Shameless Gaming Reflection #4: Super Mario 3D Land

(Four posts in a row. I’m on fire!)

The concept here is pretty simple. I want to write a bit about every game I’ve completed (or in the case of Zelda, spent a good deal of time on) during Shameless Gaming Month as a sort of reflection on the experience. I guess they could be considered mini-reviews, only without a silly score tacked on at the end. It’s just a fun way to remember the ups and downs of each game.

My wallet weeps but my heart is happy.

Recently I picked up a 3DS system for a relatively cheap price during the big toy sales. Once I moved past my internal debate on whether I should really be spending money on the system, my thoughts turned to what would be the best choice for my first 3DS game. ‘Zelda!’ cried a few friends, and it was definitely a good idea, but as you may have already read I’m playing Skyward Sword at the moment. So I wanted something different to switch to, and Mario seemed like the obvious choice.

And I’m really glad I picked it up, because Super Mario 3D Land perfectly showcases what a 3DS game should be like.

With the 3D slider all the way up, it was my first real experience with 3D gaming, and it was superb. A lot of levels play with the 3D and depth perception. Falling genuinely feels a bit frightening. You can see the end of the level in the distance, and it looks like a trek to get there. Minor features like looking through binoculars, and moving the 3DS to change your vision, added a lot more to the style of the game than I expected.

Super Mario 3D Land feels like a handheld Super Mario Galaxy, which is a very good thing. The Galaxy games had a lot of great variety to them, and I’m glad it’s returned here. Some of the levels and features are pretty familiar in that regard, such as the red and blue platforms that switch colour every time Mario jumps. But 3D Land has some new offerings too, like platforms that appear and reappear with the rhythm of the music. It’s Mario Galaxy taken to the next level, emphasising the 3D world to an even greater degree than the Wii titles.

As a portable game, the level length is about what you’d want it to be, no more than five minutes at most. While I never actually played it outside the house, it’s definitely something I can see providing a burst of entertainment on a boring public transport ride. I’d complain, then, about the final boss sequence going on for a much longer time than any other level, but I also think that maybe that’s something that should be played at home anyway.

I want to be critical of the game’s real lack of difficulty, but I also understand that it’s probably meant to be that way. If you’re out on public transport or something, you don’t want to be frustrated by restarting the same checkpoint over and over again. But on the other hand, it’s just a little too easy for my tastes. It’s the kind of game that you can speed through very quickly, and it’s pretty easy to stock up on lives. I never hit a game over screen. Is that bragging? I hope not.

Mario’s never really had a strong narrative focus, so I shouldn’t expect anything different here, but it was very disappointing to go from Skyward Sword, where I’ve praised Zelda’s presence and independence as a character, to 3D Land, where Peach feebly yells ‘Marioooo!’ at the end of every zone. I’m always going to be willing to forgive it, because the gameplay is what carries these games, but if they took some initiative and gave Peach qualities other than ‘needs to be rescued’, I’d be really happy.

Mario’s powerups this time around are all pretty interesting, but they mostly get left in the background as Tanooki Mario steals the spotlight. The vast majority of levels seem to be built around that specific powerup, or are at least made significantly easier when using it. And most of the end-level flags are positioned in a way that makes the Tanooki powerup necessary to get the bonus life. As cool as the powerup is, it’s overexposed. I’d prefer to see a bit more of the Boomerang powerup, which emphasised combat more than platforming, just to get that balance a bit better.

When all is said and done I had a great time with Super Mario 3D Land. Although, that makes it sound like my time with the game is over, which it isn’t! A little post-credits scene suggests that there’s still a bit more the game has to offer. Replayability. I love it!