Welcome to Hedgehog Reviews, where I, Thomas, review the latest and greatest Nintendo games, movies and maybe TV shows. The game I picked for my first review is none other than Super Mario 3D World, for the Nintendo Wii U.
The game came out on the 22nd November 2013 in America, and 29th November 2013 in the UK, meaning that us Brits didn't get to play this masterpiece of a game until one week after the Americans. Anyway, where do I start?
| Explore each level with up to three friends. |
Super Mario 3D World is the latest main game in the Super Mario series. The story, of course, isn't exactly as detailed and full of plot twists as a thriller fantasy novel, but, seriously, who actually plays 3D Mario platformers for the story? Mario and his buddies travel to the Sprixie Kingdom, a land full of small colourful fairies. 7 of those fairies are called the Sprixie Princesses, and each one is kidnapped by none other than the evil King Bowser, who -- wait, what? You mean to say Princess Peach hasn't been kidnapped this time?
That's right, for the first time in what may seem like centuries, Princess Peach hasn't been kidnapped in a Mario game, meaning that you get to play as her as well as Mario, not to mention Luigi and Toad too! Each character has their own special ability, apart from Mario, who is equal in all aspects. L
uigi's jump is higher and a little fluttery (á lá Yoshi), Peach can float in mid-air for about a second, and Toad is the fastest character, meaning that each character has their abilities from Super Mario Bros 2 returning. There's even an unlockable character, but there's no way I'm spoiling who it is.
 |
| Just look at that sunset! |
Anyway, let's go to the suits. The Fire Flower, Tanooki Suit and Boomarang Suit all return from previous Mario games, but the newest addition is the Cat Suit. This suit lets you act like a -- well -- cat. But don't worry, it's not as it may sound. You won't be drinking milk out of bowls or using a litter box. Instead, this suit lets you climb up walls and destroy enemies by diving through the air claws first into them, giving the game a bigger sense of freedom and exploration. There are also items you'll come across that you can wear on your head, like the Propeller Block (springs you high in to the sky, allowing you to slowly descend), the Coin Block (gives you heaps of coins if you run), the Ice Shoe (allows you to skate on ice, one of my favourites), the Goomba Head Disguise (which literally lets you dress as a goomba so that other enemies won't recognize you) and the Baseball (this is an item that you hold, and can be thrown at enemies).
The Wii U gamepad also adds to the experience. See a gong while playing the game on your TV? Hit it on the gamepad with your finger for coins and other goodies to rain down! A koopa troopa giving you a hard time? Hold it in place with your thumb! With 3D World, the possibilities are endless, with a new gimmick or way to play in almost every level, and with 8 main worlds and 4 bonus worlds, there's plenty in store.
Like all great games, 3D World has items to collect if you want to 100% the game, meaning that your collectathon urges will not go unsatisfied. Each level has three green stars and a stamp, not to mention a flagpole that you must hit the top of in order to fully complete the game. The green stars are just your typical 'get a certain number of these to move to the next world' items, but stamps are an original addition. The Wii U has an application called Miiverse, a site where you can post typed and handwritten messages about the game you're playing for other Miiverse users to see and 'Yeah!' which is the Miiverse version of 'like' or 'favourite', but obviously the app is a lot more child friendly. Each level's stamp gives a unique and individual picture for you to add to any Miiverse posts you make, and you can even edit them in some ways, making for some fun scenarios.
| Just like Mario Kart, minus the karts! The orange square is a spring pad that lets you jump high. |
Like any good Mario (or Nintendo for that matter) game, the music is extremely catchy, meaning that you can listen to it for hours on end without it getting annoying. One of the game's best themes has got to be the music from a level called Sprawling Savanna, you can listen to it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLb0Z8UMsAU.
(as suggested by a good friend of mine):
This music sets the standard for video game music; music that can repeat for ages without you getting sick of it.
The graphics in the game hold one major theme: shiny. Everything looks as if someone took it out of the game, polished it, and dusted it thoroughly. Everything looks beautiful, and for the first 3D Mario game in HD, Nintendo did a great job. The graphics don't make the game seem very real, which is a good thing, as Mario games aren't supposed to be realistic, but they make the environments looks lush and detailed, almost as if you could jump in and stomp some baddies with Mario.
Obviously, like any brilliant game, it, unfortunately, has a few flaws. The game has no form of online play -- sure, other people's Miis (a Wii U version of an avatar) from around the world can appear in a level, and you can try to race them to the end (it's like racing someone's ghost in a car game), but there is no reward for beating them, and it'd be much more satisfying to be able to race other players live as they are playing that level.
But, even though there are a few small weaknesses, Super Mario 3D World is the best Mario game for a long while. With scores that are mainly 9 or 10 out of 10, this game is unmissable. If you have a Wii U, and don't know what games to get, I definitely recommend this one. And, even if you have no Wii U, it's worth considering getting one for this.
Anyway, I'd like to know what you think of this game (If you have it of course). Good? Bad? Okay? What's positive and negative about it?
But, for now, this is Thomas signing out. In the next edition of Hedgehog Reviews, coming soon, I review... well, I'm not sure yet. I'll think about what's next.
Goodbye for now.
Overall Score: 93%
+ Great soundtrack
+ Great graphics
+ Fun, unique levels
+ Multiplayer makes it awesome to play with others
- Could have much better internet features
