| Super Mario 3D Land | |
|---|---|
 Packaging artwork | |
| Developer | Nintendo EAD Tokyo |
| Publisher | Nintendo |
| Director | Koichi Hayashida |
| Producer | Yoshiaki Koizumi |
| Designer | Daisuke Tsujimura |
| Programmer | Hideyuki Sugawara |
| Artist | Kenta Motokura |
| Composers |
|
| Series | Super Mario |
| Platform | Nintendo 3DS |
| Release | |
| Genre | Platform |
| Mode | Single-player |
Super Mario 3D Land[a] is a 2011platform game developed and published byNintendo for theNintendo 3DS. It was released worldwide in November 2011 as the firstMario game to be released for the system. It combines elements from both traditional 2Dside-scrolling games and modern free-roaming 3D games in theSuper Mario series. It also introduces new additional gameplay mechanics andpower-ups. The main story is similar to previous installments, centering onMario's efforts to rescuePrincess Peach, who has been kidnapped byBowser.
Super Mario 3D Land received critical acclaim, with praise for its creative gameplay and level design, though its utilization ofstereoscopic 3D and boss fights was met with minor criticism. As of March 31, 2024[update], the game was a commercial success, having sold 12.88 million copies worldwide, making it the seventhbest-selling game for the 3DS. It was also the first 3DS game to sell over five million copies. Nintendo released the game as a downloadable title viaNintendo eShop in 2012. A sequel, titledSuper Mario 3D World, was released for theWii U in November 2013 and for theNintendo Switch in February 2021.
Super Mario 3D Land is aplatform game that has been described by game designerShigeru Miyamoto as a "3D Mario that plays as a 2D Mario game".[1] As such,Super Mario 3D Land combines the elements of traditionalside-scrolling video game titles, such as linear-basedlevels, with those of the modernopen world titles, such as moving Mario in three dimensions and performing a variety of actions.[1] Similar to the older side-scrollingMario games, thehealth system revolves around Marioshrinking upon taking damage from enemies or hazards, there is a dedicated "Dash" button as opposed to using analog input to determine travel speed, and damage as "Small Mario" results in losing a life. Mario has also learned two new moves: a barrel roll and a roll jump, the former of which can be used to break blocks in a similar manner to jumping at blocks from below or ground pounding, and the latter allowing Mario to cover much horizontal ground in one jump.Super Mario 3D Land utilizes a similar level objective to the aforementioned side-scrolling games, in which the point of each level is to reach and grab the "Goal Pole" at the end of the level, within the time limit.[1][2]
The game offers a number of traditionalMario items, such as the Super Mushroom, Fire Flower and Starman, along with newpower-ups that bestow special suits onto Mario and grant him new abilities.[3] Returning fromSuper Mario Bros. 3 is theSuper Leaf power-up, which gives Mario theTanooki suit, allowing him to float in the air and attack with his tail, with a later variant also allowing him to transform into a statue upon performing a ground pound.[4] The player is able to reserve an extra power-up, which can be retrieved by tapping the item visible on the touchscreen.[4]
Other items include the Boomerang Flower, which allows Mario to throw boomerangs that can collect out-of-reach items and attack enemies; the Propeller Box, which allows Mario to reach high places; and the rare Prize Box, which gives Mario extra Coins while walking around in it.[3][5] The Invincibility Leaf, which appears after the player dies five times in a level, gives Mario invincibility and Tanooki Suit abilities; while the P-Wing, which appears after the player dies ten times in a level, sends the player right to the end of the level, near the Goal Pole. (The invincibility leaf and the P-wing are only available in regular worlds.)[6] Each course contains three hidden Star Medals that are required to unlock certain levels.[7] The map screen also contains Toad Houses where players can visitToad and receive additional items, and Mystery Boxes where more Star Medals can be earned. After clearing the game once, a set of "Special" levels are unlocked, some of which contain additional challenges, such as a 30-second time limit.[8] Clearing the S1 castle unlocksLuigi as a playable character, who has slightly different handling to Mario.[4]
Super Mario 3D Land utilizes theNintendo 3DS'sautostereoscopic technology, allowing players toperceive depth when viewing the game screen. While the game is designed to not require the 3D effect, some obstacles or points of interest are deliberately more noticeable or easier when the 3D is switched on.[1]Super Mario 3D Land also utilizes optional use of the 3DSgyroscope, which can be used to control cannons and binoculars.[1] The game also featuresStreetPass functionality, allowing players to exchange Mystery Boxes containing bonus items.[6] StreetPass also gives players another Toad house so they can get items.[6]
During a storm, a tail-like branched tree called the "Tail Tree", which stands onPrincess Peach's castle grounds, is stripped of all its leaves. The leaves, which turn out to be Super Leaves, were in reality taken byBowser who is using them to bestowtanooki tails on his minions granting them new abilities such as limited flight. Unaware of this situation at first, whenMario and theToads go to inspect the tree the next day they discover a letter from Bowser, learning that he has kidnapped the princess. Mario sets off in pursuit to locate and rescue the princess, learning in the process of Bowser's intentions for using the aforementioned stolen Super Leaves. After rescuing her, the Toads and Mario return to the Mushroom Kingdom with Tanooki Suits while Mario carries the princess. Mario's actions lead to the restoration of the Tail Tree. However, a photo falls to the ground revealingLuigi behind bars with aKoopa Troopa and Peepa, beginning Mario's quest into the Special World 1.
