Games

Reviewed: Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury


Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury
via nintendo.com
Title: Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury
Genre: Platformer, Action
Publisher: Nintendo
Released: February 2021
Reviewed on: Nintendo Switch

Overall Score: 10/10

Originally released in 2013 on the Wii U game console, Super Mario 3D World was praised for being a joy to play both in single player and with friends. Now over seven years later the 2021 remaster brings new life to the game with a cat-tastic addition. This time not only is the original Super Mario 3D World back, but it also comes with Bowser’s Fury, a bite-sized adventure full of feline fun.

Mario fans get two games in one here: a 3D open-world platformer remastered to the Nintendo Switch  and a new mini, open-world adventure on a cat filled island with a monster-sized Bowser. Super Mario 3D World has been given a modern update with new graphics and controls. It also comes with the bonus of an online multiplayer mode. Meanwhile, Bowser’s Fury is a new open-world adventure that involves exploring islands full of cats while going head-to-head Bowser in a battle worthy of a King Kong vs. Godzilla matchup.

Multiplayer madness

Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury
via nintendo.com

Nintendo re-released other games this past year for the Switch, but none of them were remastered quite like Super Mario 3D World. Sharper graphics, brighter colours, faster characters, and 3D platforming fun – what more can a gamer ask for in a port? Controls on the Switch feel smoother, and they are much more suitable for the game than the Wii U touch screen.

The gameplay itself has also been sped up. Characters run faster and climb higher; and for extra challenge, enemies have become quicker too. A small new feature that caught my interest was the elusive green pipes now being seen by taking away the tedious fade-to-black cuts between areas. Now you can see what goes on in those pipes and even control Mario’s direction in the pipes to go after treasures or avoid enemies.

One new feature that will perhaps excite fans the most is a lag-free online multiplayer mode. The new co-op mode allows up to three friends to explore over 100 levels worldwide, perfect for socially distanced hangouts. The mode is my favourite new feature of Super Mario 3D World as it adds endless chaotic possibilities to each level. Having each player’s score tallied up at the end of each level and power-ups shared it means friends can add their own rules to the game. Whether you and your friends want to cooperate to finish a level or fight each other to the end, playing through levels together will turn into chaos and a lot of laughs.

Bowser’s Fury is a cat-tastic extra!

Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury
via nintendo.com

Cat lovers will rejoice over the purrfect add-on to this open-world Mario game. Mario is sent to Lake Lapcat a tropic paradise overrun by cats where everything is cat-themed. It is inspired by a real-life “Cat Island” in Japan. But this isn’t your typical tropical get away. A toxic sludge has turned Bowser into a massive kaiju terror that has gone berserk!

Cat lovers will rejoice at the purrfect add-on to this open-world game. Mario is sent to Lake Lapcat, a tropical paradise where everything is cat-themed. It is inspired by a real-life “Cat Island” in Japan and overrun by cats. But this isn’t your typical tropical getaway. A toxic sludge has turned Bowser into a massive kaiju that has gone berserk!

Fighting the monstrous Bowser alone may be scary, but Mario teams up with Bowser Jr. who wants his dad to chill out! Grab one of your own friends to play this character. Flying around and fighting enemies, he will help you discover secrets in two-player mode.

This bite-sized adventure feels like Super Mario Odyssey meets Mario 64.  You can explore various islands in Lake Lapcat, collect Cat Shines to reignite lighthouses and clear darkened terrain, and ride from island to island with your aquatic dino Plessie. As you progress, Bowser’s rage will build up until he unleashes it raining fire from the sky. To take on this Godzilla-like monster, Mario has to let the cat out of the bag using a new weapon called The Giga Bell. It transforms Mario into a mighty Giga Cat Mario and allows him to go claw-to-claw with the Bowser.

Overall gameplay

Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury
via nintendo.com

Taking seven years to remaster a game bring high expectations, but Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury exceeded all of them. Brighter, smoother, and higher-quality graphics are always welcome in a remake, but what really makes this one shine for me was the improved controls and camera angles and with the welcome addition of perfect side adventure. I scored this game a 10/10 because it was much easier and fun to play on the Switch, and there are no lags in the online co-op gameplay with friends.

With Mario’s 35 anniversary celebration coming to an end, Nintendo wrapped up a year of celebration with the perfect game. Super Mario 3D + Bowsers Fury gives an originally overlooked title a second chance. It bundle an extra, enjoyable and well-executed adventure and offers endless hours of online co-op fun that make this game great.

Here’s the official launch trailer from Nintendo for Pikmin 3:

Overall Score 10/10

Written by Amanda Michkowski, Faze Senior Writer
Edited by Sabrina Berry, Faze Gaming Editor

Also check out our in-depth Nintendo Switch reviews of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Super Mario 3D All-Stars and Paper Mario: The Origami King

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