Super Mario 3D Land is a 2011 platform game created and released by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS. It was made available worldwide in November 2011 as the first Mario game for the system. The game mixes features from classic 2D side-scrolling games and modern 3D games in the Super Mario series. It also adds new ways to play and special items. The main story is similar to earlier games, focusing on Mario’s mission to save Princess Peach, who has been captured by Bowser.
Super Mario 3D Land received praise from critics, who highlighted its creative gameplay and well-designed levels. However, some people had small complaints about the use of 3D effects and the difficulty of the boss battles. As of March 31, 2024, the game sold 12.88 million copies worldwide, making it the seventh most popular game for the 3DS. It was also the first 3DS game to sell more than five million copies. Nintendo made the game available for download through Nintendo eShop in 2012. A follow-up game called Super Mario 3D World was released for the Wii U in November 2013 and for the Nintendo Switch in February 2021.
Gameplay
Super Mario 3D Land is a platform game created by game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He described it as a "3D Mario that plays like a 2D Mario game." This means the game mixes ideas from older side-scrolling games, where levels move in a straight path, with features from newer open-world games, such as moving Mario in three dimensions and performing different actions. Like older Mario games, Mario gets smaller when he takes damage from enemies or hazards. The game has a "Dash" button instead of using a control stick to change speed. If Mario is small and takes damage, he loses a life. Mario can now perform two new moves: a barrel roll, which helps break blocks, and a roll jump, which lets him jump long distances. The goal of each level is to reach the "Goal Pole" at the end within a time limit.
The game includes classic Mario items, such as the Super Mushroom, Fire Flower, and Starman. It also adds new power-ups that give Mario special suits and abilities. One returning item is the Super Leaf, which gives Mario the Tanooki suit. This suit lets Mario float and attack with his tail. A later version of the Tanooki suit allows Mario to turn into a statue when he jumps. Players can save an extra power-up by tapping on an item shown on the touchscreen.
Other items include the Boomerang Flower, which lets Mario throw boomerangs to collect distant items and attack enemies. The Propeller Box helps Mario reach high places. The rare Prize Box gives Mario extra Coins while walking through it. The Invincibility Leaf appears after dying five times in a level and makes Mario invincible with Tanooki Suit abilities. The P-Wing appears after dying ten times and sends Mario directly to the end of the level near the Goal Pole. These items are only available in regular worlds. Each course has three hidden Star Medals needed to unlock new levels. The map screen includes Toad Houses, where players can get items, and Mystery Boxes where Star Medals can be earned. After finishing the game once, special levels are unlocked. Some of these levels have challenges, like a 30-second time limit. Clearing the S1 castle unlocks Luigi as a playable character, who moves slightly differently than Mario.
Super Mario 3D Land uses the Nintendo 3DS’s 3D effect without special glasses, letting players see depth on the screen. While the game does not require the 3D effect, some obstacles or details are easier to see when it is on. The game also lets players use the 3DS gyroscope to control cannons and binoculars. It includes StreetPass functionality, which lets players exchange Mystery Boxes with bonus items. StreetPass also adds another Toad House for collecting items.
Plot
During a storm, a tree with long, branch-like tails called the "Tail Tree" on Princess Peach's castle grounds loses all its leaves. These leaves are later discovered to be special leaves called Super Leaves, which Bowser has taken to give tanooki tails to his helpers, giving them abilities like limited flight. At first, Mario and the Toads do not know about this when they visit the tree the next day. They find a letter from Bowser, learning that he has captured Princess Peach. Mario then sets out to find and save the princess, learning about Bowser's plan to use the stolen Super Leaves. After rescuing her, Mario, the Toads, and Princess Peach return to the Mushroom Kingdom wearing Tanooki Suits, with Mario carrying the princess. Mario's actions help the Tail Tree regrow its leaves. However, a photo falls to the ground, showing Luigi trapped with a Koopa Troopa and Peepa, starting Mario's journey into Special World 1.
After rescuing Luigi, Mario and Luigi begin a quest to complete the other seven Special Worlds. After finishing the Special 8 Castle level, a new letter is found in an open plain far away. Three Toads who helped Mario earlier examine the letter and learn that Bowser has kidnapped Princess Peach again. After Luigi and Mario save her once more, a photo is found showing Princess Peach wearing a Tanooki Suit.
Development
Super Mario 3D Land was created by Nintendo EAD Tokyo, which had previously made Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2. Brownie Brown, another Nintendo company, helped with the game's development. Koichi Hayashida, the director of Super Mario Galaxy 2, led the project. The music was composed by Takeshi Hama, Mahito Yokota, and Asuka Hayazaki. The game took two years to make, starting with a team of two people and growing to 30 members. Shigeru Miyamoto announced the game in November 2010, saying that both a 3D Mario game and a 2D Mario game were being made for the Nintendo 3DS. Miyamoto called the 3D game "completely original" and said it combined elements from Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario 64.
