Super Mario 3D Land

Super Mario 3D Land (Japanese: スーパーマリオ ３Ｄランド) is a game in the Super Mario franchise for the Nintendo 3DS. It is closely based on side-scrolling Mario games, but it is a 3D platformer in the vein of games like Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Galaxy. As noted by Reggie Fils-Aime, president and COO of Nintendo of America, at E3 2011, this game marks the first time a 3D Mario platformer has been built from the ground up for a handheld system. The game was created by the same development team that worked on the Super Mario Galaxy games and Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, currently part of Nintendo EAD Tokyo. As it is a new installment in the main Mario series, Super Mario 3D Land follows Super Mario Galaxy 2 in this respect.

The game was released in Japan on November 3, 2011 and in North America on November 13. It will be released in Europe on November 18, and in Australia on November 24.

Story

The leaves flying during the storm.

Mario and the three Toads gazing at the flying letter containing Peach's misfortune.

Outside of Princess Peach's Castle stands the Tail Tree, a Tanooki-tailed tree with Super Leaves on its branches. All of the Mushroom Kingdom is familiar with the tree. One night, a huge storm blows all of the leaves off. The next morning, Princess Peach goes outside to see if the tree is okay, but during her inspection, Bowser once again kidnaps her.

Later on, Mario and three Toads (Red, Yellow, and Blue) go looking for the princess. Eventually, they discover that she is missing and the Super Leaves are gone too. Yellow Toad notices a hovering letter near the tree, and the group of four goes to investigate. Mario grabs and opens the letter, and a picture of Bowser holding Princess Peach with Super Leaves flying in the background pops out. The message shocks the three Toads and Mario, and immediately, Mario and the three Toads run to save Princess Peach.^{[video 2]} Throughout his adventure, Mario receives more letters about Peach's predicament.

Princess Peach's capture.

File:Tanooki Tree SM3DL.jpg

Mario and Peach sitting on the Tanooki-tailed tree in the ending.

Peach ultimately attempts to escape from Bowser and his army, but she is soon recaptured. Mario travels through 8 worlds and defeats Bowser, only to be tricked as Bowser escapes with Peach. Mario eventually finds Bowser's lair, but before they can battle, the floor beneath them breaks and they fall. After being chased through various obstacles, Mario manages to press a switch making the bridge under Bowser collapse, sending Bowser into a pool of lava. At last, Mario and the three Toads find Princess Peach and, using their Tanooki powers, bring Peach back to her castle.

File:Luigi 3DL.JPG

Luigi having been captured by Bowser's minions.

After that, a short cutscene appears with a letter floating down in World 1-1. It appears to be Luigi being kidnapped by Bowser's minions. Mario then sets off to save Luigi. After rescuing him in Special World 1-1, he becomes a playable character.

Gameplay

Mario in World 1-1.

The levels of Super Mario 3D Land are much more linear and compact than the other 3D titles, more along the lines of the sidescrolling games. Levels have a time limit and even feature flagpoles, a staple of the original Super Mario Bros. and the New Super Mario Bros. games, rather than Power Stars, as the level goals. When Mario is defeated, the "Too Bad" banner from every 3D Mario platformer since Super Mario Sunshine is displayed, but a circle covers the screen instead of a Bowser face. To enter pipes, the player must press or . The graphics of the game greatly resemble those of the Super Mario Galaxy games, while the levels show visual similarities to the New Super Mario Bros. titles. Unlike the 2D Mario games, the level themes in a world tend to be more generic like the galaxies of Super Mario Galaxy 2 compared to the world, instead of focusing on a particular setting per world.

Tanooki Mario in World 2-Airship.

