

In 3D Mario tradition, your goal is to find hidden shiny things. As long as an area is unlocked, you can wander in and out of it. The core gameplay of 3D World is retained, but the environments are significantly more open to encourage exploration. Whereas Sunshine embraced its water-jetpack gameplay, Bowser's Fury is traditional Mario through and through. is along for the ride, and your goal is to find ways to get rid of goopy messes by collecting Shines. It takes place in a large tropical environment, Bowser Jr. In many ways, Bowser's Fury feels like a sequel to Mario Sunshine but without the FLUDD water pack. Rather than levels of multiple zones, Mario is given a huge map to explore but must collect Cat Shines to open up more of the map. In particular, Bowser's Fury is Super Mario Sunshine by way of an open-world game. Like the main game, it is a mishmash of the 2D and 3D Mario styles but with more of a lean toward the 3D.

If Mario 3D World was an attempt to make the 3D games feel more like the 2D games, Bowser's Fury is the opposite. Getting friends together to play 3D World was tough enough, even without a pandemic. New to 3D World is the addition of online multiplayer, which is a huge boon. This turns most stages into hilarious mixes of working together and trying to kill the jerk with the crown. Your goal is to finish the stage by working together, but there is a very shiny crown that players can compete for. Together, they can go through stages in a mixed cooperative/competitive game. Finishing the game's harder missions allows you to unlock Rosalina from Super Mario Galaxy, who trades speed for jumping height. Players can take control of Mario, Luigi, Peach and Toad, each with their own Super Mario Bros. While the game isn't built entirely around it, it's clear that the worlds are designed with it in mind. Mario 3D World's best feature was four-player multiplayer. Of course, if you rely too much on its powers, you'll be in trouble if you take an unlucky hit. It's incredibly useful and is the go-to suit for much of the game. Joining it are a number of new power-ups, the most significant of which is the Lucky Cat power-up, which turns Mario into his cat form, so he can climb walls, perform dives, and claw at enemies. The traditional mushroom and fire flower are present, as is the Tanuki Suit from Mario 3.

Collect a power-up, and you'll gain a new ability until you take damage. Mario 3D World wholeheartedly embraces the old-school style of Mario power-ups, so there are no health bars. It also gives the stages some genuine replay value as you seek out every secret in the game. The puzzles to reach the stars are often the most enjoyable parts of the game, so they're well worth seeking out. Collecting them is necessary to progress in the game, so you can rush through stages, but it's often worthwhile to stop and see what you can find. There are green stars hidden in stages, and you usually need to complete a challenge or find a secret area to nab those stars. While Mario 3D World is a lot more 2D Mario than 3D Mario, it does feature some exploration. You're always doing something interesting, such as surfing on the Loch Ness Monster, carrying a piranha plant, exploring a level focused on shadows and silhouettes, and playing a level that is Super Mario Kart right down the music. It's difficult to not spoil the clever segments, but 3D World basically goes all-out in being distinctive, creative and cool. The levels start out simple, but before long, there are all kinds of absurd and awesome concepts. What makes Mario 3D World stand out is how insanely creative it is. Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury is a chance to bring one of the best Mario games to a wider audience, and it adds a surprisingly fun bonus mode to boot. Unfortunately, it was a Wii U game and was largely overlooked. Super Mario 3D Land for the 3DS was an attempt at bridging the gap between the two, but the real success story was the Wii U's Super Mario 3D World, which took parts of both to make something new and excellent. to New Super Mario Bros., while the 3D games tend to revolve around collecting items and exploring zones. The 2D games include everything from Super Mario Bros. Since the Nintendo 64, Mario has been divided into two realms: 2D games and 3D games.
