Super Mario 3D World has a bonus: Bowser's Fury

For the 35th anniversary of Super Mario Bros., Nintendo has launched Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury. It’s an enhanced release with a big bonus.

The core game is a remarkable oddity that came out between the stellar Super Mario Galaxy 2 and the clever Super Mario Odyssey. It’s a title that lets Mario roam in three dimensions but has a camera angle with little wiggle room. It stays mostly fixed to players as they traverse eight worlds trying to rescue the Sprixie Princesses from Bowser’s clutches.

Each timed level has a distinct beginning and end as players venture through obstacles, uncovering secrets such as Green Stars and collectible stamps, which they can add to screenshots in the photo mode. The Green Stars are important because they unlock certain stages. If that weren’t enough, 3D World has warp zones that let players skip levels, though it means they won’t save all the Sprixie Princesses, and that’s reflected in the ending.

Although its chock-full of content, the fixed angle makes jumping and avoiding enemies onerous. It’s tough to judge the distance from a platform when the camera’s fixed and that also makes it hard to stomp on foes. It can be particularly frustrating in narrow spaces.

With that said, 3D World does use the fixed camera in smart ways. In one level, it goes overhead and creates a Zelda-like perspective that helps Mario as he lights braziers so he can find his way through a scenario. In other stages, Nintendo plays with shadows and reflections to hide items and secret passages.

The other part of this Mario double feature is Bowser’s Fury, which comes off as another experimental curiosity. Mario is on an archipelago in Lake Lapcat, and he has to help out Bowser Jr., whose father has turned into an enormous rage monster. Players have to use the power of the Giga Bells to turn the mustachioed hero into an enormous cat with glowing fur reminiscent of Dragon Ball Z’s Goku. He then battles Bowser in a Godzilla-inspired brawl until the boss gets knocked out for a short time.

The notable part about Bowser’s Fury is how it essentially creates the foundation for an open-world Mario game. Instead of levels, players have islands that they travel to and explore. Power-ups are stored and can be accessed at almost any time. Players don’t have to worry about lives but they must be concerned about the number of coins which goes down with each death.

The one issue facing Bowser’s Fury is that it does push the Nintendo Switch to its limits. The game is noticeably worse in the mobile mode while it plays better docked. Players experience slow-downs and other hiccups either way, but it makes this part of the package feel like a rough draft of something bigger.

Whatever the case, it’s a worthwhile experience for Mario fans or those interested in the open-world genre. Bowser’s Fury lays a persuasive case that the franchise should explore this genre because it opens up new opportunities for play. Much like 3D World, Bowser’s Fury pushes the franchise in a new frontier and direction that holds plenty of promise.