While giving examples of how the Nintendo 3DS enhances gameplay, Shigeru Miyamoto has stated that hitting blocks from underneath in 3D Mario games would be easier with stereoscopic 3D. Blocks will be more prevalent in the title, unlike past 3D games, where blocks were more few and far between. Star Medals that have a similar design to the Comet Medals from Super Mario Galaxy 2 will be found in each level, with collecting all three being part of the level's challenge, like in the New Super Mario Bros. games. Clocks can be picked up to give the player more time to complete the level, the latter a mechanic only seen previously in Super Mario Galaxy 2's Speedy Comet missions. Mario himself returns with some of his trademark 3D abilities, such as the Wall Jump, Long Jump, and Ground Pound, and is now capable of performing rolling, which is done by crouching while moving. Because the Long Jump is now performed through a somersault, it includes a front flip during the jump, but is functionally identical. Mario's health system is now based on the side-scrolling titles rather than being a numbered meter: one hit shrinks Mario to a smaller size and removes his cap, while power-ups give him an extra health point. These power-ups include the Super Mushroom, the Fire Flower, the Star, the Boomerang Flower and the Super Leaf, the last of which has not been seen since Super Mario Bros. 3. Notably, the Fire Flower, unlike its previous 3D appearances in Super Mario Galaxy and its sequel, no longer has a time limit imposed on it and is retained until Mario is hit, as in the side-scrolling games. When Mario dies, he respawns in Super Mario form, not his regular Mario form, unlike previous titles. When Mario dies twice in one level, a flying item block appears. The lives counter in Super Mario 3D Land extends beyond 99, unlike in the previous Mario games.

There are at least four returning tracks from Super Mario Galaxy: the Airship theme, the Sweet Sweet Galaxy theme, a remixed version of Ghostly Galaxy's mansion theme and the Cosmic Mario theme . There is also 1 track returning from Super Mario Galaxy 2: the theme used on Bonus Planets.(The Peewee Piranha boss theme was also present during the battle with Boom Boom at the E3 Demo as placeholder music. The track is nowhere to be found in the full game). The "tick-tock" that is heard when a timed Ground Pound Switch in the Super Mario Galaxy series is activated is used for when a P-Switch has been jumped on.

Controls

• : Move.
• : Choose level.
• /: Jump, Wall Jump.
• Hold (/): Slow fall (Tanooki Mario).
• Hold (/)+: Dash
• /: Crouch, enter a Warp Pipe, enter a cannon.
• (/)+: Crawl.
• Hold (/)+(/) or +(/): Roll.
• +(/)+(/): Long Jump.
• (/)+(/): Ground Pound
• Hold (/)+(/): Backwards Somersault
• /: Shoot Fireballs (Fire Mario), attack with tail (Tanooki Mario).
• : Pause menu.
• :Triple Jump (Luigi only)
• (Hold right or left)+:Side Jump

Nintendo eShop Description

Platforming with serious depth! With the 3D visuals of Super Mario 3D Land, players can see exactly where floating ? Blocks and flying Paragoombas are, so that they can jump and stomp with the precision of the pros. Expert gamers will appreciate the way 3D graphics reveal the true challenge of the levels, so that they can focus on nailing the perfect jump or shaving precious seconds off their speed runs, while new players will find that 3D makes platforming simple to grasp and satisfying to master.

Try on Mario's Tanooki Suit, and put some spring in your step! While longtime gamers will delight in using Tanooki Mario's tail-spin attack to sweep enemies off their feet and fluttering through the air to land super-long jumps, a new generation will learn what makes this classic suit a fan favorite. But even seasoned players will be in for a surprise--Mario's enemies may be sporting the familiar Tanooki tail too!

Mario at his very best! Mario returns to his roots in his first 3D platforming adventure designed exclusively for a handheld system. From the frantic race-against-the-clock dash through the Mushroom Kingdom to that final leap to grab the top of the flagpole, this eye-popping addition to the Super Mario series combines everything that makes Mario great from one generation to the next.

Characters

Playable Characters

• Mario
• Luigi

Villains

File:SM3DL Boombooms.jpg

Boom Boom and his female counterpart Pom Pom.

• Bowser
• False Bowsers^{[video 1]}
• Boom Boom
• Pom Pom
• Small Mario version of a Cosmic Clone
• Dry Bowser

