Game review: Super Mario 3D World

Mario is back in top form.

From: Nintendo
For: Wii U

Were it not for Mario, Nintendo would have ceased to exist a long time ago. This is not lost on it, so you know when a new Mario game is released that it's going to verge on gaming Nirvana.

Super Mario 3D World brings everything there is to love about the Mario universe into one highly polished platformer that is guaranteed to appease even the most cynical of Nintendophobes.

Initially criticised for potentially being a direct port of Super Mario 3D Land on the portable, Nintendo said: "So what? You say that like it's a bad thing!" while including everything from that game, adding a whole lot more (hence the "Land" becoming "World") and tightening the whole thing up. Genius.

The storyline is pretty much the same; Bowser is causing trouble and you have to stop him. You can do this alone or with up to four players, just as in the excellent New Super Mario Bros.

Each of the four characters has their strengths - Mario is a solid all-rounder, Luigi jumps high, Toad dashes at high speed and Peach glides through the air. It's perfectly possible to complete the game with one character, but there are a small handful of places where a specific ability comes in handy.

There are also a few new features, like the Double Cherry that clones your character, the Cat Suit that allows you to scurry up walls and scratch enemies and the dreaded Cannon Box.

Simply put, with the exception of Super Mario Galaxy 2, Mario gaming doesn't come any better than this. The wheel hasn't been reinvented here, but it has been superbly oiled, polished and refined. Ian Knott

Review courtesy of Fatso Games Club