline in the game, all you had to do is to rescue damsel in distress in video game which is not a problem because this is what makes this gaming franchise so interesting to play when seeing the princess getting kidnapped by the villain is the part we liked from the Mario game.
We all know Mario is a most loved video game mascot that made the franchise a biggest landmarks of Nintendo and we also have Luigi, a Mario's younger brother was known for being a biggest scaredy cat, but also a great video game sidekicks in Mario franchise, were included in the game as a unlockable playable character.
One of the biggest examples of female video game characters that always getting easily kidnapped in every single game is the reason why it made Princess Peach so memorable in Mario franchise. She has friendly personalities and charming voice that I really liked her as a gaming princesses.
Bowser is always been a recognisable video game villain in every Mario titles as I finding him as funny and entertaining for his goofy sense of humour that really adds the positively of his character's development.
The game still retaining a same minions from the earlier Mario games such as Koopa Troopa, Goomba, Boo, and Chain Chomp but also introducing newer ones like Morty Mole, Coin Coffer, Draglet, Wallop and all others were making a first debut in the game.
With great opening intros and favourite characters in the game, I really liked the concept of the levels that take place in different locations such as overworld in world 1 which filled with colourful blocks and blue skies at the background, while level design has simple environment that made the stage just like most of the Mario games.
I also liked the setting at the another worlds with different scenery such as yellowery desert places in World 2, Icy cold level in World 3, greenery looking forrest in World 4, and all others seems to be looking fascinating for whole Mario franchise was known for colourful and cartoony platformer game.
I like how the level stages are mixed with isometric view and traditional side-scrolling style which made the game look very unique for the 3D style platforming title which is highly designed for 3DS are more towards on gimmicky 3D effects as it looked really impressive when turning on the 3D effects to see how amazing the game look on the piece of hardware are being capable of running a third-dimensional environments in the game.


Overall, it has great opening intros, memorable characters, and fantastic presentation.



Gameplay

The game has 8 worlds with 4 or 5 each levels, but featuring some unlockable bonus worlds which require all three star medals on each levels.
You get to play as Mario in 3D platforming perspective as your main goal is to head from start to finish by completing level within time limit.             
The circle pad lets you control Mario in 360 degrees, while using jump button makes him jump on obstacles, enemies and objects, while using the dash button to make him run faster.
You can also perform different techniques in the game such as ground pound, backfilp jump, dive jump, rolling forward, and wall kick which makes it easier to use these techniques for platforming gameplay.
During the gameplay, Mario has ability to climb on the pole, balancing on ropes, and swimming under the water. There are returning power-ups that give him ability forms such as Mushroom which turns him into regular size Mario, flower that allow Mario to throw fireball, leaf that makes him float slowly and whip enemies, star that turns him invincible, and statue leaf that transformed him into statue. The game also introduce a two brand new power-ups which really adds a newer addition to this game such as boomerang flower that throws boomerang and invincibility leaf that makes Mario unstoppable.
There are useful items still retains in the games such as 1-up mushrooms that adds your player's extra life, cannons that allow blasting you to another stage, checkpoint flag which lets you continue where you left off, face blocks that creates path to reach a higher area, note blocks that scattered musical notes by collecting them fast as possible to gain items, warp pipes that access you into underground area, and red coins which requires 8 collectable red coins to gain rewards.
The game also introduces new items that adds the edition to the gameplay aspects such as flip panels are used for creating several connected panels that help Mario go across the large gaps of levels, propeller boxes which makes Mario to fly above the air then slowly fall back down towards the ground, and accessing to mysteries boxes which gives you a bonus task to defeat minions in 10 seconds as they award you with the items.
As the new features were added to this game, I also wanted to talk about the overall stages in the game were played on 3D perspective as the levels in the game has open-space area where you can able to explore around to find hidden areas, discovering new items, collecting coins, accessing bonus stage and other cool stuff in the game.
What I liked about this game is that the gameplay style is mixed with the earlier 3D Mario games with more focused on traditional side-scrolling platforming which retains similar elements from the 2D Mario games such as Mario's health system is now based on the side-scrolling titles rather than being a numbered health meter and the levels rather have a time limit and even feature Goal Poles as opposed to collecting Power Stars is kinda like the Super Mario Bros in 3D form which I kinda like the idea of the gameplay concepts.
There are a great variety of levels to choose from that I really liked the most was the world 1 - 3 which is athletic course in high sky where you can jump off the cliff from the above, world 1 - 4 which lets you control switchboards by pressing panels from forwards to backwards, world 2 -2 which has flip panels to create paths, world 2 - 3 which requires you to use propeller box to float down slowly in the sky, world 2 - 4 that switches red and blue panels as same time you jump on, world 3 - 2 is an underwater level where you can swim under the water, and theres so many things that the levels are filled with hazardous objects, wacky puzzles, and has really weird creativity in the game which is a best part of any Mario game like this.
There are some minions are actually pretty good in the game like Coin Cuffer that dispense coins when hit, Draglet that shoot Fireballs at the player, Inky Piranha Plant that spits ink that blocking the player's view by covering screen with black ink, large Bullet Bill that is fired out of a Banzai Bill Cannon, Bob-Omb that chase the player and explode after chasing the player for a set amount of time, and theres many more types of enemies were included in the game.

