Super Mario 3D Land

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Template:Infobox Super Mario 3D Land (Japanese: スーパーマリオ ３Ｄランド) is an upcoming game of the Super Mario franchise for the Nintendo 3DS. It seems to be closely based on side-scrolling Mario games, but it is a 3D platformer in the vein of games like Super Mario 64. 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 is being 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 will be a new installment in the main Mario series, Super Mario 3D Land follows Super Mario Galaxy 2 in this respect. It will be released in November 2011.

Gameplay

Mario about to get a Star in World 2-1.

The levels of Super Mario 3D Land are much more linear and compact than the other 3D titles, more along the lines of the side-scrolling 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 the button. 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.

Tanooki Mario in World 2-5.

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 Coins 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. Checkpoint Flags and green Timers 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 a somersault, 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, 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.

There are at least three returning tracks from Super Mario Galaxy: the Airship theme, the Sweet Sweet Galaxy theme, and the Flipswitch Galaxy theme. There are also at least two tracks returning from Super Mario Galaxy 2: the Peewee Piranha boss theme and the theme used on Bonus Planets. 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 /: Flutter Jump (Tanooki Mario).
• : Crouch, enter a Warp Pipe, enter a cannon.
• +: Crawl.
• +: Somersault.
• ++(/): Long Jump.
• (/)+: Ground Pound
• +(/): Backwards Somersault.
• /: Dash, shoot Fireballs (Fire Mario), attack with tail (Tanooki Mario).
• : Pause menu.

Nintendo eShop Description

Super Mario for Nintendo 3DS is an all new game that combines classic Mario game play and 3D visuals in a truly amazing way. It's the return of the Tanooki Mario! Tanooki Mario has a tail that allows him to hover jump easily from platform to platform or even take out enemies with a quick whip of the tail. Players of all skill levels will enjoy playing the game.

Confirmed Characters

Playable Characters

• Mario

Villains

• Bowser
• False Bowsers^{[video 1]}
• Boom Boom
• Unnamed pink female version of Boom Boom with a yellow ponytail.

Supporting Characters

• Princess Peach
• Toads

Enemies & Obstacles

Mario encountering Koopa Troopas in a forest.

• Piranha Plants
• Goombas
• Paragoombas
• Koopa Troopas
• Dry Bones
• Bob-ombs
• Tanooki-tailed Goombas that resemble Tanoombas
• Golden tanooki-tailed Goombas
• Boos
• Big Boos
• Fuzzies
• Bill Blasters
• Bullet Bills
• Tanooki-tailed Bullet Bills
• Cheep-Cheeps
• Bloopers
• Porcu-Puffers
• Spinies
• Spiky Plant
• Chain Chomps
• Rocky Wrenches
• Thwomps^{[video 1]}
• Pokeys^{[video 1]}
• Unnamed Bee enemies
• Unnamed black Piranha Plants that spit ink to cover the screen
• Goombas that stack on top of each other
• Unnamed purple eels
• Brick Blocks with angry eyes
• Different colored ladybug-like creatures
• Black Venus Fire Traps
• Bill Blasters
• Flying Bill Blasters
• Blue blocks with yellow spikes
• Purple Ball 'n' Chains with yellow spikes
• Blue flamed Rocket Engines
• Spike Pillar
• Yellow Blargg-like creature that emerges from sand
• Unnamed fortress-like monster with black eyes and mouth
• A blue flying creature that looks similar to an Eerie

Mario's Transformations

• Small Mario
• Super Mario
• Fire Mario
• Tanooki Mario
• Invincible Mario

Koizumi has also stated that more retro powerups will be returning.

