Super Mario 3D All-Stars Review
The Mario franchise has been a staple in gaming since 1985. Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3, and Super Mario World are each fantastic 2D platformers. Up until 1996, the series had only functioned within a 2D environment. After the release of Super Mario 64, the first 3D game in the series, Mario now occupied both 2D and 3D gaming. With the release of Super Mario 3D All-Stars, players can now experience the plumber’s first three 3D titles on the Nintendo Switch.
Super Mario 64
Source: Nintendo
Super Mario 64 is regarded by many to be among the best games of all time. The game pioneered and layed out the groundwork for what 3D platformers should be. When looking at it from a pure evolutionary standpoint, Super Mario 64 most definitely is the masterpiece that many claim it to be. However, within a modern context, the game does suffer from some pitfalls. Its faults are mostly technical and are of course no fault of its 15 developers. After all, they had a seemingly impossible task ahead of them when making the game. Super Mario 64’s biggest offender is its horrendous camera controls. Granted, no one really knew what they were doing with 3D cameras at the time, but the game’s camera ruined a lot of the experience for me. I spent way too much time wrestling with the camera controls which made the platforming a lot more difficult. I’d be lying if I said Super Mario 64 didn’t frustrate me with some of its poorly aged mechanics and design. Mario’s movement, on the other hand, has actually aged quite well. Traversing and exploring each of the game’s open levels while combining different jumps, kicks, and dives felt great. Making the most out of Mario’s diverse move set was definitely the core experience of the game for me. Super Mario 64 is a great game, but it unfortunately hasn’t aged well in some vital areas.
Super Mario Sunshine
Source: Metro
Simply put: Super Mario Sunshine is a weird game. It’s probably the weirdest official Mario game to date, and not for any particularly good reasons. The game starts off with one of many fully voice-acted cutscenes, which came across as really jarring. Super Mario Sunshine’s gameplay also comes across as… off. First off, Mario’s moveset feels a lot less diverse when compared with Super Mario 64. This is to make room for the game’s feature mechanic: FLUDD. This new water jetpack/gun essentially makes up the core experience of the game as the player can use it to help with platforming, as somewhat of a jetpack, as well as in combat, spraying enemies with water to stun them. While FLUDD is fun to use at times, the main problem is that there’s an extreme overreliance on it. Super Mario Sunshine really starts to crumble during sections where Mario doesn’t have FLUDD. His stripped-down moveset and frustratingly imprecise and finicky movement make him a hassle to play as. A main staple in these games is the fact that Mario is fun to control, and Super Mario Sunshine fails to meet that standard. The game also has insane difficulty spikes that come out of nowhere and are ultimately unnecessary. Additionally, as much as I liked the game’s island vacation aesthetic, it felt very limiting from a gameplay perspective, as levels often felt too similar to each other. Not to mention, the game felt like it was over before it really even began. Not only are new mechanics never thrown at the player, but the existing ones are never expanded upon in interesting ways either. Super Mario Sunshine’s experimentation is admirable, but it unfortunately caused it to be one of the weaker entries in the franchise.
Super Mario Galaxy
Source: Nintendo Life
Super Mario Galaxy is pure, unadulterated fun. Each of the game’s levels are made of several unique planetoids which make for countless unique and diverse environments. These are only made more fun by the funky gravity mechanics that constantly introduce fun platforming scenarios. Overall, there’s never a dull moment in Super Mario Galaxy. Although the game no longer features big, open levels to freely explore like its predecessors and instead is more linear and streamlined, each of the levels are so well paced and structured that they’re a joy to play through regardless. Super Mario Galaxy is a non-stop steam of fun and definitely earns the title of a masterpiece.
Verdict
For newcomers who want to experience these games for the first time and for hardcore fans who want to relive childhood memories, Super Mario 3D All-Stars is definitely worth picking up. Although Nintendo should’ve done more in the way of remastering these three games, this is the best official way to play them. Seeing Mario evolve from a blocky plumber, to a hydropack-wielding beach bum, to a spacefaring adventurer is nothing short of astounding.
