Features:

  • Each character has unique abilities and play styles. For example, Princess Peach glides over gaps, while Luigi has his trademark extra-high jump.
  • The new cat transformation allows players to run on all fours, pounce on enemies, attack in midair, or use their claws to scamper up walls and goal poles.
  • Explore colorful 3D environments filled with obstacles and contraptions like transparent pipes and vertical conveyor belts, which add new puzzle elements.
  • Use the Wii U GamePad Controller's touch screen to search for hidden blocks and freeze enemies in place.
  • No. of Players: Up to 4 players
Great for young kids (and adults too)

Here's a tip for anyone who with young kids who struggle with games. The kids will run out of lives quickly, then they have to wait for the adult to finish the stage. But there's an easy way to get infinite lives, look it up on Youtube. (It's more like 1500 lives actually.) That way the kids can die again and again and keep coming back, makes it much more enjoyable for them. They still get a little frustrated when they die and have to wait a few seconds to respawn, but that just teaches them to get better at playing. There's also a screen at the end of levels showing who got the most points, which has led to much whining, since they almost never win. I just turn the TV off so they can't see the winner, and I use the gamepad to navigate past that screen. One other tip, this game almost requires a joystick, be it gamepad, Pro controller, or nunchuck. You can play with the D-pad, but some parts require moving at an angle which is difficult without a joystick. Even for the adults this is a fantastic game with a lot of challenging levels. You may think you've nearly beaten it, but there are several more worlds after the final boss fight. The gameplay is like a mix between Mario 64 and Super Mario World. Music is fantastic and the levels never stops throwing surprises at you. This game alone made our Wii U a worthwhile purchase.

Super Fantastic Happy Game

From the years 1985-2005, there were six Mario platformers in existence, eight if you count the fantastic Yoshi's Island and the paint job of Doki Doki Panic known to us westerners as Super Mario Bros 2. In the last eight years alone, Nintendo has made an additional eight Mario platformers. Mario games used to be events. Sometimes they were earth shaking, watershed, revolutionary events. That is no longer true. And despite my lifelong love of Mario, I had started to get a little burned out. All of this makes it that much more impressive that this game blew me away as much as it did. Super Mario 3D World is an insane game, filled to the brim with pure joy. I am convinced the development team, Tokyo EAD, is a magic factory. Every idea, and there are lots of ideas, is meant to be fun or amusing. The cat suit, complete with characters meowing and walking around like cats. Plessie the goofy, hard to control dinosaur that you ride in select levels. Multiplying your character seven times over. Playing with your friends. Everything in this game was designed with the mantra, "what is the most fun thing we can possibly do?" And they usually succeed at accomplishing their goal. Even the least of Mario games have superb physics to their game, meaning running and jumping around just feels right, and 3D World is no exception. What really separates the merely good Mario games from the all time classic Mario games is the level design. 3D World has fantastic level design. I think the Mario Galaxy games have the highest of highs when it comes to Mario levels, but they also have some middling levels that are probably actually fun but by comparison they seem to be a drag. 3D World may not hit those highs of Galaxy, but they come close and there is no level that I would consider "middling." It's all Grade A, incredibly varied stuff. Really, there's no other game trying, let alone succeeding, at being this seemingly drug induced brand of pure joy. If you like Mario at all, and why on earth wouldn't you, you should play this game. I know there's been a lot of them recently, but this (and both the Galaxy games) is among the most fun I've had playing video games. Ever. Huzzah for hyperbole!

My husband and I have been playing through this game all summer and we LOVE it. The two player mechanic in this one ...

I'm a PhD student and I bought this as a reward for finishing the semester strong. My husband and I have been playing through this game all summer and we LOVE it. The two player mechanic in this one is the best yet - we have no problems cooperating to get through the levels. It's been entertaining the whole way through, and what I love is that we can sit down and play for ten minutes if we want, or we can play for two hours. It's easily scalable depending on what kind of free time you have available. We are on the last two levels (they're killer) and hoping to finish the game by the end of summer. For two casual gamers (occasional evenings and weekends), this has provided May-August entertainment. It's totally worth it.

Different concept. Same fun.

If you grown with Super Mario World and Mario 64, you will not be dissapointed. As a PS3 owner, this is the first time i feel i had "that" kind of fun i had when i was 8 years old. This is not about graphics nor storyline, this is just a Nintendo-made game. Somebody complains about the difficulty. I could agree but if you collect all the stars and stamps, you can unlock Mushroom and Flower Worlds, which are more challenging and after that, the Crown World. I have played all Mario gmes and this last world is, with no doubt, the most insane thing i have played in my life. Dark Souls was like a walk in the garden. This is not a perfect game, but at the same time, does not deserve only four stars. The only thing i did not like was the camera control on 2 player mode. The music: OH MY GOD! Nintendo is putting a lot on work on this. As a professional musician and composer, i consider this soundtrack one of the best i have heard the last years, along with Mario Kart 8 music. Orchestration is awesome and as always, they have that magic formula that makes you to not get bored after listening to the same tune again and again.

