‘Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury’ Review: Kaiju And Kittens

While the Switch has become the Valhalla for various Wii U games, this new release of Super Mario 3D World he has more than he first appears. Especially because of the all-new add-on game, Fury Bowser, but there is more going on here than just that.

Before we get to that though, we need to go back to the 3DS game Super Mario 3D Domain. That was a great little platformer and one that used a more focused approach to 3D platformer.

There, although the game allowed you to move in three dimensions, the path through the level was laid out pretty tightly, as were the older 2D games.

It’s important to make this distinction, as newer games like Super Mario Odyssey more open levels and a greater range of jumps and movement options available.

With that in mind, Super Mario 3D World there is a larger and more complex version of what has been described Super Mario 3D Domain. With the general focus on getting three green stars per level and then hitting the top of a level end pole.

Some levels have more than three green stars, but in general each level tends to be a targeted attack course for you to cross.

The previously mentioned special levels come in the form of puzzles for Toad, who can’t jump, but can collect green stars, and the temporal challenges of the House of Mystery.

There are other hidden mysteries around the world of progress maps, which also bring a nice old school to the game. Super Mario vibe.

For all intents and purposes, however, Super Mario 3D World the same game we had on the Wii U. There are a few tweaks, such as a slightly faster movement speed for the player, and a change to the entire sticker setting, but for the most part this is a direct port to the Switch.

It’s still a great game though and even if you reach the climate boss fight with Bowser, you’re still only half way through finishing the game completely.

However, what makes this particular news so exciting is the introduction of the standalone add-on game, Fury Bowser.

Fury Bowser using many of the elements, such as power upgrades, enemies and level elements, from Super Mario 3D World but instead it is established as a small-open world game. I say “mini” here, because although the world is Fury Bowser surprisingly, the task is much simpler.

As well as sides from Super Mario 3D World, you also have nodes for games like Sunshine Super Mario, because not only do you have to collect Cat Shines to go on but Bowser Jr. can also. paint walls to reveal mysteries.

Bowser’s enraged kaiju at the base causes damage and Bowser Jr. begs Mario to help his Dad pull out. To plaster Daddy Bowser, you must first assemble Cat Shines to power lighthouses. These put him back to sleep in the middle of a big lake, just to wake him up in time and you have to repeat the process again.

Once you’ve got enough Cat Shines, giant Giga Bells will be available and can be used to turn you into a Giga Cat Super Super Saiyan, with Toriyama-esque fungal hair to match.

This allows you to take Bowser into combat, so he gets a little kaiju-tastic at times and helps break the platform flow and explore the islands.

There are three island venues in total, each with a large Giga Bell. The islands are also made up of three separate islands. There are five cat scenes for each smaller island to unlock, which increases each island’s lighthouse.

The islands themselves are very different in style and form, but you tend to repeat questions on different islands, which leads me to an open position of the world at large.

Super Mario Odyssey broke down all worlds into a vast open realm. These areas were unique and had different aims in their own right. It felt like the game was a testament to a more open world Super Mario game working. He generally did, but with an obvious caveat.

All worlds in Super Mario Odyssey they were unique and had their own level design. Fury Bowserby contrast, it is closer to an open world game in that each island is repositioned throughout the entire region.

This is not a criticism though, as the game works and is fun to play. My only concern is, compared to the focused and specific level design on the Super Mario games so enduring, going down the path of the open world could bring water to the heart of the game.

Fury Bowser Dodge builds on this by keeping the open world more complex, so that things don’t get too repetitive, so that’s it anyway.

That said, Fury Bowser feels like a prototype for a new open world Super Mario game. It works by itself, although it is not large enough to prove that it has been released (perhaps why it was folded by Super Mario 3D World). I just hope that, when these games go to a fully open world, there is enough variety to make it valuable.

One last thing worth mentioning here is, after playing Real Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury, it makes me sad about how a phone went in Super Mario 3D All-Stars there were. If Nintendo can pull the stops to update one Super Mario game for the Switch, why no others?

All in all, this is a unique collection of Super Mario games. From the focus and challenging Super Mario 3D World to the more experimental open world, although it is still well accomplished Fury Bowser. Both games have a lot to offer and will keep you busy unraveling the inside secrets.

Real Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury

Platform: Nintendo Switch

Developer: Nintendo

Publisher: Nintendo

Posted: 12th February 2021

Price: $ 59.99

Score: 9/10

Disclosure: Nintendo sent me a copy of this game for the purposes of this review.

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