Supporting Characters

• Princess Peach
• Toads

Enemies

• Goombas
• Paragoombas
• Tail Goombas
• Grand Tail Goombas
• Golden Tail Goombas
• Goomba Towers
• Piranha Plants
• Venus Fire Traps
• Black Piranha Plants that spit ink on the screen.
• Koopa Troopas
• Hammer Bros.
• Boomerang Bros.
• Dry Bones
• Magikoopa
• Boos
• Big Boos
• Tail Boos
• Bob-ombs
• Tail Bob-ombs
• Bill Blasters
• Flying Bill Blasters
• Bullet Bills
• Tail Bullet Bills
• Chain-Chomps
• Banzai Bills
• Monty Moles
• Mega Moles
• Rocky Wrenches
• Rocky Wrenches that throw Bob-ombs
• Thwomps^{[video 1]}
• Tail Thwomps
• Bloopers
• Cheep-Cheeps
• Porcu-Puffers
• Fuzzies
• Spinies
• Spiky Plants^{[video 2]}
• Moneybags
• Pokeys^{[video 1]}
• Podoboos
• Biddybuds
• Para-Biddybuds
• Tower-shaped enemies (Japanese name Donpyons)
• Enemies that rise from the sand and act like Blarggs
• Magmaarghs
• Spike-shelled enemies with suction cup feet. Their appearance resembles Swaphoppers and they attack like Bramballs
• Spiked blue stone-like enemies (Japanese name ツノヘい, Tsunohei)
• Brick Blocks with angry eyes and tanooki tails (Japanese name ニセブロック, Niseburokku)
• Green spiked point enemies with a long block tail
• Meragon (Japanese name)
• Bee-like enemies (Japanese name ハッチン, Hatchin)
• Purple eels
• Ball 'n' Chains
• Spiked Balls
• Rotating bars made of blue spiked balls
• Blue spiked cubes
• Blue spiked cilinders or prisms that roll
• Firebar
• Grinders

Mario's Transformations

A power-up chart.

• Small Mario
• Mario
• Fire Mario
• Tanooki Mario
• Statue Mario (using a Statue Leaf).
• White Tanooki Mario
• Boomerang Mario
• Invincible Mario

Luigi's Transformations

• Small Luigi
• Luigi
• Fire Luigi
• Boomerang Luigi
• Tanooki Luigi
• Statue Luigi (using a Statue Leaf).

Confirmed Features

Power-Ups

• Super Mushroom
• Super Leaf
• Fire Flower
• Star
• Invincibility Leaf (appears after the player loses 5 lives in a level)
• Boomerang Flower
• Statue Leaf
• P-Wing (appears after the player loses 10 lives in a level)

Other Items

• Question Blocks
• Flying Question Blocks
• Used Blocks
• Brick Blocks
• Coin Blocks
• Donut Lift
• Jump Block
• Propeller Boxes
• Mystery Boxes
• Rectangular Jump Blocks
• White and orange blocks that can warp Mario to other places of the level, effect much similar to Launch Stars'
• Rotating multicolor blocks (red, yellow, green, and cyan)
• Purple blocks with arrows on their sides, which Mario can hit to raise them higher
• Yellow step block that changes camera angle
• Roulette Blocks
• Rectangular Coin Blocks
• Green ! Switches
• Elevators
• Coins
• Star Medals
• 1-Up Mushrooms
• Poison Mushrooms
• Green reproducing panels that resemble Snake Blocks and Flipswitches
• Binoculars
• Flagpoles
• Checkpoint Flags
• Warp Pipes
• Green Shells
• P-Switches
• Cutout-like Goombas, 1-Up Mushrooms and Warp Pipes that slightly resemble those of Handfakes
• Crates
• Green and blue Clocks
• Cannons
• Red Rings
• Red Coins
• Green platforms used for traveling down rails with arrows indicating which direction
• Bouncy orange platforms with yellow dots
• Assist Blocks
• Red and blue platforms that strongly resemble Flip-Swap Platforms, but are instead activated by jumping
• Rainbow Notes activated by a P-Switch
• Rings that give the player five coins when passed
• Stretch Blocks
• Giant red Exclamation Mark Blocks that release Stretch Blocks
• Blocks with Bowser symbols on them that release Goombas
• Rainbow Jump Blocks that often lead to a Coin Heaven
• Flying Roulette Blocks
• Small Rocks that Mario can kick into Warp Pipes and 1-Up Mushrooms pop out.
• Coin Blocks that Mario can go in (like the Propeller Box) and punch out coins from the inside, temporary called hatena boxes.Template:Refneeded

Worlds and Levels

World 1

World 1 of Super Mario 3D Land is a green grassland that features tall mushroom hills and flowers. As this is the start of Mario's adventure, the levels of World 1 are rather basic.

• World 1-1: A grassland level with many colored blocks. This level introduces Cheep-Cheeps, Goombas and the new Tail Goombas.
• World 1-2: An underground area. There is a secret Warp Zone-like area. The stage's music is the Super Mario Galaxy remix of the Super Mario Bros. underground theme.
• World 1-3: A Mountain stage. Template:Conjecturaltext is used to send Mario to a Coin Heaven area.
• World 1-4: A dock-like stage where Mario can use platforms in rails with arrows to choose the direction. The background resembles Jolly Roger Bay. This stage must be unlocked by having 3 Star Coins.
• World 1-Castle: A lava area with firebars and a Meragon where a False Bowser (a Tail Goomba) is fought.