After rescuing Luigi, Mario and Luigi go on his quest in completing the other 7 Special worlds. After Luigi and Mario complete the Special 8 Castle level, a new letter falls to the ground far away in an open plain. The three Toads who helped Mario earlier on investigate the letter and discover that Bowser has kidnapped Peach once again. After Peach is rescued once again by Luigi and Mario, another photo is found with Peach in a Tanooki Suit.
Super Mario 3D Land was developed byNintendo EAD Tokyo,[9] which had previously developedSuper Mario Galaxy andSuper Mario Galaxy 2, with assistance from fellow Nintendo subsidiaryBrownie Brown.[10]Super Mario Galaxy 2 game directorKoichi Hayashida directed the game, and thegame music was composed by Takeshi Hama,Mahito Yokota and Asuka Hayazaki.Super Mario 3D Land took two years to develop, starting from a development team of two people and ending with a team of 30.[11] The game was first announced byShigeru Miyamoto in November 2010, stating that both the 3DMario game as well as a2DMario title were in the works for the Nintendo 3DS.[12] Miyamoto described the 3D game as "completely original" and a cross betweenSuper Mario Galaxy andSuper Mario 64.[13][14]
Super Mario 3D Land was designed to bridge the gap between 2DMario games and 3DMario games,[15] and influenced by Miyamoto's philosophy of keeping the games fun in nature and making sure the player had the utmost opportunity to enjoy the experience of the game.[16] A main concern during development was making a game that would appeal to fans of the 2DSuper Mario games as well as the 3D games; levels were designed so that the player would not get lost, moving Mario in one general direction towards each level's goal.[17]
One of the inspirations behind the creation of the game was technological advances that made it possible to implement certain elements that could not be done in previousMario games.[9]Satoru Iwata explained that "since 1996, when Mario appeared in 3D inSuper Mario 64, it's always been hard for players to judge how to jump and hit a block floating in a 3D space," musing that the Nintendo 3DSautostereoscopy allowed for this issue to be fixed.[9] The development team, which only had experience developing onconsoles rather thanhandhelds, first tried playingSuper Mario Galaxy 2 on a small television monitor. When it was found that Mario was too small to see and thus difficult to control,3D Land'scamera system and level terrain needed to be designed for viewing on the small Nintendo 3DS screen, making it easier for players to keep track of Mario.[18] Certain aspects of gameplay were inspired by Nintendo'sThe Legend of Zelda franchise, including the way that the camera functioned during certain moments. Ideas that were ultimately not incorporated into3D Land included apro skater suit for Mario, the ability to change Mario'ssize to the extreme, and a feature that replacesPrincess Peach's face with a photographed face.[16] The game's title was chosen as an homage to theSuper Mario Land games released on theGame Boy.[19]
Super Mario 3D Land development was heavily affected by theTōhoku earthquake and tsunami that occurred on March 11, 2011. The disaster caused public transportation to shut down, preventing Nintendo staff from being able to commute to work, and the Tokyo office remained closed for about a week. Hayashida was inspired by the disaster to encourage his team to communicate more, setting up the office such that staff members could easily see and discuss each other's work. The team also started holding group meetings to play-test3D Land's levels.[10] Hayashida later mentioned that the team expressed hope that the game would inspire joy in spite of the tragedy.[16]
Satoru Iwata revealed the game at the 2011Game Developer's Conference and pointed out that the game's tentative logo sported atail, stating that its purpose would be revealed atE3 2011.[20] Miyamoto later stated that "it's what you think it is", alluding to the Tanooki Suit, a power-up originally fromSuper Mario Bros. 3.[21] While no exact release date was announced, Miyamoto stated that he hoped to release the game during 2011.[22] The game was showcased at Nintendo's press conference at E3 2011, where a 2011 release date was confirmed, along with the appearance of the Tanooki Suit.[23] While the power-up allows Mario to float down gently, unlikeSuper Mario Bros. 3 he cannot fly.[23]
