Super Mario 3D World Reviews

A7

A7

Best hit detection you'll ever see.
Sep 11, 2013
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Eurogamer 10/10
Compact by the standards of the Galaxy adventures but still loaded with bountiful secrets, beneath the warm familiarity of 3D World lies one of the strangest Mario games in years - or at least one of the most random in its influences and its moment-to-moment indulgences. And that's a very, very good thing. The Wii U sees Nintendo's mascot racing into venerable middle age by going wonderfully loopy - by dialling up the energy, even if the end result is often absolutely insane. After all these years, who could blame him?
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Destructoid 10/10
There was a moment where I was taking in the beautiful soundtrack, hovering over a tricky jump as cat Peach, and watching the glistening water below where the game really came together. It was then that I realized that Super Mario 3D World had achieved a level of platforming design that's close to perfection, and there was almost never a moment where I didn't have a smile on my face. This is the unequivocally the best Mario game since Galaxy 2, and it shows up anything the "New" series has ever done, and then some.

Good work, Nintendo.
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Nintendo World Report 10/10
Thankfully 3D World isn’t just a refinement of the Mario formula, it’s a powerful re-imagining. It’s an explosive cavalcade of color and excitement as well as a well thought out evolution of Mario. The plot even deviates (although not too wildly) from what you might expect in a Mario game, giving you some silly surprises amidst the parade of unlockable content. This is one Mario game you’ll want to play well after the credits roll and might just be the killer app of the Wii U. Not since Super Mario World have I been so in love with a Mario game.
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Nintendolife 10/10
This is a definitive 3D Mario experience, successfully finding a middle-ground between the iconic Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Galaxy. You may not swing Bowser by his tail or run upside down, but it’s bursting with creativity nonetheless, while delivering on the craft and skill that defines the Tokyo EAD studio. It’s unmissable.
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Darkstation 10/10
Super Mario 3D World is both gorgeous and about as enjoyable as a video game can be. There is an immense amount of depth that kept me coming back for more, time and time again. This is the rare type of game that I believe ten years down the road we will be coming back and playing again and again. It’s that good. For all those worried that the Wii U was going to fall into some dark oblivion, fret not, your savior is here and its Super Mario 3D World one of the best platformers ever made.
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Gamereactor Sweden 10/10

CVG 10/10
It's perhaps best summed up by its soundtrack, where bouncy strings meet gently percussive tropical themes, chiming Christmas bells, jaunty accordions, and energetic shamisen and shakuhachi. While its rare orchestral manoeuvres are among the musical highlights, it's telling that there's little of Galaxy's bombast. As the fervour for next-gen hardware reaches its crescendo, EAD Tokyo has quietly gone about the business of making the best game you'll play this Christmas.

There's no clarion call of trumpets to herald the arrival of Super Mario 3D World. And yet, of all the games released in the next couple of months, it might deserve the biggest fanfare of them all.
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The Guardian 5/5
To some, Super Mario may appear tired: a mascot whom Nintendo trots out every few years to sell another console with repackaged but fundamentally stale ideas. Super Mario 3D World is a fierce rebuttal to the accusation. Mario and his makers once again assert their dominance of spatial navigation games, displaying a rude abundance of ideas to delight, surprise and celebrate innocence and playfulness.
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Digitalspy 5/5
Like 3D Land on the 3DS before it, Super Mario 3D World is a must have for existing owners and enough for anyone on the fence to make the plunge.

Similarly, while it isn't a strong case for the Wii U's unique features, that doesn't make it anything less special. It's platforming perfection, brimming with clever ideas and flawless execution.
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Venturebeat 97/100
When taken as a whole (the single-player refinements, the visuals, the music, and the multiplayer), Super Mario 3D World is my favorite 3D Mario and the best game I’ve played in 2013.
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IGN 9.6/10

Gametrailers. 9.5

Spaziogames 9.5/10

TechnoBuffalo 9.5/10
Personally speaking, there hasn’t been a Mario game like this for me since Super Mario World. I love the Galaxy games, but the SNES entry always got my nod for the best of the best. Super Mario 3D World approaches that level. The lens of nostalgia might keep the older game in higher regards for me, but this Super Mario 3D World is simply fantastic.

