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There's no denying the Nintendo 3DS has had a difficult run since its launch. Nintendo's biggest games for the system were remakes, albeit of some of their finest titles, for a number of months and many people have been waiting for a standout title to give them reason to buy into the new handheld. Eight months later, standing tall among a barrage of game releases is that very title: Super Mario 3D Land.
Super Mario 3D Land pays homage to classic Super Mario titles: described by Shigeru Miyamoto as a mix between Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario 64, it uses elements from not only those titles, but many other Super Mario games as well. It's also one of the first Nintendo 3DS games in which using the 3D effect can be a great help at times: Miyamoto and the team have snuck in a few optical illusions which are more obvious when 3D is turned on.
Despite being a 3D Mario platformer at heart, the structure of Super Mario 3D Land is more akin to many of Mario's side-scrolling adventures. Courses are generally fairly linear and feature flagpoles as their end points; rather than a simple start-to-finish venture, though, each course includes three Star Medals to collect and these can often be found off the beaten track or in hard-to-reach areas, requiring players to divert their attention for a short while. Even so, none of the game's worlds have any secret courses hidden away, meaning what you see on the world map is exactly what you get. Each world has its own theme, as is the norm in Super Mario titles: the desert courses are our favourites, as they tend to be a lot bigger than the others, giving you a lot more room to look around and discover hidden items.
Each world usually contains four or five courses, a Mystery Box (these can be used to obtain extra Star Medals) or a Toad House, and a boss level at the end. You'll find most of the main courses pose no real threat to your progress, however, as the difficulty only slightly increases in the last few worlds. Admittedly, the game's initial difficulty (or lack thereof) is somewhat of a let-down, though finishing World 8 and beating the main game opens up a very nice surprise: the game also includes eight Secret Worlds, which include far more difficult levels and introduce tougher elements to others such as incredibly strict time limits and the horror that is Cosmic Mario, returning from the Galaxy games. Is this a spoiler? Possibly, but without this incredibly welcome extra, we'd be disappointed with Super Mario 3D Land's overall difficulty level.
Super Mario 3D Land uses a number of classic Super Mario elements throughout, though the star of the show is undoubtedly the Tanooki suit, seen for the first time since its debut in Super Mario Bros. 3. Picking up a Super Leaf turns Mario into Tanooki Mario, allowing him to float in the air for a short time, swipe his tail to knock out enemies and hit other blocks and items as well. Some enemies also have their own Tanooki tails, owing to a large quantity of Super Leaf items being blown across the Mushroom Kingdom as can be seen in the game's opening movie. You'd best be careful around tailed Goombas, Boos and the like as they're bound to take a swipe at you if you come too close.
The Tanooki suit is one of many classic icons returning to Super Mario after a long hiatus: Boom Boom, the fortress keeper from Super Mario Bros. 3, makes a return as the boss of airships; the P-Wing from the same game returns, though this time is tasked with acting as a "Super Guide" item to take the player to the flagpole should they lose too many lives; and Toad Houses, in which Mario can pick up a power-up item, also return. You'll spot many other old enemies and items as well, including the Poison Mushroom later in the game, which, as happy as we are to see it back, we still don't want to touch it.
Super Mario 3D Land doesn't dwell on the past, though, and uses some of the Nintendo 3DS system's new features to its advantage. StreetPass can be used to obtain Mystery Boxes from other Nintendo 3DS owners, whether or not they have Super Mario 3D Land: as long as you StreetPass another 3DS owner, you'll get a new Mystery Box. In-game, you can use the gyroscope whenever you find a pair of binoculars to look around the course, where there'll often be a Toad waiting somewhere to throw you an item; however, binoculars are sadly few and far between, meaning you won't be able to take advantage of this smart feature as much as you might like to. Other functions have also been included rather sneakily: try blowing into the microphone when your screen gets ink spat at it, or try shaking the 3DS when you get a new 3D picture at the start of every new world.
As with almost every new Super Mario title to date, Super Mario 3D Land also has its fair share of power-ups, including the brand new Boomerang Suit, which gives Mario his very own boomerang and a matching suit befitting of any Boomerang brother. This is the only new suit in the game, however, as Super Mario 3D Land does away with many of the newer power-ups and goes back to basics: with the exception of the Super Mushroom, the Fire Flower and the Invincibility Star (you can't have a proper Super Mario game with those missing), all you'll find in terms of power-ups is the Super Leaf and the Boomerang Flower. The Special Worlds also introduce another new power-up akin to the Super Leaf, but we'll leave that for you to find.
Some of the simplest things in Super Mario 3D Land are some of the best things about it as well. In particular, the fact that you won't have to worry about controlling the camera, which itself makes wonderful use of the 3D effect, is a fine example of how camerawork should be done in video games. It also frees up more buttons for you to control Mario: you have the choice of using A or B to jump and X or Y to dash while walking. Moving Mario with the Circle Pad is so easy and he certainly won't go anywhere you don't want him to go as a result.
The game's soundtrack is certainly another of the best things about it: the main theme is Mario through and through, even moreso than the theme of the New Super Mario Bros. games. While Nintendo has kept the music fresh, you won't pass through a course without something sneaking in from past games, like the original underground theme or the classic airship theme from Super Mario Bros. 3. Old themes seem to fit perfectly in new environments, which just goes to show how timeless classic Super Mario themes really are. Even newer music, such as the music played in Super Mario Galaxy's Boo-infested galaxies, play a part in the game, and still they manage to fit in perfectly.
It's taken a little while for the Nintendo 3DS to get going, but Super Mario 3D Land signals the start of a fantastic future for the new system. While the difficulty may remain an issue for some and the world maps leave a little to be desired at times, there's no denying that the gameplay is as fun as ever and will eat away hours of your time. For those of you who have been waiting for a reason to buy a Nintendo 3DS, this is that very reason. You need no other. For those that have already bought a Nintendo 3DS in preparation for this title, you will not be disappointed. Nintendo has delivered what many will consider the system's first must-have title and yet another fantastic game to add to the Super Mario series' fine history.
By the way, Bowser kidnaps Princess Peach and Mario has to save her. Go figure.
