15 Best Linear Games You Need to Play [2023 Edition]

#4. SUPER MARIO 3D WORLD

While a great many Super Mario fans will tell you that the series is at its best when it puts players in sandbox environments, a la Super Mario 64 or Odyssey, there’s also plenty of examples of just how good the series can be when it’s delivering a much more linear and guided brand of platforming. Super Mario 3D World exemplifies that perfectly. Combining stellar and consistently imaginative level design with tight controls and enjoyable mechanics, it makes for what’s easily one of the best platformers ever made.