Developer/Publisher: Nintendo Released: November 2013

Played on: Wii U

Nintendo need to rethink their game titling. Super Mario 3D World sounds like a 3D remake of 1990’s SNES classic Super Mario World, when it’s actually a sequel to 3DS game Super Mario 3D Land, which is presented in stereoscopic 3D. Super Mario 3D World is not, it has a 3D perspective, but it’s on the Wii U, but is not New Super Mario Bros U. Confused? Thankfully the game kicks arse, but from now on I shall refer to it colloquially in conversation as “The One With The Catsuit”.

Any seasoned Mario fan playing SM3W for the first time will have the same reaction; “Damn, that’s pretty!” Mario’s first 3D HD foray is a celebration of colour and character detail, all playing out at a super-smooth 60fps frame-rate that never falters. The beautifully detailed environments play host to tightly designed levels, the entire game could serve as a textbook for how to design modern 3D platformers. The variety of level design featured is staggering, and even though seasoned fans will have seen most of it before, you never get stuck in one kind of level long enough to get bored of it. SM3W keeps reinventing itself and there is not a single dud level in the game.

SM3W filters and appropriates everything that has worked in previous Mario platformers, including a host of powerups. New powerups introduced in this game include one which turns Mario into a constantly firing canon, a cherry which clones your character, and the deservedly hyped catsuit. While the entire game is bathed in Nintendo charm and cuteness, the catsuit takes it to a whole new level, allowing our heroes to sprint on all fours, attack enemies with their paws, and climb walls and flags, culminating in a super-cute “meow” at the end of the level. When I struggled in later levels, I came back to an early level, played for the catsuit again, and then returned to my troubled level for catsuit success!

The game allows for 4 players to get together on the couch and power through it with wiimotes, and the multiplayer is far better executed than in the New Super Mario Bros titles – there is just more space to move around in on a 3-dimensional plane. While I enjoyed playing with friends, playing Mario remains a solitary experience for me, meticulously playing each level until I’ve discovered all the stars, stamps and secrets it has to offer. Much like its predecessor, SM3W starts out easy, but after you defeat bowser the game opens up over 30 more levels of increasing difficulty. I’ve still yet to complete the game’s very last level, but still pop in the disc every now and then to have another crack.

Combined with a tremendous soundtrack, it is hard to fault SM3W as a wonderfully crafted modern platformer. But even though everything about the game is top quality, it lacks anything that feels genuinely fresh and exciting, particularly if you’ve played Super Mario 3D Land and are already familiar with the formula of a 2D platformer given depth. SM3W lacks the revolution that was Super Mario 64’s exploration and discovery, or Super Mario Galaxy’s inventive levels and physics. As much as I loved Super Mario 3D World, and it is certainly an essential purchase for anyone with a Wii U, it still leaves me yearning for a new revolutionary Mario game.

If you’re tossing up between this and New Super Mario Bros U, there is no contest – The One With the Catsuit is the unquestionable winner.

Verdict: Another outstanding Mario platformer, brilliant solo or multiplayer, an essential purchase for any Wii U owner. Gorgeous and smooth HD perfection, but lacking the revolutionary elements of the Nintendo 64 and Wii incarnations.

Should Bradley play this: He already has, with me on Christmas day when I got it. We had fun!