I got to say that the gameplay is still plays decently for its playstyle between the 2D and 3D Mario games, and has unique levels with bigger variety of enemies and design in the game, but I do find the controls are not as good in comparison with other 3D Mario titles, but it doesn't mean its sabotaged the overall game. The only thing that slows down the pace of the game is the use of dash button which I don't think it's fully designed for the 3D platforming genres. I don't really mind using the dash button if it is a 2D side-scrolling game like Super Mario Bros, but when it comes with 3D games like Super Mario 64 then it would have been better if Mario can run automatically itself by pushing circle pad forward without having to use a dash button which I much rather prefer it on 3D platformer games like Super Mario 64. I had trouble to perform a dive jump which requires to hold the dash button while pressing the crouch and jump button together to make him dive jump forward which is the part I don't like compared with previous 3D Mario games that you can only push the stick forward while pressing crouch and jump together is much more easier that using the dash button.
Another disadvantages in the game that kinda makes the game too easy to beat is using the assist item called invincibility leaf which currently appears in an assist block after losing five lives. This item gives Mario permanent invincibility for one course only, alongside the Tanooki form's abilities that helps the player to skip the whole level which I kinda think it's ruining the whole fun of the game, so I don't highly recommend using this item unless if you are being a down right awful at beating the stage.
The positive part of the game was the bosses which I think that is entertains me the most from mini bosses to main boss himself Bowser are the reason it made the game quite ironic on whole franchises.
The whole 8 special stages are magnificently fun which I think it really increases the overall challenge in the game, so there are the stages which has different objectives such as collecting time items or stomp enemies to increase time limit and there's purple shadow that starts chasing you while attempting to reach a goal pole which are these part of the game that I really enjoyed the most. 
So far, I did managed to enjoy the whole game and I was happy to see this game can pull off nicely on 3DS.

Overall, it has decent gameplay, bigger variety of levels, and cool bosses.



Graphics

I was surprised with the game definitely has the best looking graphics I ever seen on 3DS hardware.
I liked the design of the levels filled with colourful environments, great use of plain textures, has incredible use of cartoony animation on characters and enemies, and of course the overall settings of scenery for levels which made the whole presentation of the game is looking fantastic especially with the use of the 3D effects which allows 3DS utilising with the third-dimension auto-stereoscopic effect showing off the 3D environments of levels is looking spectacular to see a whole game without having to use 3-D Glasses as having the 3D effects turned on the device which really surprises me to see a full proper 3D games with more of the in-depth view pushing towards the screen is what the modern gaming technologies are being capable of handling the 3D effects well in the game.

Overall, it has colourful environments, great use of plain textures, incredible use of cartoony animation on characters and enemies, the overall settings of scenery for levels, and technically impressive 3D effects.



Music and Sounds

Super Mario franchise are always has the greatest original soundtrack in gaming, so with this game was composed by Mahito Yokota was most known for his collaborations with Koji Kondo in the Super Mario Galaxy series and Super Mario 3D World. He did a stunning job of making music in every levels to make it obviously sounds like from the previous Mario games.
The sound effects is actually sounds brilliant on stereo speakers of the 3DS handheld system. I really liked the old-school style of sound effects from the older Mario games and yes Mario has a ironic voices in every game that made the sounds so recognisable on Mario franchise.

Overall, it has outstanding music and sounds in Mario series.



Special Features

The game has unlockable contents and replay values that adds the positive part in the game.
You have Luigi as playable characters, has 8 special worlds, galleries on photo albums, and being able to re-visit a same original level to search for more star coins.

Overall, it's a fantastic addition to this game.



Advantages


Fantastic presentation

Decent gameplay

Bigger variety of levels

Cool bosses

Excellent graphics

Outstanding soundtrack

Replay values

Unlockables features



Disadvantages


The controls aren't as smooth as the other 3D Mario titles

Assist item that kinda ruins the fun of the game



Final Verdict


Presentation 9.5/10 - great opening intros, memorable characters, and fantastic presentation.

Gameplay 8/10 - decent gameplay, bigger variety of levels, and cool bosses.

Graphics 9.5/10 - colourful environments, great use of plain textures, incredible use of cartoony animation on characters and enemies, the overall settings of scenery for levels, and technically impressive 3D effects.

Music and Sounds 10/10 - outstanding music and sounds in Mario series.

Special Features 9/10 - unlockable contents and replay values.


Overall 8.5/10 - I think this is by far my favourite Mario game on the 3DS. I really liked the game for its clever level design, style of platforming gameplay in unique way, the graphics is looking appealing for 3DS standards, and has tons of replay values that I highly recommend to pick this game for not just a casual audiences, but also a fan of the genres are able to experience the epic 3D platforming action.
It maybe not be the best Mario game in the whole franchises, but it is clearly the best Mario game on the 3DS libraries that I personally enjoyed playing it over the hours of fun.
As always, I'm a huge fan of Super Mario games because these are my childhood gaming that I grew up playing on Nintendo consoles back in my old retro gaming days.
If any of you are interested getting this game, it's a cheapest way to pick this game for less than £8 from Amazon or Ebay.


1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Skip it

Rent it

Buy it

If you like my recent blog, please hit like and comment below for further questions.  

This is Zeeshan Mirza's Blog and I'll see you next time, happy blogging everyone.