"Play the game."

Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime repeated these words over and over at the start of the company's small, private E3 presentation on the first day of the show. The (relatively) intimate gathering, an invite-only event held in lieu of the company's traditional press conference, was centered entirely on the games that Nintendo will be bringing to its platforms in the next year or so. In fact, the presentation part of the event was so short that Nintendo didn't even bring chairs to its booth.

"It was our decision to minimize the time from when we said 'good morning' and you getting to play the game," Fils-Aime said.

To that end, the company's floor space was devoted almost entirely to Wii U kiosks, each set up to give attendees a taste of the software that the flagging console so badly needs. One of Nintendo's biggest guns was undoubtedly Super Mario 3D World, and we spent around 20 minutes with the latest entry in the company's long-running platformer series.

A quick peek at Super Mario 3D World gameplay footage at E3 on June 11, 2013.

Super Mario 3D World is a sequel of sorts to the 3DS' Super Mario 3D Land. In this case, the "3D" in the title is a bit misleading, since without the 3DS' display, the Wii U game lacks the pop-out 3D effects of its portable predecessor (and a Nintendo rep confirmed that no 3D TV support was planned). However, World retains Land's general style of play—you can move in three dimensions, but the camera is mostly fixed. Depending on the angle at which the camera is positioned, this can make individual levels (and sections of levels) feel quite different from one another.

Five levels were playable on the showroom floor—three "standard" Mario levels, one boss battle, and one level in which you ride a dinosaur down some rapids set to that slide song from Mario 64. All of them feel like all 3D Mario platformers feel: you have to run, jump, stomp, and headbutt your way from the start of the level to the flagpole at the end. As is often the case, World introduces one new gameplay tweak via a power-up: a new golden bell will transform you into a cat that can climb walls for a brief period of time as well as flip to defeat enemies.

Another more significant addition comes in the form of multiplayer co-op in the style of the New Super Mario Bros. Wii and New SMB U 2D games (with all of the fun and frustration that entails). Up to four players can grab a Wii remote (held sideways, as in New Super Mario Bros.) or the Wii U's GamePad to play through levels simultaneously as either Mario, Luigi, Toad, or Peach, and players can bounce on each others' heads and toss each other around to make some of the game's challenges slightly easier.

Each character also has a specific play style, à la Super Mario Bros. 2. Luigi has a higher, slower-falling flutter jump but is slightly more difficult to move, Toad can sprint faster than the other characters, Peach can float through the air for a brief period, and Mario is the consummate all-rounder.

As in the New Super Mario Bros. games, though, the multiplayer mode may prove frustrating for players of different skill levels. The game's camera tends to follow the player who is the furthest ahead in the level, making it difficult for all four players to get through levels at their own individual pace—there is, however, a built-in catch-up mechanism that automatically rescues players who fall too far behind, moving them up to the frontmost player's position.

Players using the Wii remotes are also stuck moving around with the directional pad, which is a little less precise than an analog stick for moving in three dimensions (a Nintendo rep told us that no Nunchuk support was planned). The player with the Wii U gamepad will have a slightly easier time of things—they'll be able to use an analog stick to move, and they'll also be able to use the touchscreen to stun enemies, pick up some coins and items, and reveal hidden blocks (among other things).

If you played and enjoyed Super Mario 3D Land, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, or New Super Mario Bros. Wii U, Super Mario 3D World looks like a successful synthesis of the elements that made those games fun. Fans of precision platforming will show up for the single-player mode; fans of hectic, potentially friendship-ruining multiplayer will stay for the co-op. Super Mario 3D World is slated to ship in December.