A new 3D Mario platformer is upon us, and this time it’s taking after the 3DS outing. Super Mario 3D World expands on the foundation of the previous 3D Land game and adds two more characters in the fray, Peach and Toad. Mario is your standard character. Luigi can jump higher than his brother (with the trade-off being low traction). Peach can float for across the air a la Super Mario Bros. 2. And Toad can run faster that any other character. Gameplay can be done on both the TV and on the Gamepad’s screen.
Hit the jump to see gameplay of World 4-2 with James.
During a Nintendo Direct presentation earlier last week, we got so see more Super Mario 3D World gameplay, and a little more on what the Mario crew has to deal with this time (a bit more on that later). Along with the bell power-up that gives our heroes a catsuit, a cherry is introduced that multiplies them into two. Picking up another one during this time adds another copy. We also see Mario donning a Boomerang Bro suit, and the Tanooki Suit from Super Mario 3D Land makes a comeback. Some new carried power-ups are shown off, including one that fires red balls at enemies, disguises you as a Goomba, A baseball and a bomb, and a Piranha Plant pot that eats enemies. The graphics are also looking much prettier than the previous trailers, with lighting similar to Super Mario Galaxy in certain night-time situations.
And finally for the first time in Super Mario 3D World, we see Bowser. In a previous article, I expressed interest on what exactly Bowser has planned this time, and even wondered if he was in this game. Well, that second part is answered as he pops up at the beginning of the trailer. This time he’s taken a fairy hostage, suggesting that this fairy probably has a power that might suit Bowser’s plan to take over the Mushroom Kingdom. Maybe he changed his tactics after realizing taking Peach to lure Mario isn’t working so well? Regardless, he’s back with a new plan, and donning a sweet ride to boot. Just look at that thing! We gotta see more of that car in future installments. Mario Kart 8 perhaps? Please add it to Mario Kart 8 Nintendo.
After one of Nintendo’s Direct Presentations earlier this summer, one of the smaller surprises of the broadcast was Super Mario 3D World‘s revelation of Peach as a playable character. While she’s been playable in other Mario games, like Mario Kart, Mario Golf, Mario Party, and a couple of the RPG games, you don’t really see her taking center stage as a playable character in a straight-up platformer. Her first foray as a playable character started way back in our version of Super Mario Bros. 2. What she lacked in turnip-pulling strength, she made up for in her ability to float. In more recent times, she starred in her own game, Super Princess Peach, which flipped the script and put her in charge of the saving duty.
So now Peach is playable once again in a mainline Mario platformer. Awesome. But what about Bowser? What’s he scheming in all of this? Is he even involved in any of this? Let’s theorize on this a bit.
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