World 2

World 2 is a yellow field with small plants and rectangular hills.

• World 2-1: A plain with stones and a castle-like building.
• World 2-2: An underground castle-like area with poisonous water and reproducing platforms.
• World 2-3: A level that contains giant 8-bit Mario, Peach and a Super Mushroom platforms, similar to Toy Time Galaxy and Mario Squared Galaxy. The final area is based on the design of World 1-1 from the original Super Mario Bros. game. World 2-3's theme is also a remix of the original Super Mario Bros. overworld theme.
• World 2-4: An area with red and blue flipping platforms with boxes that have Goombas coming out of them.
• World 2-Airship: A level with many airships. At the end, Boom Boom is battled. The stage's music is the Super Mario Galaxy remix of the Super Mario Bros. 3 airship theme.

World 3

World 3 is a blue field that contains plenty of trees and grass.

• World 3-1:A desert area with a cannon. Also an overhead view, which contains Pokeys, quicksand, and a Thwomp.
• World 3-2: A water stage with Bloopers and Cheep-Cheeps.
• World 3-3: An area with many Donut Lifts. Walls and platforms are made of yarn, as well cubes in the background.
• World 3-4: A snow area with many tightropes and Fuzzies.
• World 3-5: An area with cookie and white chocolate platforms. In this level Para-Biddybuds are found. This stage must be unlocked by having 15 Star Medals.
• World 3-Airship: An airship level in nighttime with Bob-ombs and Spike Pillars. Boom-Boom is battled here, this time with treadmills moving in opposite directions on the floor.

World 4

World 4 is a pale green world with small to gigantic-sized mushrooms.

• World 4-1: A forest area with many large trees and a giant tree trunk with the same aforementioned Para-Biddybuds.
• World 4-2: An underground level with Stretch Blocks and it has many blocks.
• World 4-3: A Castle-like area with many colorful blocks and the new Brick Block enemy. 30 Star Medals are required to access this level.
• World 4-4: A dark Ghost House with new ghost enemies and a Big Boo.
• World 4-5: A Sky level with Green Panels and the new Bee enemy.
• World 4-Airship:An airship level with Rocky Wrenches and Boomerang Bros., where Pom Pom is first battled.

World 5

World 5 is an orange sunset cliff area with cacti.

• World 5-1: A cliff area with Boomerang Bros. and Tail Thwomps.
• World 5-2: A dungeon-like level with Spinies and lava that is played from an overhead view, as a homage for the 25^th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda series. The jingle that plays when a secret is unveiled in The Legend of Zelda also is heard when Mario lights the torches in a room, which opens a gate that leads to a star coin.
• World 5-3: A Sky level with many moving platforms and blocks with spikes. The new Bramball-like enemy appears here.
• World 5-4: An underground level with Monty Moles, Rocky Wrenches and Mega Moles. Also Warp Pipe cutouts are found here.
• World 5-5: A sky level with platforms made of checkered grass and land. Clouds and Propeller Blocks are found here. In the background, there is a vast body of water with wind turbines.
• World 5-Castle: Another castle level featuring Dry Bones, Lava Geysers, Meragons, Thwomps, Hammer Bros. and Rotating Cylinders where another False Bowser (a Magikoopa) is fought.

World 6

World 6 is a light blue area with many clouds.

• World 6-1: A tropical island area with palm trees and large waterfalls.
• World 6-2: A pyramid ruins with elevators, spikes, and Pokeys.
• World 6-3: A haunted house stage with Boos. Also features a Giant Piano, a block maze, and tightropes leading to stairs with blue timers.
• World 6-4: An area with different colored platforms that alternate themselves whenever Mario jumps. The mechanic is similar to that of the Flip-Swap Galaxy.
• World 6-5: An icy level with many orange jumping blocks.
• World 6-Airship: An airship level featuring Spike Pillars and Rocky Wrenches. Pom Pom is battled here, and the arena's floor is covered in fire on the side of the platforms.

World 7

World 7 is a purple forest with many plants and trees.