Super Mario 3D Land was designed to connect the styles of 2D and 3D Mario games. It was influenced by Miyamoto’s belief that games should be fun and give players a great experience. A key goal was to create a game that would appeal to fans of both 2D and 3D Mario games. Levels were designed to help players stay on track, guiding Mario toward each level’s goal without making it easy to get lost.
The game was inspired by new technology that allowed developers to add features not possible in earlier Mario games. Satoru Iwata explained that since Mario first appeared in 3D in Super Mario 64 in 1996, it had been hard for players to judge distances in 3D space. The Nintendo 3DS’s autostereoscopy feature helped solve this problem. The development team, which had only worked on consoles before, first tried playing Super Mario Galaxy 2 on a small TV. They found Mario too small to see clearly, so they redesigned the camera and level layouts for the 3DS’s small screen. Some gameplay ideas, like a pro skater suit for Mario, extreme size changes, and replacing Princess Peach’s face with a photo, were not used. The game’s title was chosen to honor the Super Mario Land games on the Game Boy.
The development of Super Mario 3D Land was affected by the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011. The disaster disrupted public transportation, making it hard for staff to commute. The Tokyo office was closed for about a week. Hayashida encouraged his team to communicate more, arranging the office so staff could easily see each other’s work. The team also held group meetings to test the game’s levels. Hayashida said the team hoped the game would bring joy despite the tragedy.
Satoru Iwata introduced the game at the 2011 Game Developer’s Conference, noting the logo had a tail that would be explained at E3 2011. Miyamoto later said, "It’s what you think it is," hinting at the Tanooki Suit, a power-up from Super Mario Bros. 3. While no exact release date was given, Miyamoto hoped to release the game in 2011. The game was shown at Nintendo’s E3 2011 press conference, where a 2011 release date was confirmed, along with the Tanooki Suit. Unlike in Super Mario Bros. 3, the Tanooki Suit allows Mario to glide gently but not fly.
Super Mario 3D Land was first released in Japan on November 3, 2011. It was released in North America on November 13, Europe on November 18, and Australia on November 24. The game was also available on the Nintendo eShop in 2012.
Reception
Super Mario 3D Land received high praise from critics. It had an average score of 90.09% on GameRankings and 90/100 on Metacritic, making it the fifth-highest-rated 3DS title on Metacritic. The game sold over 343,000 copies in its first week in Japan, which helped sell more than 145,000 Nintendo 3DS units. Famitsu gave the game a score of 38/40, highlighting its level design, ease of use for new players, and use of 3D effects. IGN awarded the game a score of 9.5 and an Editor's Choice award, calling it "brilliant and addictive" and stating that "3D gaming has never been fully realized before this." GamesRadar gave the game a score of 9/10, praising its large amount of content but pointing out issues with the run button and some easy difficulty. Game Informer gave it a 9.5/10, saying it met the quality of earlier games and was the best reason to own a 3DS. They also praised the use of the run button and 3D effects but noted a lack of variety in boss battles.
Jeremy Parish of 1UP.com gave a less favorable review, stating that some parts of the game were too easy, noting that "a moderately skilled player is never in danger of running out of lives." However, he praised the game's creative presentation and "clever new twists on familiar elements." Justin Haywald of GamePro gave the game a perfect score, saying Nintendo captured the nostalgic look of the series while keeping technical innovation. He wrote that for every familiar part of the game, there were new abilities and unique platforming sections, though he said the 3D feature was mostly a gimmick.
GameSpot said the game lacked some creative aspects of earlier titles, noting that 3D was mostly optional, though it praised the gameplay as fun and fast-paced. Russ Frushtick of X-Play called it the best 3DS game yet, saying the content was larger than expected and that the game was twice as long as initially thought. The game won the "Best Handheld Game" award at the 2011 Spike Video Game Awards. It also received the "Best Platform Game Award" and the "Nintendo 3DS Game of the Year 2011" from GameTrailers. At the 15th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences awarded it "Handheld Game of the Year."
As of August 2014, the game sold 3.09 million copies in the U.S. In Japan, it sold over 1.66 million copies by August 1, 2012. It was the first 3DS game to sell over five million copies. Worldwide, the game sold 12.89 million copies by March 31, 2024, making it the seventh best-selling game for the 3DS.
The game's release led to criticism from PETA, an animal-rights group. PETA created a browser game titled Mario Kills Tanooki, claiming the "Tanooki suit" power-up promoted the live skinning of animals for fur. PETA faced criticism for the game, which they described as a "tongue-in-cheek, fun way to call attention to a serious issue."