Super Mario 3D Land was first released in Japan on November 3, 2011. It was then released in North America on November 13,[24] Europe on November 18,[25] and in Australia on November 24.[26] It was released on theNintendo eShop in 2012.[27][28][29]
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| GameRankings | 90.09%[30] |
| Metacritic | 90/100[31] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| 1Up.com | B+[8] |
| Destructoid | 8.5/10[32] |
| Edge | 8/10 |
| Famitsu | 9/9/10/10[b][33] |
| Game Informer | 9.5/10[7] |
| GamePro | 5/5[35] |
| GameSpot | 8/10[6] |
| GamesRadar+ | 4.5/5[36] |
| GameTrailers | 9.2/10[37] |
| Giant Bomb | 4/5[34] |
| IGN | 9.5/10[38] |
| Nintendo Life | 9/10[41] |
| Nintendo World Report | 9.5/10[40] |
| Official Nintendo Magazine | 94%[39] |
| X-Play | 5/5[2] |
Super Mario 3D Land received critical acclaim. It received an aggregated score of 90.09% onGameRankings[30] and 90/100 onMetacritic,[31] making it the fifth-highest-rated 3DS title on the latter site.[42] The game sold over 343,000 copies in its first week in Japan, helping to move over 145,000 Nintendo 3DS units.[43]Famitsu awardedSuper Mario 3D Land a score of 38/40, praising level design, accessibility for beginners and the use of 3D.[33]IGN gave the game a score of 9.5 and an Editor's Choice award, calling it "brilliant and addictive" and stating that "3D gaming has never been fully realized before this".[38]GamesRadar gave the game a score of 9/10, praising its wealth of content, although criticising the inclusion of a run button and some easy difficulty.[36]Game Informer gave3D Land a 9.5/10, saying "it lives up to the level of quality set by previous entries and is easily the best reason to own a 3DS". They also complimented the use of both a run button and the 3D effects while criticising the "lack of variety in boss battles".[7]
1UP.com's Jeremy Parish gave the game a less favorable review, noting that certain aspects of the game were too easy in nature, musing a "moderately skilled player is never in danger of running out of lives inSuper Mario 3D Land". He however noted that the game was creative in its presentation, and offered "clever new twists on the familiar to the knuckle-biting intensity of the final stages."[8] Justin Haywald ofGamePro gave the game a perfect score, writing that Nintendo successfully captured the nostalgic aesthetic of the series, while still maintaining technical innovation. He reported, "for every familiar bit of music or a level background that reminds you ofMario games past, you have new abilities to use and deviously designed platforming sections that feel completely unique", while stating that the inclusion of 3D was mostly a gimmick.[35]
GameSpot stated that the game lacked some of the more creative aspects of the best of the series, stating that the 3D was mostly optional, though praised the gameplay as entertaining and fast-paced.[6]X-Play's Russ Frushtick felt thatSuper Mario 3D Land was the best game yet released for the 3DS, praising the content as surprisingly vast in nature and claiming that the game was twice as long as initially gauged.[2] The game won the "Best Handheld Game" award at the 2011Spike Video Game Awards.[44]Super Mario 3D Land was awarded the "Best Platform Game Award", and Nintendo 3DS Game of the Year 2011 byGameTrailers.[45] During the15th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, theAcademy of Interactive Arts & Sciences awardedSuper Mario 3D Land with "Handheld Game of the Year".[46]
Super Mario 3D Land sold 3.09 million units in the U.S. as of August 2014.[47] In Japan, the game has sold over 1.66 million units as of August 1, 2012.[48] It was the first 3DS game to sell over five million copies.[49] Overall, the game has sold 12.89 million copies worldwide as of March 31, 2024[update], making it the seventhbest-selling game for the 3DS.[50]
Super Mario 3D Land's release prompted criticism from animal-rights organizationPETA, who created a browser game titledMario Kills Tanooki alleging that the "Tanooki suit" powerup promoted the live skinning of animals for fur. PETA received negative attention for the game, which led to a response claiming it was a "tongue-in-cheek, a fun way to call attention to a serious issue".[51]
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