Mario's Back, And He's Beautiful

I’ve had Nintendo’s Wii U console since February, but there haven’t been very many games exclusive for the system that have been worth buying. Perhaps it is for this reason that both the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4, which have been out for less than a month, have both already outsold the Wii U. Now a game has come out, though, that makes the Wii U worth picking up. Super Mario 3D World is Nintendo’s new flagship game for their home console. I don’t think Nintendo has put out a bad Super Mario game in years - Super Mario Galaxy and the New Super Mario Bros games have been fantastic, but Super Mario 3D World is certainly the most beautiful game Mario has ever starred in. The world this game presents is one of perfectly saturated cartoon colors, with fantastic and cohesive art direction, all operating at a smooth 60 frames per second. The game’s soundtrack matches perfectly, alternating between big band jazz and swelling orchestral tracks. Unlike New Super Mario Bros, which was a 2D side-scrolling platform game, Super Mario 3D World is more like Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Galaxy, giving Mario a full 3D range of motion. New to this game, though, are a few power-ups that haven’t yet been seen in a Mario game before. First and most prominent is the bell that turns Mario into a cat. He can swipe his claws at enemies and climb up walls and trees with ease. My favorite new power-up, though, is the double cherry. Pick one up, and your one Mario becomes two. Pick up another and two Marios are now three. You control all of them simultaneously, which is actually a lot easier than it sounds. The game manages to teach you how to do all of this without ever presenting you with a tutorial. Super Mario 3D World is a nearly perfect Mario game. It is hard to believe the attention to detail Nintendo has applied here. This game has moved the Wii U up in my collection from a curiosity to essential, and is the one game every Wii U owner should have.

Great addition to the Mario franchise

Super Mario 3D World is full of exciting levels that are more reminiscent of Mario 64 which was the first 3D Mario game. This game also includes some new power ups that make some fun unique game play. It also has a vast array of levels like the traditional Mario games with multiple worlds/themed areas that offer a lot of variety to the game. Some levels have fun easy to solve puzzles that are required to advance and others have some more advanced puzzles that will take some mastering before you can advance. The game lets you play with up to four players at a time and with my five kids, my wife, and I all loving the franchise we play this one a lot. It has tons of replay value and will take some time for you to beat the game so there is a lot of depth to it as well as some hidden levels that you can get to. Tons of fun for the whole family. 5 Stars

Quite possibly the best Mario game since Mario 64

Quite possibly the best Mario game since Mario 64. This combines the fun and unpredictability of the Mario Galaxy games while integrating smoother controls, more exciting and immersive level designs while also making the controls a LOT more accessible. The Galaxy games felt restrictive and imprecise, that is not at all the case here. When you run, hover, jump or climb in this game, you feel very much in control of all of your movements. A game best enjoyed with 2-3 friends, trying to get the high score in each level can be a fun, friendly competition in every level. And sharing the burden of taking out each level boss is a great bonding experience. Still fun solo too! May be my favorite game of the entire Mario library. Can't recommend it enough.

Super Mario Continues to Please!!!

Another Mario title that lives up to its implicitly high expectations by bringing new gameplay into franchise nearly three decades old. This game is really really fun and is awesome to enjoy with friends or family. I played the entirety of the game with my wife with relatively minor (and expected) screen sharing issues. We found the game to have a good level of difficulty, utilizing the free continues and pity-raccoon power-ups to get over some of the stubborn boards. The one complaint is that it is far too easy to pick up and throw your fellow players. They need to keep this feature in for practical reasons as well as rowdy multiplayer shenanigans, but for much of the game where a few players want to cooperate this can get very annoying. Without going into gory detail, here are a few of the highlights of the game. Some of the new power-ups are fantastic, cat-suit, need I say more? The Japanese stylized boards were very cool visually, musically, and they get props for incorporating the touchpad into gameplay. A favorite of ours was also the Water Dinosaur boards where both players cooperatively steered the giant beast through fun water-slide-like board. The slide boards and the run-for-your-life boards were great ways to mix it up and have fun. Incorporating the Toad mini-boards were also a nice touch to give us a sneak peak at the upcoming launch of Captain Toad! Overall, this is a must have game. Had Nintendo released this when the Wii U first launched, they could have dominated the other platforms.

Another 3D Adventure that's hard to pass up. 1, 2 ,3 ,4? No problem, Mario and friends are here to help!

The Super Mario Series makes another tremendous leap into the world of running and jumping, this time he's got Luigi , Toad, and Peach all at once to accompany him . The games itself has 8 starting worlds packed with new mechanics and wonderful scenery in almost every level, the challenges themselves are varied enough to show even the biggest mario fans some serious love while still being unique in it's own way. Every world contains the perils of risky platforming and strange enemies to defeat and overcome. Each of the characters you use to traverse the levels come equipped with their own skills. Mario is well rounded and has no weaknesses nor major advantages, Luigi is the highest jumper and can leap FAR beyond what any other character can, Toad is the speedster and he accelerates at an amazing pace, and last is Peach who is slow but can hover in the air to reach far ground or avoid obstacles. You Will also encounter new items such as the Cat Bell which will be essential in some levels as it transforms you Into a Cat with power to climb walls and use a scratch attack, the double cherry which will create multiple clones of your character that will all do the exact same action. Even more items await you in the levels ahead , each unique to the situation at hand. Super Mario 3d World is quite a different take on the formula, but doesn't stray too far from what makes Mario, Mario. A best of both worlds in a World that's 3D, this is quite the action packed game for those looking to run, jump, collect, and complete.

No Mario 64, but it's one of the best in the series

I only recently bought this game and have played it a ton since it arrived. The graphics are top notch and the cat-suit is an instant classic. I absolutely love the ability to easily switch between the characters, have other players join and enjoy the full on-screen insanity! There are elements of the game (cherries that duplicate your on-screen character) are going to be other classic elements. I wish that it had the exploratory aspects of Mario 64, but eventually we need to stop comparing new system games to predecessors over 20 years old. Fantastic. I'd recommend this to anyone interested!

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