Super Mario 3D Land is the first game I’ve had the pleasure of playing on my very recently bought 2DS XL. It’s great. What I was expecting is pretty much exactly what I got, and given what I was expecting is a great Mario game – I’m happy. I have a few issues, but they’re nothing too major. First is that 3D Land is too easy. Now, after dying a small twenty-five times during the last stage out of the first eight worlds, past me would have taken back that statement (the last level is considerably harder than everything that precedes it). The thing is though, is that as a whole it’s quite easy. It gets harder during its second half where you play through what I believe are called special levels – a whole new set of levels that unlocks when you beat the first half. However, facts are that during the first four worlds the game felt so easy that I often got bored and rushed through levels. I didn’t feel any challenge – not an ounce of it. I’m a mediocre gamer, far from skilled, so picture my surprise when I ended up feeling this way.

My other issue with this game is that it lacks a bit of creativity. In Mario terms I’m actually coming off of the heels of Odyssey. That game’s stage design in retrospect could have been a tad bit more creative but that was made up for by literally everything else. There is no denying the brilliance of its mechanics, alongside Odyssey’s ability to put a smile on my face way too often based off of nothing but its character designs. Odyssey is better than 3D Land. Both games, however, are lacking in creative game design. I wouldn’t call them passionless by any means, but I feel more passion could have been put where it really matters (that area in particular). I wouldn’t say it’s all that lacking though. It’s more predictable than anything. I actually really liked the map design, it just didn’t feel like the developers went the extra step with it that they could have.

3D Land has a pretty typical Mario story. As per a typical Mario story, its story is an in depth look at society nowadays, with our protagonist facing many challenges, challenges that represent the pressures put onto us by expectations.

…Just joking. You fight bowser, he falls in lava, you save the princess, etcetera. It’s very typical, as Mario stories always are. I don’t think I’ve ever actually seen anything resembling complexity in a Mario story, to be fair. It’s not why I, or I presume anyone, plays these games. Why I figure most people play Mario games is the gameplay, and this game’s gameplay is absolutely wonderful. It plays incredibly well. It’s smooth and responsive. I have zero complaints in the controls department. Want to move in a certain way? You’ll pull it off.

Graphics are pretty okay. I mean I wasn’t expecting greatness, we are talking about the 3ds here, but I actually played smash on this console as well and saw a noticeable uptick in graphical quality. Less has to be rendered in smash, keep in mind, but the difference was noticeable all the same. In 3D Land, there is a lack of anti-aliasing to the point where it actually detriments the picture considerably. Still, colors are great and the art style is very, very good. Basically – what you’d expect from a Mario game.

Notice a reoccurring theme? This game is exactly what I expected. I expected a great platformer. I expected somewhat simplistic level design, quirkiness, fantastic gameplay. I expected a really, really fun game that I would love playing through. I got all of these things. Super Mario 3D Land didn’t surpass my expectations, but I had very high expectations to begin with and it definitely met them. All in all? Not a terrible thing. I’m very happy I played this game, and have you not done so I’d recommend you do the same. I don’t think you’ll regret it. Keep in mind this is a Nintendo game. Do YOU like Nintendo games? If so, play this. A simple verdict but it’s very accurate.

This is Nintendo by the numbers. Some people may see this as a bad thing. If its strengths were repetitious, I would agree. Basically, there is innovation here. Quite a bit of it. This game’s innovation is simply limited to the areas Nintendo has innovated in before. It’s innovative, but only within confines. I think that Nintendo games usually do most of what they aim for well. In order to take a safe shot at making a great game, you need to play upon your strengths, which is what Nintendo has been doing for a very long time. They don’t stray here is what I’m saying, at the very least not like they did with something like Metroid Prime.

Overall? I love this game. Great job, Nintendo. Keep up the great work!

8.5/10.