Super Mario 3D Land was a major success for Nintendo and the 3DS. Re-imagining 2D Mario platforming in a 3D environment and taking as much chances to push the envelope with their handheld hardware turned out to be a good thing in the eyes of gamers. So it shouldn't come as a surprise to hear and see that Nintendo went at it again with a sequel: Super Mario 3D World, this time on the Wii-U. Now with more powerful hardware, the envelope had to be raised again to be even better than its 3DS predecessor. This game not only did that, it blew it out of the water.
Much like all Mario games, it starts with a kidnapping. This time it's not Princess Peach (amazingly) but a bunch of fairy princesses instead by Bowser. Mario must jump into action to save them, yet this time he is not coming alone. Luigi, Toad and even Princess Peach herself (along with a 5th character that needs to be unlocked) tag along. And almost immediately you'll see the differences between 3D Land and 3D World from the first World map. You have more freedom to move around for starters and can collect coins and 1-Ups (small amounts though) before you even enter your first stage. As per usual, collection is key in this game and they come in the form of Green Stars (Super Mario Galaxy 2) required to process through the game if you want 100% and stamps, basically used for bragging rights.
As stated above, Mario, Luigi, Toad, Princess Peach and the secret character both have their basic movesets such as jumps, swimming, dashing, butt stomps, etc. Even the power-ups from 3D Land return along with a brand new one: the Super Bell, turning your character into a cat.......literally. You're more agile in this form and can climb up walls that a regular jump would be impossible to make. And much like the Tanooki Suit, these bells usually appear from everywhere and are the most overpowered items in the game.
If you've ever played Super Mario Bros. 2 (USA) on the NES or the remakes on the SNES or GBA, you've got yourself a basic idea behind the gameplay of Super Mario 3D World. If not, here's the basic 101. Neither of the characters in the game play alike as they each have their own characteristics that give one another an advantage and/or disadvantage over the other. Mario is the all-rounder: decent speed and jumps, recommended for beginners. Luigi plays just like Mario except he's slower and can't stop as quickly as Mario but he jumps much higher than him and unlike in Super Mario Bros. 2 he's much, much easier to control. Toad has the worst jumping ability in the game but he's the quickest of the characters though it takes a while for him to run quickly. As for Peach, she's slower than Luigi but can float for a very short period (much shorter than in Super Mario Bros. 2). It's also to note that some Green Stars and stamps require a specific character to obtain it. Be that as it may, this game also supports FOUR players at a time.....which makes a normal difficult game (by novice standards) much harder when teamwork are key to beating it. Super Mario 3D World is not a difficult game, but the amount of players can sometimes make it that way.
Nintendo took full advantage of the Wii-U's capabilities when it came to online. No there is no online gameplay (which is a good thing), but with online active you can see other Miis appear on the screen displaying their likes and dislikes about certain levels that they came across along the way. Also after beating a level and playing it again, you get to race against Miis that have beaten this stage at a much faster time than you on occasions. Also those stamps from before? They can be used to post messages. Beat a hard level on your first try while grabbing everything? You can do that. Care to share a tip on getting through that one level. You can do that. Learn tips from other players from across the globe among other things as you progress through the eight worlds (12 if you include the Special Worlds) in this game. Speaking of taking full advantage of, the Wii-U's HD capabilities are this. Mario's first showing in a 3D environment with HD and needless to say, it looks gorgeous. From the grassy meadows you run through to the raindrops that fall on the camera, Nintendo definitely went out of their way to make this one of their most gorgeous looking games since Super Mario Galaxy. The soundtracks are mostly original with some remixes from old classics, including Super Mario 64's slider theme and Super Mario Bros. 1's iconic underground theme. Somewhere in Super Mario 3D World is a song that will immediately catch your ears.
FINAL VERDICT
This should've been the game to launch with the Wii-U as opposed to New Super Mario Bros. U. 2D mixed with 3D, four-players at once, more levels to conquer, wonderfully crafted levels, great usage of the Wii-U's hardware and enough stuff to play and obtain everything while bragging about it online. Super Mario 3D World is bigger and much better than Super Mario 3D Land on the 3DS and is a game that no one who owns a Wii-U should miss out on, especially if you have friends to join in the fun.