It’s one of my new favorites.
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Official Nintendo Magazine 93/100
It's a game that feels totally familiar both in the elements we recognise and in the fact that there's far more beyond them. It seems, after you spend so many years espousing the cult of invention above all things, that becomes a religion in itself. Praise be.
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4Gamers: 92/100
Super Mario 3D World is nothing revolutionary, but a combination of new and interesting elements make it one of the best platformers out nowadays. Graphically, it is mint and the cat outfit will entice you more than you care to admit. Lack of an online multiplayer gets softened with the addition of online ghosts and obviously, the presence of several other friends on your couch.
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Digitalchumps 9.2/10
Super Mario 3D World isn’t Super Mario Galaxy or New Super Mario Bros.; it’s a little bit of both. Under a thick layer of polish and charm, you’ll find yet another top-notch platforming adventure, chocked full of secrets and clever twists and about as challenging as anything Mario has thrown our way thus far. It isn’t groundbreaking or approaching the level of perfection that the Galaxy games did, but if nothing else, it’s a must-have title for Wii U owners, and probably enough to push you over the edge if you’re waiting to buy a system and harbor an appreciation for Nintendo’s platforming contributions.
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Polygon 9/10
Super Mario 3D World doesn't reinvent the Mario formula. But it is in every way its own game, with a bright, joyful aesthetic that's supported by inspired level design and a cast that matters. It gets the balance right between nostalgic touches and clever new twists, and never once let me down with a boring boss or too-familiar retread. In all my years of playing with the Mario gang, I've never been quite so happy to hurl myself into the unknown, and 3D World delivers challenge, surprise and joy in almost every moment.
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Everyeye 9/10

Kotaku - YES
SM3DW is a fantastic game. Just...fun, from beginning to "end". I had a smile on my face almost the entire time. It's packed with charm from front to back, contains some memorable levels and provides seamless multiplayer fun. If you own a Wii U, congratulations, your wait for a truly special game for the system is over.P

It's just a shame that it couldn't do a better job of evangelising the platform for those still on the sidelines. Then again, if somebody can't get excited about one of the best Nintendo games in years, there's no helping them.
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Gamespot 9/10
Sure, co-op play is hardly a game changer, but when so much of 3D World is so successfully built upon a bevy of brilliant ideas, this can be forgiven. Everything that you can see and do within its enchanting levels is so bright, colourful, and full of wonder that it's impossible not to be taken in by its charms. Mario has always had that uncanny ability to cross the boundaries of age and gender, to bring a smile to the face of every player who crosses his path. Super Mario 3D World is no different. This is a dazzlingly inventive game that brings the fun in spades, and will leave you grinning like a loon from start to finish.
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Shacknews 9/10
Super Mario 3D World is a tightly-designed platformer, raucously fun in multiplayer, and a master's class in level design. Don't pass it off as just another Mario game. This one is not to be missed.
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EDGE 9/10
It seems odd that Nintendo should release a Mariohelmed game at all in a year supposedly devoted to his brother, let alone one that should prove to be Wii U’s best game to date. Yet there is more than fraternal rivalry at stake here. In the same month that its platform holder rivals debut their new hardware, Nintendo has issued a timely reminder that it is games that sell systems, while also setting a new visual benchmark for the most treasured series in gaming. This is Mario like you’ve never seen him before, and unlike so many of his next-gen rivals, he nips along at an effortless 60fps. If the true measure of new hardware’s worth is how stark the difference is between it and what came before, then this is the most next-gen game that 2013 has yet produced.
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Metro.co.uk 9/10
If only this had been a launch game instead of New Super Mario Bros. U we can only speculate how the fortunes of the Wii U might have turned out. But it’s demeaning to talk of 3D World merely in terms of how it can help it’s host format. This is a great video game and one of the best to be released all year, no matter what hardware it runs on.
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Joystiq 5/5
Put simply, Super Mario 3D World is stunning. Its world is beautiful, its design is impeccable, and its fun is infectious. I'm running out of superlatives here, so let me finish where I started: Go play it.
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Jeuxvideo 17/20

Gamer.nl 8.5/10

Escapist 4/5
Perhaps most importantly, while you don't necessarily get a plethora of wholly new sights and sounds, you do get a whole lot of game for your money. There are a lot of levels, a lot of ways to play through them, a lot of secrets to uncover, a whole bonus game (the original arcade Mario Bros reconfigured to star dueling Luigis) embedded in the title screen and... well, I won't spoil, but suffice it to say there's actually quite a bit left to see, do and unlock even after you've "beaten" the game.
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Wow those scores. That right there is how it's done. MS and Sony should take notes.
 