Confirmed Features

Power-Ups

• Super Mushroom
• Super Leaf
• Fire Flower
• Star

Other Items

• Question Blocks
• Used Blocks
• Brick Blocks
• Coin Blocks
• Donut Lift
• Jump Block
• Propeller Blocks
• Rectangular Jump Block platforms
• Rotating multicolor blocks (red, yellow, green, and cyan)
• Purple teleporting blocks
• Red and yellow blocks which Mario can enter to go to a bonus area with a Coin Block
• Blue blocks with arrows on their sides, similar to Arrow Lifts
• Yellow step block that changes camera angle
• Roulette Blocks
• Winged Roulette Blocks
• Rectangular Question Blocks
• Green ! Switches
• Elevators
• Coins
• Star Coins
• 1-Up Mushrooms
• Green reproducing panels that resemble Snake Blocks and Flipswitches
• Green telescope-like device with a step pad to activate it, possibly to look around the level
• Flagpoles
• Checkpoint Flags
• Warp Pipes
• Green Shells
• P-Switches
• Unnamed cutout-like Goombas that slightly resemble those of Handfakes
• Crates
• Green and blue Timers
• Cannons
• Red Rings
• Red Coins
• Green platforms used for traveling down rails with arrows indicating which direction
• Orange and yellow jump objects.
• P-Winged-like block that can help the player, similar to the Super Guide feature

Confirmed Locations

File:SM3DL 3-2.jpg

Mario swimming in an ocean.

Mario in a land of cookies.

• World 1-1: A grassland level with many colored blocks.
• World 1-2: An underground area, which features a Super Mario Bros. World 1-2 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 cloud stage similar to a Coin Heaven.
• World 2-1: A plain with many stones and grass. This level features a new overworld theme also heard in the trailer for the game and has similarities with the Super Mario Bros. 3 and New Super Mario Bros overworld themes.
• World 2-3: Giant 8-bit platforms, representing Mario and a Super Mushroom from Super Mario Bros., much like Toy Time Galaxy and Mario Squared Galaxy. The last part of the stage is designed after a Super Mario Bros. ground stage.
• World 2-5: 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, and the Boom Boom battle music is Peewee Piranha's theme from Super Mario Galaxy 2.
• World 3-2: A water stage with Bloopers and Cheep-Cheeps.
• World 3-3: A place in the sky with green panels that generate temporary green platforms to navigate through the level. The stage's music is the Super Mario Galaxy remix of the Super Mario Bros. 3 athletic theme, and the music of the bonus area included in the stage is the Super Mario Galaxy 2 Teleporter bonus area theme.
• World 3-5: An area made of cookies with unnamed ladybug enemies.
• World 4-1: A forest area with many large trees and a giant tree trunk with the same aforementioned ladybugs.
• World 6-1: A beach area.
• World 6-3: A haunted house stage with blue Timers and a Big Boo.
• An airship level with Bob-ombs and Spike Pillars.
• A sky level with rotating blocks and a white floating wall.
• A place with many platforms and blocks. Elevators, blue blocks with white arrows on them, and Donut Lifts appear here.
• A ghostly stage with a giant piano.
• A underwater hole with purple eels.
• A dark area with metal gears and Bob-ombs.
• A snowy area with tightropes and Fuzzies.
• A haunted level with giant books.
• A dungeon-like level with Spinies that is played from an overhead view, as a homage for the 25^th Anniversary of The Legend of Zelda.
• A desert area with a cannon that is controlled by the 3DS Gyro Sensor.
• Another stage with an overhead view, which contains Pokeys, quicksand, and a Thwomp. However, this also could be the same stage as the one mentioned before.
• An area where Mario rides a platform down rails.
• A lava area where Bowser is fought.
• A spooky area with a tightrope and a Big Boo.
• A cliff area where Mario jumps down the cliff.
• A desert area with enemies in sand.
• An area designed after an optical illusion with Toads (possibly the Toad Brigade).
• An area which takes place outside a castle with Thwomps, green panels and Goombas.
• A cloudy area with square-shaped cloud that resembles those made by Cloud Mario.

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."

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 demo levels that were playable at E3 2011.

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 effects for themselves.

Trivia

• According to Shigeru Miyamoto, the term Land is carried over the title to pay a bit homage to past Mario titles, like Super Mario Land and its 2D art style. Template:Refneeded
• In World 1-2, it is possible to do the "Unlimited 1-Ups Trick" that dates back to Super Mario Bros.
• 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.

External links

• Official Japanese 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