After 28 years of making marvelous Mario platform games, you’d think Nintendo would run out of ideas. But Super Mario 3D World defies such logic and creatively sets itself apart – in good ways – from its outstanding recent predecessors, Super Mario 3D Land and Super Mario Galaxy 2. The characters and levels all showcase an unbridled sense of joy; the soundtrack crisscrosses between trendy jazz and orchestral arrangements of familiar Mario tunes; and even the surprisingly adorable cat suit managed to melt my stone-cold heart. But, most importantly, Super Mario 3D World nails something that the New Super Mario Bros games could not: it gracefully switches back and forth between a fun solo game and great competitive co-op play.

Of course Mario games have seen their share of vibrant hues and stylized art direction, but Super Mario 3D World outdoes the simplistic visuals of New Super Mario Bros. U

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The amount of visual variety genuinely surprised me, but just as importantly, the level designs take interesting risks and aren’t restrained by obligatory grassy-field motifs or other well-traveled Mario stage themes. Much like Super Mario 3D Land, many stages present a unique and clever idea, play with it, and then bow away gracefully before it becomes boring. These levels are even better than in SM3DL, since they have much more entertaining flair and don’t constantly reward you with enough extra lives to render death meaningless. I explored a circus carnival full of tricky platforms, then carefully rode on oversized ants by bouncing on their heads as they crossed over deadly spikes. I rode on the back of a co-op controlled dinosaur named Plessie, and later sped through a charming stage paying homage to Super Mario Kart. I fought quirky new bosses and jumped across platforms on a speeding train. Much like the NES classic Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario 3D World doesn’t rest on its laurels or lean on any form of predictability.

Obviously, Super Mario 3D World isn’t a sequel to the ingenious Super Mario Galaxy 2, but the overall design feels every bit as informed. Traveling through the clear pipes constantly reminded me of propelling through the galaxy between planetoids. The pacing also gave me flashbacks as I reveled in the sheer brilliance of how much energy and gameplay mileage Nintendo has packed into every world. Loading

I should note that Super Mario 3D World shows a little restraint at first, and the initial four overworld areas don’t present much of a challenge for veteran Mario players. Eventually, later stages (and particularly some of the post-game worlds after the eight main ones) provide a maddening reminder that platformers can still offer a stiff challenge, even for us self-proclaimed experts. Expect to hear plenty of those signature falsetto caterwauls as you succumb to the later pitfalls of this adventure.

Played alone it’s amazing, but multiplayer stands as one of Super Mario 3D World’s greatest accomplishments. Unlike the constant frustration of bumping into other players in New Super Mario Bros., here the other three characters (Luigi, Toad, and Peach) aren’t obstacles, but rather competitive buddies all vying for first place at the end of each level – and the privilege of wearing the crown in the next stage. I love how the crown, which is functionally meaningless – paints a bullseye on a leader’s back. In each co-op session I played, we’d all gang up on the leader to keep him from repeating his first-place showing. But a smart player realizes that the key to keeping the coveted crown lies not in wrestling over it with friends, but rather from getting in front of them with another excellent performance. Grabbing Green Stars and hidden Stamps becomes a key strategy in the race to dominate other players, so its best to keep ahead of the pack and make every move count.

The unique character abilities helped each character of Super Mario 3D World stand apart and provided another layer of variety to the experience. Whether using Peach’s float jump or Toad’s extra speed, I found that levels were designed so that I could exploit these traits to find more stars and occasional hidden exits. And in co-op play these abilities set up interesting situations, like when Luigi could reach higher areas quicker than rest of the team. The only catch is that the camera becomes a slight obstacle in four-player multiplayer games. If you’re not travelling as a tight-knit group, someone is bound to get dragged along as a bubble in some sections. When dealing with two or even three players, though, it’s not as big a deal. Loading

In a lot of ways, I’d say co-op with evenly-skilled Mario players is the best way to experience this 15-hour adventure. The flexible level design sets up a lot of laughs in co-op and even catastrophic wipeouts. The ensuing chaos of running through Mario levels cooperatively with my friends set up some of the most genuinely funny and memorable moments of any game I’ve played in years. If you can find one, two, or three friends who can Mario as well as you can, you won’t forget the experience anytime soon.