• World 7-1: An underwater level with purple eels.
• World 7-2: An underground level with spiked cylinders that move back and forth.
• World 7-3: A forest area with many tightropes and Fuzzies.
• World 7-4: A level inside a clocktower, similar to Tick Tock Clock or Clockwork Ruins Galaxy. There are many metal gears, spinning platforms and glass tunnels.
• World 7-5: A level similar to Puzzle Plank Galaxy. Many Grinders and different Goombas are found.
• World 7-Airship: Airships at night with many moving gears and bolts, Boom Boom and Pom Pom both have to be defeated.

World 8

World 8 is a lava-filled red area with a castle wall in the background.

• World 8-1: A sunset level that features a corridor with Spiked Ball shooters. In another area, Mario can use a "hatena box". In the background, there are many mountains and pipes silhouettes.
• World 8-2: A forest with Fire Shooters and spiked enemies.
• World 8-3: A place with many green rotating platforms, where Rock Wrenches can be found. 80 Star Medals are needed to unlock this level.
• World 8-4: A ghost house with Boos and lots of moving platforms.
• World 8-5: An underground level with flipping platforms. Bullet Bills and Banzai Bills appear in the level.
• World 8-Castle: A castle level in which Bowser is fought. Magmaarghs appear in the level, but are smaller than usual. 90 Star Medals are needed to unlock this level.
• World 8-6: A castle level with rolling platforms and many Magikoopas.
• World 8-Bowser's Castle: Another level that takes place in Bowser's Castle with a creature similar to a Bonecoaster. The final battle with Bowser takes place here. 100 Star Medals are needed to unlock this level.

Special Worlds

Special 1

• S1-1: A replica of World 2-1 but with a sunset background. It has different enemies like Spinies and Statue Leafs and Poison Mushrooms appear in the level.
• S1-2: An underground level the same as World 1-2 but it includes Spinies and blue spiked blocks. Cosmic Mario appears here.
• S1-3: A level that is similar to World 2-3 but it includes enemies and items and and the level takes place at night.
• S1-4: A beach level with Boomerang Bros. and Paragoombas.
• Special World 1-Castle: A clone of World 1-Castle that needs to be unlocked by collecting 110 Star Medals. Dry Bowser is the boss here and when defeated, Luigi is rescued. This level starts with 30 seconds..

Special 2

• S2-1: A stage where the screen is scrolling up. It has Piranha Plants and the music is a remix of the main theme.
• S2-2: A mainly water level where the player is swimming. The clock starts at 30 seconds.
• S2-3: A level with the green platforms with arrows above lava.
• S2-4: A snowy level with many propeller boxes.
• S2-5: A level where it is snowing and there are many green reproducing panels.
• S2-Airship: An Airship with a lot of spikes.

Special 3

• S3-1: A level with platforms that move back and forth.
• S3-2: A level a lot similar to World 4-3, the colorful blocks move faster and the Statue Leaf appears here.
• S3-3: A forest area with many tightropes the time starts at 30 seconds and the player has to get timers so time will not run out.
• S3-4: An dark undeground area with rolling cylinders and Giant Spiked Balls.
• S3-5: A level similar to World 6-4, the blocks beat is slower than normal.
• S3-Airship: A quickly scrolling Airship Level at Nighttime.

Special 4

• S4-1: A level featuring a yellow platform that slowly shrinks while Mario or Luigi fight enemies and dodge obstacles.
• S4-2: A Ghost House level where the player races Cosmic Mario.
• S4-3: A level with a lot of Bullet Bills and some Banzai Bills.
• S4-4: A level with 30 seconds and it mainly goes downhill.
• S4-5: A level with a lot of breaking blocks and is filled with Boos and Dry Bones.
• S4-Airship: An Airship level with many Boomerang Bros. At the end, Boom Boom and Pom Pom are fought seperately.

Special 5

• S5-1: A dark blue area filled with many flipping platforms and boos.
• S5-2: A level where Cosmic Mario is in. This level consists of many Chain Chomps.
• S5-3: A stage with the moving platforms with arrows that dictate which way to go.
• S5-4: An area where it is snowing and there are cookies that Mario or Luigi can walk on.
• S5-5: A Ghost House with lots of Library books.
• S5-Castle: Same level as World 8-6, but the timer starts at 30 seconds, Mario or Luigi needs collect clocks to continue, Dry Bowser is fought at the end of the level.

