There are games that perfectly embody the intrinsic meaning of fun: actually in recent years we have witnessed a disproportionate birth of different genres, often hybrids developed from something already existing, capable of giving that particular twist to the game of the moment. Yet the great classics are immortal, perhaps due to the magic of nostalgia, or the fact that the origins of something are always of vital importance. For this Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury is today, despite largely born from a product for Wii U, a very valid game and a discovery to make if you have not had the opportunity to try it on the previous Nintendo console. But if only the experience of Super Mario 3D Worldcould leave some fans with a bit of a bitter taste in their mouth, Nintendo has also decided to give us a taste of the future of the brand: we are talking about Bowser’s Fury , a short extra game that takes full advantage of 3D World but proposes a concept that, in some cases, we might consider it even more advanced than Super Mario Odyssey.
A restoration for the modern generation
Starting with Super Mario 3D World , the game mostly offers what already came out years ago on Wii U : we have Mario and friends ready to venture into various game worlds to rescue fairies in danger and defeat Bowser. Obviously the level of cleanliness of the title is at very high levels, thanks to the fact that already at the time it ran well and is now even proposed on a more powerful platform. The changes are not limited only to the filings: the game is in fact faster and more dynamic, thanks to an increased movement value in terms of running and climbing, two aspects that at the time of the release on the previous generation had been criticized by the players. From a technical point of view, the title has a higher resolution than the original, while the rest of the textures are more or less the same, albeit slightly more lively.
The concept of Super Mario 3D World has always been particular: despite being part of a Mario in 3 dimensions (such as 64, Sunshine, Galaxy and Odyssey), it maintains a shape that is almost identical to the original in two dimensions. The experiment, born on 3DS with Super Mario 3D Land, saw precisely a construction of the levels in three dimensions, offering however platform mechanics related to the original games, complete with division of the game into worlds, each with its own levels to explore and complete. Here then is that a side run perhaps requires a change of camera to find one of the secret stars to be discovered in that level, or a mechanic that you may know well on any game dedicated to the mustachioed character now becomes new thanks to the fact that it also takes advantage of depth. of the camera. This hybrid, which however obviously leans more towards the three dimensions than towards the classic, has the ability to make us experience the game in a more manageable way, taking advantage of the fact that each level has a time limit, allowing us to launch ourselves even in small sessions of game.
A taste of the future
So if Super Mario 3D World is the game you buy the package for, Bowser’s Fury will be the one you’ll go crazy for: a mode completely unrelated to the previous story (although it uses the gameplay of 3D World) that offers a new adventure of the mustachioed Nintendo character a very interesting world. We are talking about an island mainly dedicated to cats, where everything – even the classic enemies – has a catlike shape. The whole experience will confront us with a giant Bowser powered by a sort of black slime, and will force us to collaborate with Bowser Jr., a character who will even be playable by a friend of yours (locally). The real novelty of this title, however, concerns the totally open map: if in fact, advancing in the game you can unlock some portions of this, it will not be divided into levels or worlds, but it will be a single open world to explore.
The objective in Bowser’s Fury will be to take the Solegatti , a collectible that will allow the light of the headlights to take out the darkness. They will be 100 and, from time to time, will require the overcoming of time trials, bosses or platform levels arranged in the map as if they were scattered islands in this great lake that can be explored aboard the inevitable Plessie . Everything becomes even more interesting when Bowser, at regular intervals of time, enters the map and completely changes it: Mario’s nemesis will in fact throw fire poles (which will become new platforms), shoot jets of fire (which you will have to try to target to special stones) and above all will try to make your life hell. The timing with whichBowser will return to break you are mostly fixed, but you can vary them using the Amiibo , in what becomes one of the few and useful game dynamics related to the famous Nintendo physical collectibles.
The only flaw of this mode remains the game world itself: thanks to the experiment, some areas are poor in terms of content, and this is reflected in a construction tending to empty compared to the rest of the islands (it does not affect the playability, but anyway the glance remains a little). The game will not give any order in the development of the challenges (although the islands will be unlocked in a certain order) and will come to meet you allowing you to save the various upgrades available up to a maximum of 5 of each type. Mario’s lives will also not be present(the defeat will lead you to lose all the coins) and the game experience will take about ten hours to complete (a little more if you want to take all the sunsets), a short time frame for a Mario title but suitable if we see this Bowser’s Fury in perspective as a taste of the future.
