Super Mario 3D Land

[Pic0o]

As we joined the 3DS club this holiday, SM3L came home with us. This game shows the interesting use of 3D, while also allowing you to turn off 3D mode. I am mostly fond of the vertical levels, but all around the 3D use for level design is pretty impressive. Truth be told, seeing this game on demo in store, is what encouraged me to get a 3DS.

 

Game play wise, your base Mario platforming mechanics are intact. There are a few more new Suit / Power Up items, but nothing radically different enough from previous games for me to spoil it any more than that. There are are some mechanisms to make the levels more accessible and they are:

• Default state is 'Big' Mario. You'll shrink if you get hit, unless you have a powerup. Then you would revert to Big.
  
• Extra Lives are silly easy to acquire. This goes along with:
  
• If you die multiple times on a level (3x to 5x), a Gold block with a Leaf on it will appear by the Start or Checkpoint. This will give you a Tanooki outfit and Star Power for the duration of the level.
  
• Hit the top of the Flagpole @ the end of a level, get a 1 Up.
  
• Jump on 5 enemies without hitting the ground (or via Star Power), get a 1 Up. This will continue with more 1 Ups if you continue 6+ on your jumps or star mode.
  
• Levels are 'bite-sized' imo. I saw this with Mario 3 in mind. I'd say they are about half the length of those levels, on average.
  
• World Maps tend to have 5 Levels and the Castle. Each World also has an optional level, unlocked via the Gold Coins you collected from the other levels.
  

 

Per the system time logging, I completed the 1st play through in about 7 hours. Since you collect Gold Coins in each level to proceed into Castles and such, replaying levels works out pretty well.

 

As common with the newer games, you'll find extra levels regularly not accessible. Details in spoiler

Beat the game and you'll get access to Hidden Worlds. Most all the Levels appear to be rehashes of the normal worlds (with environmental changes), as the main world levels retain your Gold Coin count.

 

 

This game also utilizes StreetPass connections. Thus far, I have gotten a few items from Mushroom houses via other people's StreetPass Miis. This is the extent of StreetPass functionality, as of my completing all the main and extra worlds.

 

I look forward to rocking the extras detailed in the spoiler. I should have this ready for :kat: rocking by tomorrow. The level design is awesome and impressive. I feel the quality trumps any concerns about conceived length.

 

I think World 5 is my favorite world, as I recall being Wow'ed when I got there.

Edited January 18, 2012 by Pic0o
Updated post-Special world completion

[Pic0o]

I want to note that the Special Worlds will appease your concerns about ease with the main playthru levels. I've been getting beat up on the later levels and loathe 3-5 Special in ways I didn't think possible. That being said, I can probably crush the crap out of that level now.

 

While the level icons are the same looking, almost all of the levels in Special Worlds are different. There are varied level and time mechanics, along with some extra item / power-ups. Game is badass! DO NOT play it, if you want to avoid getting a 3DS. :ahoy:

[Pic0o]

Special World content completed, but not 100% on all the Star Coins. 23 Hours and 293 Coins on my save file. I have a 3 Star-Save file rating, probably 10 or so coins to get yet in special worlds.

 

If there is any question, you will get tons of playtime from the Special Worlds. This game is awesome. It stays fun from start to end of the main worlds, and continues being fun but adds some challenge in the special realms.

 

A couple level types can get annoying, detailed in the spoiler.

 

Time limited worlds can be tricky and Cosmic (Purple) Mario / Luigi can a bitch on his own. A few levels add the time limit and Cosmic, to put them in a challenge / rage class all their own. :P