Special 6

• S6-1: A Nighttime level with Desert music.
• S6-2: A level with bubbles and the time starts at 30 seconds.
• S6-3: A level with many Poisonous Mushrooms and Poisonous Water
• S6-4: A Nighttime level. Cosmic Mario appears here.
• S6-5: A Ghost House with a fog like effect.
• S6-Airship: An Airship Level with many flipping platforms.

Special 7

• S7-1: A snow level where the time starts at 30 seconds.
• S7-2: A level where the player races Cosmic Mario. There are lot of Red, Blue, and Yellow platforms that appear and disappear by the beat of the music.
• S7-3: A level with lots of moving gears.
• S7-4: A level with obstacles that look like Flip Flap platforms and the player jumps to make them turn. Also the player races Cosmic Mario.
• S7-5: An Airship level with many rotating platforms and Poison Mushrooms are in this level.
• S7-Castle: Same as Level 1-Castle but with Cosmic Mario and only 30 seconds.

Special 8

• S8-1: An underground level where Cosmic Mario is raced and there are only 30 seconds.
• S8-2: An area with many spinning platforms and Rocky Wrenches.Template:Refneeded
• S8-3: A lava filled level where the time starts at 30 seconds.Template:Refneeded
• S8-4: Another lava filled level where the time starts at 30 seconds.Template:Refneeded
• S8-5: An Airship level with Cosmic Mario.Template:Refneeded
• S8-Castle: A lava filled level where the time starts at 30 seconds. Dry Bowser is faced at the end.Template:Refneeded
• S8-Template:Conjecturaltext: The last level of the game, that contains many colorful blocks and varied enemies and obstacles. Mario has to fight Boom Boom and Pom Pom at the same time, and there is a short Cosmic Mario part in it. In the final area, the message "THANK YOU!!" is made of green reproducing panels and there are many Toads near the flagpole.. However to unlock this, the player must have 5 stars in his or her profile.
  • Beat every single level with both Mario and Luigi.
  • Collect the Gold Flag on every single level.
  • Collect all of the Star Coins from every level. .

Others

• Toad Houses - They work the same way as in Super Mario Bros. 3, but StreetPass friends can send gifts to the Toad House that contain items.
• Mystery Boxes - Mario can go inside them and they contain various different tasks, such as defeating all the enemies in the box. After completing the tasks Mario will receive Coins, 1-Up Mushrooms, or a Star Medal. Friends via StreetPass can also send the player Mystery Boxes.
• A room with colored blocks that cause an optical illusion, where Mario can train and learn movements. It is accessed by waiting the end of the cutscene of the title screen.

Development

Game screenshots as seen at Game Developers Conference in 2011.

Super Mario 3D Land was first mentioned in an "Iwata Asks" interview with Shigeru Miyamoto in October 2010, where he confirmed that a brand-new Super Mario Bros. game for the Nintendo 3DS was already in development, but had not yet been given a proper title. It was known by its tentative title, Super Mario Bros. at the time. In November 2010, Shigeru Miyamoto announced that both 2D world (side-scrolling) and 3D world Mario games were in the works for the 3DS. Four screenshots were available on March 2 2011, and the game was officially announced during the Game Developers Conference, under the name Super Mario. The logo had a Raccoon Tail on the "O" letter, similar to that of Super Mario Bros. 3's logo, which had Raccoon Mario's tail shadow behind the "3". Available screenshots of Super Mario revealed that the game is a 3D platformer and the game was stated to be developed by Nintendo EAD Tokyo's same team which had previously developed Super Mario Galaxy and its sequel, as shown how a Goomba runs after Small Mario. It even contained features from the 2D Mario side-scrolling games. Satoru Iwata stated that a more official announcement would be shown at E3 2011 on June 7. According to Iwata, "it will be a game that will come with the kind of surprises and fun that only the 3DS can offer."Shigeru Miyamoto has stated that the development took over two years and started with with 2 staff to 30 staff members working on the game.

In a later interview, Shigeru Miyamoto described the title as being a combination of Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario 64, with a little bit of New Super Mario Bros and New Super Mario Bros. Wii. He mentioned there would be an option for a fixed camera system, very similar to the one in Super Mario 64, to demonstrate depth and the 3DS's 3D. He added, however, that it was tough to describe it, before mentioning that not only would the title be shown, but that it would also be playable at E3 2011. Shigeru Miyamoto explained that playing it will give fans a better idea of what it's like. He also commented on the speculation regarding the temporary logo, already confirming that the tail on the end of the logo's "O" was a hint at the return of Super Mario Bros. 3's Tanooki Mario.

