It seems like ever since Super Mario Galaxy, Nintendo has been trying harder and harder to inject 2D Mario sensibilities into their 3D Mario games. The tentatively titled Super Mario 3D appears to be the inevitable result of those efforts: a 3D Mario game built like a 2D Mario game. So how well does it work?

Not too badly, albeit with some sacrifices. The controls are pretty similar to 2D Mario, with the differences being that you can move in 360 degrees via the analog stick, and L and R are relegated for ducking and doing the ground pound. Other than that, Y and B are all you need while X and A mirror those functions. (The first time I played, the rep explained the controls using all four buttons which made the game feel very awkward. Glad I gave it a second chance!)

Four stages were available in the demonstration: A typical grass lands stage, an underground stage, an auto-scrolling airship stage, and a sky stage. Like you would expect from 2D Mario, the stages were relatively compact and linear, had a time limit, were named via numbering (Stage 1-1, Stage 1-2, etc), and all ended with the trademark flagpole, except for the airship stage which ended with a battle with Boom Boom. Although Mario can move around in 3D space, the stages all had a fixed camera angle with a forced quasi-2D perspective, except for the sky stage which had a fixed isometric POV. This seems to result in stages having a sort of “tower” feel since, unless you’re following a 2D plain, you have to keep going level or up when walking away on the Z-plain (otherwise you’d go out of view; the underground stage did have a small bit where you go behind a wall, which was a little disorienting).

Power-ups are also modeled after 2D Mario. They are solely there to make Mario stronger, and aren’t limited to time or to solving puzzles. In the demo, I got to use the trademark Fire Flower and, more astonishingly, the Tanooki Suit. This was a surprise since I’d expected Raccoon Mario; and it might as well have been. I don’t know if it’s from just being a demo build, but Tanooki Mario could only hover and do a tail spin attack. No statue powers and no real flying (which I imagine would be difficult with the fixed POV). The leaf item for the Tanooki Suit was pretty plentiful as well; each stage started with one accessible on the lower screen, implying the ability to store power-ups again like in New Super Mario Bros. It still seemed odd though. What made the Tanooki Suit so amazing in Super Mario Bros. 3 was how unique it was, and moreover how rare it was. The demo made it feel much less special.

There were a couple other issues owing to the 3D control as well. Judging jumps was sometimes a bit trickier, as was lining up with the flagpole at the end of stages, which I missed a couple times (in the sky stage I nearly jumped into the abyss when I missed it). Mario also still plays like 3D Mario, making him slower and more sluggish, though the stages are more or less built to accommodate this. I’m also left to wonder what’s to become of underwater stages, since swimming around in 3D space could be pretty awkward with a fixed camera.

Recalling other small details, each stage featured three collectable star coins, which I imagine will be used for unlockables of sorts. A couple stages also had strangely elongated versions of the question mark blocks and the music note blocks. Hitting the long question blocks could make three coins pop out at once. There were also a handful of new enemies, like Piranha Plants that spit ink at the screen, slow moving bee enemies, and Tanooki style Goombas that sometimes dropped a Tanooki leaf. A good deal of the game’s music was taken directly from Super Mario Galaxy, and I imagine it’s a placeholder.

All said, I am pretty happy to see a 3D Mario game that’s centered around skill and platforming as opposed to puzzles and exploration. But I also have to wonder who this is for. While Super Mario 3D has 2D values, this does not necessarily equate to the kind of action and fun found in 2D Mario. On the other side, fans of 3D Mario who do enjoy the puzzle and exploration elements may be put off by this title as well. Thus, a game seemingly designed to please both 2D and 3D Mario fans may end up pleasing neither.

Despite the above, the game was enjoyable and I do see some potential with it. Still, I can’t help but think that if Nintendo wants to pull in the 2D Mario crowd, they’re better off making more 2D Mario games. Super Mario 3D is aiming at this year’s holiday season for release.

Tags: 3DS, E3 2011, hands-on impressions, Mario, Nintendo, preview, Super Mario 3D

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