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The creativity on display is all tied to Nintendo’s hermetic design philosophy. It manages to strike the perfect balance between being accessible to new players and respectful to veterans of the series. Each level acts as its own standalone gameplay vignettes that will guide you through an evolving central idea. As you play, you will learn to understand, test, experiment, and ultimately master whatever interesting mechanics are on display for that stage.
I was also impressed with the layers of secrets and hidden interactivity that most of the levels contained. The vertical crossing that opens the cat suit was particularly inspired. I used it to climb any wall I could dig into with my claws. Topping it all off are a handful of Captain Toad puzzle missions that have ended up spawning their own spin-off game. As such, the level design in Super Mario 3D World remains among the purest and most dynamic in the series.
Playable characters
The beautifully designed levels are only as good as the characters you can play them with. Thankfully, Super Mario 3D World offers several possible ways to jump, trample and climb these worlds. Mario plays with the same elegance since he first faced Bowser on NES, with an emphasis on precision encoded in his physics and mobility.
Meanwhile, ghost catcher Luigi has an exaggerated jumping height and feels designed to appeal to those who find his big brother’s role a little too safe. Peach’s glide ability will appeal to players who have a habit of overcoming or exceeding their own jumps. And as a result, Toad’s sporadic speed is sure to create some overtime falls in bottomless pits.
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