The four playable levels demo.

The game was given a full reveal with a trailer at E3 2011 and was playable on the show floor, as previously stated. It was announced that the game was targeted for a release by the end of the year. Attendees were allowed to try the game for themselves in four different levels - a standard plain area, an underground area, a level of switch-activated platforms, reminiscent of a few galaxies from the Super Mario Galaxy titles, and an airship level ending in a fight with Bowser's henchman, Boom Boom. In addition, the E3 2011 trailer was put up for download on the 3DS eShop. By playing the trailer on their 3DS, viewers could see the game in stereoscopic 3D for themselves.

Reception

Since the Japanese release, the game has been reviewed positively by Critics. IGN rated this game a 9.5/10, Euro Gamer 9/10, Joystiq 4.5/5, GamePro 5/5, GameInformer 9.5/10, N-Zone 90/100, Famitsu 38/40, and Edge with 8/10. As of November 13, 2011, gamerankings has an average score of 88.95% out of 21 scores and metacritic with an average score of 89% out of 28 reviews, 27 were positive, 1 was mixed. The game has sold over 300,000 units so far and is causing a great boost in 3DS sales.

Beta Elements

For a list of beta elements, see here.

Staff

Main article: Super Mario 3D Land/Staff

References to Other Games

• Donkey Kong (game): In the final battle with Bowser, Bowser throws barrels at Mario similar to Donkey Kong.
• Super Mario Bros.: Mario's original sprite from this game appears as his world map icon on the touch screen. False Bowsers return with a similar battle style. A remix of the main theme from this game is played in Coin Heavens and in World 2-3. There is a level that contains platforms identical to sprites of Mario, Peach, Luigi and a Super Mushroom from this game.
• Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels: Poison Mushrooms return from this game.
• Super Mario Bros. 3: Tanooki Mario, Jump Blocks and Super Leaves return, as well as Boom Boom's first appearance since this game. A remix of the P-Switch theme from this game plays while outside and inside a Toad House. The backgrounds of some cutscenes between worlds (such as after completing World 2) have mountains and item sprites reminiscent to this game.
• Super Mario World: Some enemies, such as Grinders and Mega Moles, return from this game. The backgrounds of some cutscenes between worlds strongly resemble those of Chocolate Island. The sound heard when Mario exits the level after beating it in this game is present in Super Mario 3D Land after Luigi's letter is seen. Also, in the E3 2011 demo, a Jump Block would make the sound when Yoshi is mounted occasionally.
• Super Mario Galaxy / Super Mario Galaxy 2: A lot of level obstacles return from these games along with some of the levels' music. Also, clones of Small Mario that resemble Cosmic Clones from Super Mario Galaxy 2 appear.

Trivia

• According to Shigeru Miyamoto, the term Land is used in the title of this game to pay homage to past Mario titles, like Super Mario Land and its 2D art style.
• The yellow switch that changes the camera angle from this game has an eye icon. This eye is the same as the one seen when in first-person mode in the Super Mario Galaxy games.
• The game has an area with coins forming the word "3D". This is probably a reference to Super Mario Bros. 3, which has a room with the number 3 made of coins.
• In World 1-2, it is possible to do the "Unlimited 1-Ups Trick" that dates back to Super Mario Bros.
• This is the first Mario platformer game since Super Mario World where Mario can't Triple Jump (released 21 years prior). This is also the first 3D Mario platformer game where he can't perform this move, although Luigi will be able to.
• Super Mario 3D Land is the first installment in the Mario series overall (excluding crossover installments) to be translated to Dutch and Portuguese.
  • Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games is actually the first game with Mario translated to Dutch. However, it's a crossover game and it's translated and published by SEGA. Nintendo also stated on their official news update: "SUPER MARIO 3D LAND™ and Mario Kart 7 include for the first time [in the Mario series] fully Dutch screen texts."

External links

• Official Japanese Website
• Official American Website
• Official European Website
• Official Australian Website
• Super Mario 3DS at Nintendo 3DS blog
• Video showing Super Mario for Nintendo 3DS at GDC2011
• YouTube - What is Super Mario 3DS? (IGN Analysis)
• Super Mario 3DS - E3 2011 Trailer
• Nintendo Network @ E3 2011 - Games