Mario is back and better than ever in an adventure that mixes the best of the old and new. Super Mario 3D land is a must own title for the 3DS and takes full advantage of all of the 3DS’s features, making it the one title that fully showcases what the handheld is truly capable of.

Nintendo did an amazing job creating Mario’s latest adventure, mixing the best of Mario’s 2D adventures with the best of his 3D outings in previous games to create an entertaining and enjoyable adventure that fully takes advantage of stereoscopic 3D. Super Mario 3D land is an absolute joy to play from start to finish and is the definitive title the 3DS needs.

Once again, the evil Bowser has kidnapped Princess Peach and it’s up to Mario and friends to save her yet again. This time, a powerful storm hits the Mushroom Kingdom and spreads the magical Tanooki leaves all across the world. You’ll quickly find that Bowser and his minions have taken advantage of the magical leaves and now sport adorable Tanooki tails to prevent Mario’s progress to save the Princess. The game has a simplistic narrative, but who play’s Mario games for the story? The masterful gameplay, memorable levels, and mindless fun Super Mario 3D Land offers makes this the title 3DS owners have been waiting for since the launch of the handheld.

Bowser's kids are back!

Mario’s latest adventure pays homage to a ton of his old adventures and it shows. From the old school Bowser boss battles having you beat him across a bridge to the cosmic Mario levels similar to Super Mario Galaxy; the game has tons of nostalgic value and will immediately take you back to the days of playing his older adventures, with a modern twist. Music boxes and airships from Super Mario Bros 3 make a return, along with the classic Tanooki Suit found all over the game and P wing, which is offered to you if you fail a level 5 or more times. Toss in a bunch of gameplay mechanics from the recent Super Mario Galaxy games and the return of the level ending flagpole and you have a Mario game that just begs to be played by nostalgic players.

Graphically, Super Mario 3D Land makes the best use of the 3DS’s hardware, showcasing the most crisp and beautiful graphics ever seen on the handheld. The game feels like a portable version of Super Mario Galaxy and shows bright and colorful visuals that are synonymous to Mario games. The 3D becomes a necessity this time around, including levels and segments all across the game that gets brutally difficult without the use of the 3D effect. This is the one game that truly showcases how 3D can affect gameplay and it shows. Playing the game without the 3D effect on in some levels plays tricks on you, preventing the player from seeing platforms or objects that are right above or around you. Once you play the game with the 3D effect on, you’ll immediately see the difference in depth of platforms, objects, and enemies that would play visual tricks on you without the use of stereoscopic 3D. This game just begs to be played completely with the 3D effect on and will punish you in later levels without it.

The game also makes clever, if limited, uses of the system’s gyroscope controls, using them in segments where you look through a pair of binoculars in some levels to see what’s ahead of you. You can also use motion controls to precisely aim where Mario gets shot in a cannon and to trigger small animations in pictures that tells you how the princess is doing in between worlds.  There may not be that many uses to the system’s gyroscope controls, but the ones that are included are a nice feature that takes advantage of the system’s features.

Seeing this in 3D will blow your mind away.

There are 8 worlds included in the game, which are relatively easy to beat. You’ll find Toad houses from Super Mario Bros. 3 scattered throughout the worlds that provide power ups when things get rough, along with mystery boxes that provide quick challenges that reward with you with star coins that you’ll need to access some levels.  Don’t think that the game is a complete breeze through the park because the game racks up in the difficulty departments after you finally rescue the princess. The later levels that appear after you beat the game will test your platforming prowess to the point where you’ll need to make sure you have a bunch of 1Ups to ensure victory. The 2nd half of levels that appear after the credits roll play more like levels from Mario’s 3D outings and are significantly harder, making the need to rescue the princess in the first half of the game even more rewarding later on.

The game also includes Streetpass functionality that shares mystery boxes with power ups and challenges to other players you pass by along with your records for the best times in each level, further increasing its replay value. Toss in 3 star coins that are found in every stage and time attacks to improve your completion times in every level and you got yourself a very lengthy game.

Super Mario 3D Land does a wonderful job of marrying 2D and 3D gameplay, bringing the better of two worlds to the forefront of players and providing the best use of stereoscopic 3D to the handheld. The game is insanely fun and addictive and will keep you glued to your screen for a long time. Nintendo’s 3DS began with a rough start without the presence of an original Mario game, but the wait for Mario’s return is over. If you are an owner of a 3DS, you simply must own this game. If you have still been on the fence about picking up the system, Mario’s latest adventure is more than enough a reason to be a proud owner of the stereoscopic handheld. Can someone say handheld game of the year? Mario sure does agree, and I know you will too.

Final Score: 9.5/10