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He either needs to be avoided until he goes away, or turned away by force. Periodically, Lapkat’s weather will change for the worse, signalling the appearance of Fury Bowser, a new version of Mario’s old foe stretched to kaiju proportions by the effect of the ooze. And why you’re doing all that reveals Bowser’s Fury’s strangest reference point of all. Together you’re tasked with cleaning an infestation of Sunshine-esque black ooze from Lapkat’s shores and waters – although this time solely with the power of lighthouses - no FLUDD, I’m afraid. can be controlled by a second player, or work as an AI companion that unlocks secrets painted onto walls, picks up items and battles enemies (and comes with an options menu that lets you choose how much he helps). Quite apart from its twinkling seaside aesthetic, you’ll also meet and work alongside Bowser Jr., who clutches his magical paintbrush from Sunshine. If ‘Cat Shines’ sounds familiar, that’s because it’s a reference to the collectibles in the GameCube’s Super Mario Sunshine – and that’s not the only Sunshine touchpoint. Lapkat is split into distinct sections, which can be explored from multiple angles, each offering 5 collectible Cat Shines - earned by completing platforming challenges, beating enemies, or discovering secrets. It’s a picturesque place, although it has to be said that Bowser’s Fury’s more ‘open world’ approach does show the limitations of the older engine – at a distance, areas become smudged and jaggy (it turns out 3D World’s extreme depth of field effects were hiding some flaws). Rather than individual courses, the standalone adventure’s location, Lake Lapkat, is built like one of Super Mario Odyssey’s kingdoms. It’s seemingly built in the same engine as 3D World, and uses its version of Mario (including his abilities and power-ups), but the structure is very different, drawing on multiple games for reference. But even with the worry that it might be over all too soon, Bowser’s Fury already feels like a fascinating new experiment from the restlessly inventive Mario team. Nintendo only offered up a sliver of Bowser’s Fury to play for preview – which, if I’m being cynical, might point to how small a game it could represent (even Nintendo has publicly called it ‘short’, after all). And even if that’s not of interest, there’s always the brand new part of the package to try. If you haven’t played 3D World before, this new version is a marginally better version of an already fantastic game – but even if you have, my short time with it suggests that a fresh playthrough could feel just as impactful as it did the first time around, simply because we’ve had nothing like it since. games’ thoughtful design, gently elevating you from nervous Goomba-stomper into a careening blur of jumps, ground pounds, and sprints over the course of its ever-changing levels. Where Odyssey was a riff on Mario 64’s freedom, 3D World is a modern take on the original Mario Bros. Its fixed camera means it can more regularly play with perspective, point of view, and good old secrets hidden just off of screen, with only an unusually placed block to point the way.Īfter playing so much of Super Mario Odyssey, it's fascinating to re-experience quite how different a game 3D World is by comparison. 3D World is a more machine-tooled experience, with its mostly one-way courses forcing players down gauntlets of increasing challenge, rather than Odyssey’s more freeform improvisation. And Captain Toad levels - which were invented for this game before becoming their own excellent spin-off - now accommodate multiplayer parties, rather than forcing three people to watch the host have fun for a bit.īut, in my time with the first four worlds of the game, those have been the only key changes – and with little new to focus on, it’s more interesting to realise what 3D World did that other Mario games haven’t.Īfter playing so much of Super Mario Odyssey, it’s fascinating to re-experience quite how different a game 3D World is by comparison.
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Online multiplayer is a nice addition, and smoothly integrated, with players simply choosing to create or join a room from the World Map (although, it needs to be pointed out that unfortunately only the host will make game progress in a multiplayer session). For the Switch port, Nintendo explains that movement is slightly faster, and that each of its four playable characters’ abilities have been ever-so-slightly tweaked, but the effects are barely noticeable without direct comparison.