© NintendoYou don’t need me to tell you how 2020 was a challenging year, but for Super Mario fans there were little comforts. After months of rumors, Nintendo celebrated the 35th anniversary of the series dramatically and this caused no end to content. Before, even Super Mario Maker 2 received a major update in April that added a World Maker and All-Stars 3D he took us 64, Ground i galaxy to the Switch in a single package. Heck, we even got a real battle game Super Mario Bros. 35 for some reason, and that doesn’t even explain the derived games.
Even if the last two games are supposedly only available until March 31, which has not caused any controversy, the celebrations are not over yet. Although fans have continued to reflect Galaxy 2 exclusion of 3D All-Stars (something about which we have some theories), Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury will launch Switch next month, joining the expanding Wii U port formation. In the midst of these anniversary plans, most 3D inputs are getting renewed love from Nintendo, but the 3D World’s predecessor has been left a bit in the dark and got a relatively low score in our remaster poll you’d like to see on Switch in June last year. It seems that for many players it was barely registered.
For those who may not keep up each delivery to the plumber’s canon, that game was Super Mario 3D Land, a curious entry in the history of Super Mario that was released on 3DS in 2011. Taking the name of Super Mario Land sub-series, 3D Land became the first original 3D Super Mario game for a handheld console (except for the DS remake of the 64), retaining the basic gameplay with a classic twist.
Along with Galaxy 2, it is also one of the last 3D entries that did not reach Switch so far. Of course, 3D Land received mention during the assembly of the 35th anniversary, which is more than our space sequel achieved, but this exclusion gained much less attention from devout fans. We would argue that this is a game worth revisiting at Switch as it is simply unique.
Like many platforming pets of the 90s, Mario made the transition from 2D to 3D gaming and Super Mario 64 remains an iconic game to this day, laying the groundwork for future entries. Launched in 1996, the series did not return to its 2D roots for a finer decade New Super Mario Bros. released to DS. Since then, we have witnessed a variety of 2D / 3D inputs running parallel to each other. 3D Land is somewhere in between and Shigeru Miyamoto summed it up better: it’s a “3D Mario that plays like a 2D Mario game” and that’s evident as soon as you dive in.
Shigeru Miyamoto summed it up better: it’s a “3D Mario that plays like a 2D Mario game” and that becomes apparent as soon as you dive in.
The basic 3D Land plot doesn’t go too far down the road. Starting literally on a dark, stormy night, we find a storm near Peach Castle, blowing up all the Super Leaves from the nearby Tail Tree in the distance. Upon discovering the next morning, Mario soon receives a flying letter showing that Princess Peach has been kidnapped once again by Bowser and, in addition, has also stolen her Super Leaves. Supplying them to his minions to give them Tanooki powers, it was up to us to stop him once again.
With eight new worlds, 3D Land took numerous directions from 8-bit inputs, specifically Super Mario Bros. 3, and that went beyond the return of Tanooki Mario. Head fights limited each world, some of which took us to Bowser Castle and so on Super Mario Bros., required hitting a switch that threw him into the lava below. Others took us to the old airship system, and while you won’t find any Koopaling here, these were occupied by Bowser’s loyal servant Boom Boom, alongside his new female equivalent Pom Pom.
It wasn’t too challenging and can be completed fairly quickly, but overcoming the game unlocked bonus worlds with more difficulty. The timed stages were also recovered, something that had stopped entering 3D and the iconic flagpole was waiting for us once again. While 3D Land leaned considerably in those early entries, it represented elements of every Super Mario game and, in some ways, looked like a “Best of Mario” game.
Despite that, it still felt cool and we thought it was a great game, even though it plays things a little safe. With a name like “3D Land,” you won’t be surprised to learn that it also made use of the console’s 3D effect, although some puzzles felt pretty weird as a result, a topic that many critics pointed out. Having played it recently, we would say that criticism still holds but there is still much to love about 3D Land.
He established a formula that Super Mario 3D World successfully built in 2013 on Wii U. Working as a direct and expanded sequel, it tried to further unify fans of 2D and 3D titles and offered more than just a layer of HD paint. 3D World took a life of its own with numerous 3D Land elements such as the Super Leaves, returning enemies and even a remixed soundtrack. With a greater focus on Cat skills than your Tanooki powers, it featured a fully cooperative local multiplayer for four players, an area for which previous games offer minimal support. With the switching port adding online multiplayer and improved performance, this premise gets better refinement and we have a lot to look forward to in a few weeks.
Given the love Super Mario had for Switch last year, there has never been a better time to reclaim 3D Land. Of course, there are some gameplay elements that should work again, but if Nintendo could do it with Galaxy, they could do it again here. It’s not perfect by any means, but it remains an almost unique experience in Mario’s story, which feels very undervalued compared to his peers. This is an adventure that deserves a second chance in the spotlight.