Super Mario 3D World

Did You Know?

• A spinoff game, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, was released in November 2014.
• The Wii U version sold 5.89 million units and the Switch version sold 13.47 million units worldwide as of March 2024.
• The game's plot begins with Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Toad watching a fireworks show near Princess Peach's Castle.

Development

Development began shortly after Super Mario 3D Land, led by Nintendo EAD Tokyo with assistance from 1-Up Studio. A staff of 100, including producer Yoshiaki Koizumi, wrote ideas on sticky notes that were collected on studio walls; approved ideas were implemented for testing. Co-director Kenta Motokura noted that many ideas were discarded during development, and the team tested concepts in-game to determine if they were fun. Co-director Kōichi Hayashida stated the game was intended for the New Super Mario Bros. fanbase and as a continuation of Super Mario 3D Land.

Implementing multiplayer was complicated, as the team aimed to perfect the camera for all four players without any feeling left out. Motokura said the game was designed to be highly intuitive and accessible, allowing players to clear courses without reading much text or dealing with difficult controls. Koizumi said the team inserted elements to help players enjoy the sprawling environments. The feline costumery idea came early to implement wall-climbing and an attack mechanic, and to help novice players.

Motokura explained that a cat was a perfect animal for the actions they envisioned. Power-ups were balanced between difficulty and fun, with new uses for classic power-ups like the Fire Flower on clear pipes.

Release

Nintendo first hinted at a new 3D Mario game from the team behind Super Mario Galaxy during a January 2013 Nintendo Direct. The official announcement came at the E3 2013 Nintendo Direct on June 11, 2013, with a planned November 2013 launch. The game hit Japan on November 21, 2013, followed by North America on November 22, Europe on November 29, and Australia on November 30. A Switch port was revealed on September 3, 2020 as part of the Super Mario Bros. 35th Anniversary Nintendo Direct, releasing worldwide on February 12, 2021 alongside Cat Mario and Cat Peach Amiibo.

This version adds online multiplayer, Amiibo support for power-ups, a Snapshot mode for screenshots, and four-player co-op in Captain Toad stages. Characters move faster, and stamps originally for the discontinued Miiverse service now decorate the environment in Snapshot mode. The new Bowser's Fury campaign sees Mario stranded in Lake Lapcat, where he teams up with Bowser Jr. to stop Bowser, transformed by an inky substance into Fury Bowser. This open-world area requires Mario to explore islands for Cat Shines.

A second player can control Bowser Jr., who uses his paintbrush to attack enemies and uncover secrets. Fury Bowser periodically awakens and attacks, altering the islands. Collecting enough Cat Shines unlocks the Giga Bell, turning Mario into Giga Cat Mario to battle Fury Bowser.

Reception

Super Mario 3D World received universal acclaim on the Wii U and generally favorable reviews for the Switch port, according to Metacritic. OpenCritic assessed both versions as mighty, with 96% and 95% critic recommendation respectively. It won Game of the Year awards from Eurogamer, Digital Spy, and MSN UK. Famitsu scored it 38/40.

IGN's Jose Otero gave 9.6/10, praising the visual design's youthful energy, interesting level design risks, maddening later-world challenge, and memorable co-op, but noted the camera becomes a slight obstacle in four-player multiplayer. GameTrailers scored it 9.5, praising gameplay and presentation while criticizing camera issues and odd control choices. Henry Gilbert of GamesRadar gave 4.5/5, praising improved multiplayer and brilliant moments. Luke Plunkett of Kotaku called it a terrific game but not a very good Wii U game, lamenting it did not show off the console's capabilities.

Patrick Klepek of Giant Bomb said the game continues to make the case that it is possible to reinvent a classic repeatedly.