Jackie Frost
That’s more like it! Alright! Jackie rules!
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- MarioWiki
- MiracleDinner
if @Scuttlebug doesn't like it he doesn't like it but:
Super Mario 3D World
Well, I guess it's customary to do a review afterwards, so here goes. I'm going for the divide and conquer approach which I usually use when judging the main series games - gameplay/levels/presentation. I'm going to try and do an "objective review" but as always, remember that I can't judge anything without at least a little bias.
As a side note I use numbers as follows:
1/10 - terrible
2/10 - very bad
3/10 - moderately bad
4/10 - a little bad
5/10 - mediocre
6/10 - decent
7/10 - good
8/10 - great
9/10 - excellent
10/10 - excellent!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Some people have like 5 being bad or 7 being average but I use like this because 5 is the middle point of 1 to 10.
So first up is the gameplay. This is overall great. The controller selection and character selection are a great addition. The GamePad mechanics were kind of cool but they also felt a bit gimmicky and I was never really motivated to use the GamePad's special abilities outside of levels which required it (especially since the game isn't that hard anyway.) Something about the whole physics didn't really feel as right as in the 3D platformers between SM64 and SMG2 inclusive, such as backflips having to wait and long jumps feeling underpowered. The controls also got a little awkward in some parts, and I'm not a fan of the dedicated dash button thing rather than actually making use of analogue controls etc. Cat suit and double cherry didn't feel perfectly executed either. But overall, it's a fun and unique style, and represents a great execution of the idea of bringing 2D Mario into 3D. Cat suit was creative as much as it was a little awkward, the different abilities made it great too (admittedly they weren't fully balanced), double cherry was fun, clear pipes were good, generally a great execution. Score: 8/10.
Next: level design. Some criticise this for being too linear but actually I think that was sort of intentional. It was great how getting to the flagpole was linear but getting the green stars and the stamp meant going out of your way. Sometimes it was obvious, other times it was not. At first I was skeptical of its difficulty but as I progressed it got decently challenging. Some of the levels were really creative and there was an interesting range of styles from open world like sprawling savanna and revolving around those panels that flip every time you jump. 3D World's level design thus achieved its well-placed aim nearly perfectly, my only real gripe being that it was still a little too linear and easy. Score: 9/10
Presentation: Story was quite disappointing as it had very little content at all. I don't think that's essential given the style of game 3D World was intended to be, but I think a lot of fans would have appreciated it whilst it would not have done any harm. I do credit however, the fact that the Sprixie Princesses got kidnapped instead of Peach, the latter of which takes an active role unlike most Mario games (this is also something I love about Super Paper Mario; I haven't played Super Princess Peach or Super Mario Bros 2). Another thing that I feel was well-executed was
There's no dialogue in the game at all, which I think was a mistake as even in games which are light on story such as SM64 having some dialogue can be beneficial. Then come the graphics. These are divine. Everything feels very well defined, the natural lighting feels amazing, every scene feels crafted to perfection. Admittedly this is my first native Wii U game and I don't have a Switch, so I can't really compare it to others, but on its own I'd definitely call it great. As for the music, well it's quite hard to judge to be honest, but personally it's great too, though not so much as SMG1&2, and a lot of people seem to like the OST as well. Overall the presentation could have been worthy of calling excellent 9/10, but just the sheer lack of story and dialogue means I'm going to have to make it 8/10.The fact that they made World 7 look like it was the final world only to have Bowser come back and capture all the Sprixie Princesses a second time and you find out that there's a whole other world for you to beat before you save them for real.
In conclusion, Super Mario 3D World as a sequel to Super Mario 3D Land strove to fully polish the formula of 2D Mario style brought to 3D. All in all it did this very well. I would say that as a whole it's nothing divine barring its graphics, and it certainly has its flaws, but overall it's still very good and I'd certainly give it a recommendation. Final score: 8/10.