Nintendo have been diving into the Wii U’s library to bring over some of the best games from that system over to the Switch, and without exception, they’ve enjoyed incredible success with every single one of those re-releases. Of course, one of the best Wii U games, Super Mario 3D World, hasn’t yet made the jump, but it will soon enough. Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury for the Switch is right around the corner, and it’s looking like it’s going to be more than just a simple re-release. As we wait for the game’s launch, here, we’re going to talk about some of the biggest details you should know about it.
BOWSER’S FURY
The biggest addition in 3D World’s Switch release is, of course, Bowser’s Fury– but what exactly is it? Well, it’s a completely new chunk of content that’s being added on to the game. Mario will travel to the rain-drenched lands of Lake Lapcat for a completely new standalone adventure, where he will be taking on a gigantic Bowser who’s been possessed and corrupted even further by a black goo, turning him into Fury Bowser.
SEPARATE MODE
What’s interesting about Bowser’s Fury is that, as mentioned earlier, it’s completely standalone. It’s not tied to the base 3D World in any way, and is essentially a new mini Mario game that Nintendo have developed. Appropriately enough, it will be a separate mode within the package in and of itself, and players will be able to jump right into it the moment they boot up the game, so any kind of progress in 3D World itself is not necessary.
FREE ROAM
Bowser’s Fury is going to differ from 3D World in several ways- even at its very core. While Super Mario 3D World was a linear experience taking players from one handcrafted level to the next, Bowser’s Fury is a completely free roaming adventure, more similar in style to Super Mario Odyssey. Players will be able to explore and roam around Lake Lapcat freely, and having that mix of free roaming and linear platforming in a single Mario adventure is a truly exciting prospect.
STRUCTURE
So how exactly is Bowser’s Fury going to be structured? Lake Lapcat will have a number of small islands scattered throughout the map. On every island, players will be tasked with collecting 5 Cat Shines each, each of which will be locked behind its own platforming challenge. Once you’ve collected all 5 Cat Shines on an island, you’ll be able to use the Giga Bell to transform into Giga Cat Mario, and take on Fury Bowser in a titanic battle. Defeat Bowser, and you unlock more new islands to head to.
FURY SUN
Another crucial mechanic that’s going to be a persistent presence throughout all of Bowser’s Fury is the Fury Sun, which, interestingly enough, is tied with weather mechanics. As time slowly passes regardless of which island you’ll in, something called the Fury Sun will appear at regular intervals, and with it will come Fury Bowser, who will summon meteors from the sky and attack Mario with giant lasers, forcing players to find cover until the storm passes.
BOWSER JR.
Mario isn’t going to be alone on his adventure in Lake Lapcat. He will be joined by Bowser Jr, who will be teaming up with Mario in order to save his father from the aforementioned black goop’s corruption. Interestingly enough, Bowser Jr will also be playable, with a second player taking control of him when you’re playing two player co-op. Bowser Jr can attack enemies, help out with power ups, and hover over areas where Mario might not be able to traverse.
ONLINE CO-OP
When Super Mario 3D World first came out on the Wii U, it put a lot of emphasis on co-op gameplay, which was quite unusual for a mainline Super Mario entry. That, of course, is very much going to be the case with the Switch release as well. What’s more, while the game only offered local co-op on the Wii U, on the Switch, Super Mario 3D World will also give players the option for online co-op. That said, while online co-op will be available in the base game, Bowser’s Fury will only offer local co-op.
CO-OP IN CAPTAIN TOAD
Co-op is being expanded in other ways as well. The Captain Toad missions in Super Mario 3D World were one of the game’s best elements (to the extent that they went on to spawn an entire separate game of their own), and in the game’s Switch release, these levels are going to have 4 player co-op available as well. It should be interesting to see how that is handled, considering the fact that these levels were strictly solo affairs in the original game.
IMPROVED MOVEMENT
Nintendo is also tweaking some things with the core gameplay of Super Mario 3D World. For instance, they’ve confirmed that characters in the game’s Switch version will move faster and jump higher than in the original game, and even be able to climb higher when using a Super Bell. According to Nintendo, all of this will result in platforming being “little bit snappier.” Additionally, some actions that required the Wii U’s gamepad’s touch screen in the original game can now be done using the Switch’s gyro controls.
PHOTO MODE
Photo Modes have almost become an industry-wide standard in most major game releases these days, and Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury is definitely going to abide by that. Snapshot Mode from Super Mario Odyssey is returning, and will allow players to pause at any moment and take their own pictures with options for filters, camera adjustments, and more. Additionally, the collectible stamps that the original 3D World used for the Wii U’s Miiverse are still going to be in the Switch release, but here, they will be used to customize your images in Snapshot Mode.
FILE SIZE
Nintendo Switch games aren’t typically too hefty in terms of storage requirements, especially when they’re re-releases of older titles, and Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury isn’t going to buck that trend. The game will require all of 2.9 GB of free storage. The original game’s size on the Wii U was 1.7 GB, by comparison, but considering the fact that this package also includes Bowser’s Fury, that gap in storage requirements is easy to understand.
AMIIBO SUPPORT
As you’d expect from a major new Nintedo release, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury will also feature amiibo support. Every single amiibo figure will be compatible, while Nintendo is also releasing two new figures to go along with the game, one for Cat Peach and one for Cat Mario. The former will grant a random power up, while the latter will yield an Invincibility Bell.
RESOLUTION AND FRAME RATE
As you’d expect, 3D World’s jump from the Wii U to the Switch also goes hand-in-hand with some visual bumps. The base game will run at 60 FPS and 1080p when docked, and 60 FPS and 720p when undocked. For comparison’s sake, the game’s resolution on the Wii U was 720p, so if you play the game on Switch in console mode, you’ll see a bump in the resolution.
Things are a bit different with Bowser’s Fury. The resolution will remain at 720p in both handheld and console mode. As far as performance is concerned, in console mode, the frame rate will be 60 FPS, but when played in handheld mode, that will drop down to 30 FPS.
NINTENDO SWITCH – MARIO RED AND BLUE EDITION
Nintendo rarely misses a chance to release special editions for its consoles to go along with major new releases, especially where Mario is concerned. That, combined with the fact that they’re still in the process of celebrating Super Mario’s 35th anniversary, means that it’s not surprising at all to see that they’ll be selling a Nintendo Switch – Mario Red and Blue Edition. While the dock, the Joy-Cons, and the Switch itself will all be read, the Joy-Con grip and and wrist straps will be blue. The package will also include a Mario-themed carrying case and a screen protector. It will launch right alongside the game on February 12, and retail for a price of $299.99.
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