The Super Mario series spent the 80s and early 90s as thepinnacle of 2D platforming, where each core Mario title was another high watermarkfor the genre. Then the franchise took a turn with Super Mario 64, as itbasically invented the 3D platformer and set the standard for each thatfollowed it. As the philosophy of 3D Marios continued to mature and grow, eventually2D Marios came back into popularity in a big way with New Super Mario Bros.This left you with two very different, but very popular branches of the sameseries, but where’s the middle ground? That’s what Super Mario 3D Land islooking for.
Despite the simplicity to the concept of a little guyjumping from a thing to another thing, 3D Land has so many different techniquesand styles to select from in series history, finding that middle ground isnebulous at best. Moreover, it’s the first title in the franchise to haveglasses-free 3D effects at its disposal, which opens up a whole other can ofdesign worms. Luckily, 3D Land very often chooses wisely from where it takesinspiration while making up some new rules of its own, as it creates a newlegacy as the first original 3D Mario for handhelds.
Even decades later, Mario defines gaming for so many becauseof its always easy to understand, from concept to level design to controls. Anddespite any advancements made in the gameplay and level design over the last 25years, the plot is the same as it ever was: Bowser kidnaps Princess Peach,Mario keeps jumping on things until he saves her. The basic concept of the gameis as old as time and we don’t fault Nintendo for reusing it, as we’d almost bedisappointed if the devs dropped the tradition at this point.
The simplicity of the characters’ motivations is reflectedin the controls as well, where you just need to grasp the same old concepts youlove about Mario: he runs and jumps. The 3DS Circle Pad works great for movingMario around at normal speed, while jumping just feels right for Mario, likehe’s jumping the same way he has for decades. The gameneeds that base of familiar controls to make the new concepts thatare introduced work and it’s almost always successful.
However, those core controls have one major hitch thanks toa concept that is at once very familiar to Mario and something many will find unfamiliar:the run button. 2D Mario games have had the run button forever and it always madesense with the standard d-pad, but for people who have played 3D Marios formore than a decade, it doesn’t add up in your brain. 3D Land has 3D visuals and3D controls with an analogue pad, so it only makes sense that if you move thestick all the way in a certain direction, Marioshould be running. For the first hour or so we had to keepreminding ourselves that Mario was so sluggish on-screen because we weren’tholding down Y.
It’s one of the few times in Super Mario 3D Land where thestyles clash, but this big one pops up because it draws inspiration at once fromNew Super Mario Bros and Super Mario Galaxy. Both were massive successes, andlevel design fluctuates between the two, but New Mario wins the control battle.3D Mario fans must learn to love holding Y most of the time they play, andafter an hour or so running and holding Y+B for speedy jumping became workable for us and we were navigating stageswith ease, but it never felt “normal.” We adapted to the classic rules oftaking damage, saving power-ups and jumping on flag poles, but playing withanalogue controls and holding a button to run simply isn’t the best way to doit. Maybe if you’re the type of person that somehow avoided 3D Marios until nowit’ll make more sense, but this was an unnecessary hurdle to get over.
Level design also exists in the stylistic middle groundbetween Mario design philosophies. Something you’ll note right from the startis just how focused the layout of every area is. There’s no hub world, no giantplanetoids, and no mountains to climb. Almost every stage is built around acouple of concepts and one clear path for the player to follow on smallplatforms with clear boundaries. That may sound boring to fans of theexpansiveness of recent Mario releases, but once you get this particular rhythmfor 3D Land it all starts to fit.
The camera is also more static than ever, which is fine withus since direct camera control has been close to impossible to do right on the3DS so far. That restricted camera movement flows well with the size of eachstage, as platforms in this game take up a fraction of the real estate that most 3D consoleplatformers exist in. Occasionally it can feel cramped, but mostly it just keeps you onthe path the devs set in front of you and thank goodness that path is very funindeed, and one with many,manyinnovative moments that take advantage of the handheld’s 3D visuals.
That smaller stage size works great with theportability of the title, as you’ll finish many stages (even the more taxingones) in a matter of minutes. The handheld format demands levels that can be clearedin five to ten minutes while riding public transit or in the dentist’s waitingroom. Again, compared to the depth of Galaxy that sounds lacking, but thequickness to the levels makes 3D Land more addictive, as you’ll feel likecompletingjust one more stage beforeclosing your 3DS and returning your attention to whatever is happening in reallife. Unlike the running mechanic, this change in styles with the level design didn’t leave us wanting.
marioman50 - 6 months, 1 week ago -Report
ceohappy - 6 months, 1 week ago
putainsdetoiles - 6 months, 1 week ago -Report
GameManiac - 6 months, 1 week ago -Report
BladedFalcon - 6 months, 1 week ago -Report
EnigmaSpirit - 6 months, 1 week ago -Report
sirdilznik - 6 months, 1 week ago -Report
BladedFalcon - 6 months, 1 week ago -Report
BladedFalcon - 6 months, 1 week ago -Report
samsneeze - 6 months, 1 week ago -Report
BladedFalcon - 6 months, 1 week ago -Report
sirdilznik - 6 months, 1 week ago -Report
You must log in to post comments.
Not a RadarNation member yet?Join now!
Log in using Facebook to share comments, games, status updates,and other activity easily with your Facebook feed.
GamesRadar is the premiere source for everything that matters in the world ofvideo games. Casual or core, console or handheld - whatever systems you own or whatever genres you love, GamesRadar is there to filter out what's worth your time and to help you get even more from your games. We deliver the best advice, the most in-depth features, expert reviews, and the essential guides for all the top games.
Del.icio.us
Reddit.com
Facebook
Slashdot.org
Google Bookmarks
N4G
Stumbleupon.com