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Wii U should pick up a bit of steam in 2014 when some bigger titles drop. It's still struggling though.
 
I think I am gonna go pick this up, I haven't played any kind console in a few months.
 
Shoulda launched with this. I also think they are confusing customers with too many Mario titles.
 
sharkboy1200 said:
How do you mean? Too many Mario games across multiple platforms? Perhaps not enough stuff to make the Wii U stand out from it's predecessor?
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Well as someone who is something of Nintendo fan, I am not sure which games are all new, which games are ports and which ones are in which series - 2D, 3D etc. Especially with titles like NSMB U - is that an HD port or expansion of the Wii game or DS game? I know the games are good and Nintendo likes to ensure their good games sell well, I just feel like it's a bit messy.
 
And after all that Wii U hate look what we have here. An absolute masterpiece of a game. I'm saving for my Xbox One but i might have to spend some money on Super Mario 3D World tomorrow after these reviews confirmed what i already expected.
 
TDbank24 said:
And after all that Wii U hate look what we have here. An absolute masterpiece of a game. I'm saving for my Xbox One but i might have to spend some money on Super Mario 3D World tomorrow after these reviews confirmed what i already expected.
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It's the only next-gen console with a game with this kind of across the board acclaim.
 
Li Tan said:
Well as someone who is something of Nintendo fan, I am not sure which games are all new, which games are ports and which ones are in which series - 2D, 3D etc. Especially with titles like NSMB U - is that an HD port or expansion of the Wii game or DS game? I know the games are good and Nintendo likes to ensure their good games sell well, I just feel like it's a bit messy.
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That's definitely the result of weird titling.
 
That's definitely part of it. I'm not hating and I don't think it's 'milking' when the game is of the caliber of this one. But Nintendo has definitely upped its Mario-themed output at the cost of its non-Mario output in recent years.
 
Li Tan said:
It's the only next-gen console with a game with this kind of across the board acclaim.
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The same could be said for Super Mario Galaxy 2 last gen. It was really the only game of it's kind to get 10's across the board and have critical acclaim. Exclusive wise anyway. Nintendo knows what's up.
 
I totally want a Wii U next year for all that 60 fps action goodness. Mario, Donkey Kong, Bayonetta 2, Wonderful 101, and whatever else is coming out.
 
Li Tan said:
That's definitely part of it. I'm not hating and I don't think it's 'milking' when the game is of the caliber of this one. But Nintendo has definitely upped its Mario-themed output at the cost of its non-Mario output in recent years.
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Yeah, I only see Mario having a bigger role, but I have my fears that it might hurt the Mario brand to some extent. There is such a thing as overexposure and Nintendo seems to release a Mario game yearly, sometimes two withing a year. There's probably been more new Mario games than CoD.
 
I think they have it right with Pokemon, a major release few years and not more than a handful of easily identified spin offs per generation.
Perhaps they could divide them. Luigi headlines the 3D series and Mario heads the 2D.
 
Li Tan said:
I think they have it right with Pokemon, a major release few years and not more than a handful of easily identified spin offs per generation.
Perhaps they could divide them. Luigi headlines the 3D series and Mario heads the 2D.
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I don't see Luigi headlining the 3D series to be honest. It's more likely that it'd be the other way around to be honest. To be fair though, we've seen two Luigi games for both of Nintendo's newest platforms get released. I can easily see Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon getting upgraded for the Wii U as well. Although, at this point, it seems like the 3DS is gonna be Nintendo's biggest moneymaker for the forseeable future. So I imagine that both Mario and Luigi will be seeing lots of handheld time.
 
I thought that too, but the 2D games sell more and are more mainstream. 3D is more for hard core gamers, I figure they would receive Luigi better than the casuals.
But you're right, Luigi already has his own games.
Truth is, I just wish Nintendo would share more of this AAA talent with other IPs, new or just neglected like Kid Icarus.
 
I'll say this much though about this game, if this doesn't sell well, it may very well act as a "writing on the wall" moment for Nintendo. It's gotta be the game to turn things around. I still think Mario Galaxy 3 should've been the one to work on right out of the gate, but either way, if this can do gangbuster numbers during the holidays, it'll give the Wii U some breathing room I think. Personally, I wouldn't be against a Mario Sunshine 2 myself.
 
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