Super Mario 3D World Reviews

Super Mario 3D World is ranked in the 100th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
10 / 10
Nov 18, 2013

Beneath the warm familiarity of 3D World lies one of the strangest Mario games in years - and that's wonderful news.

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Nov 19, 2013

Nintendo has knocked it out of the park once again, making its latest platformer a must play.

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10 / 10.0
Nov 18, 2013

There was a moment where I was taking in the beautiful soundtrack, hovering over a tricky jump as cat Peach, and watching the glistening water below where the game really came together. It was then that I realized that Super Mario 3D World had achieved a level of platforming design that's close to perfection, and there was almost never a moment where I didn't have a smile on my face. This is the unequivocally the best Mario game since Galaxy 2, and it shows up anything the "New" series has ever done, and then some. Good work, Nintendo.

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10 / 10.0
Nov 18, 2013

Next up for this treatment: Zelda, right?

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10 / 10
Nov 18, 2013

This is a definitive 3D Mario experience, successfully finding a middle-ground between the iconic Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Galaxy. You may not swing Bowser by his tail or run upside down, but it's bursting with creativity nonetheless, while delivering on the craft and skill that defines the Tokyo EAD studio. It's unmissable.

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Nov 20, 2013

The famous plumber's latest outing on Wii U is the most fun you'll have with a platform game this year.

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Nov 18, 2013

To some, Super Mario may appear tired: a mascot whom Nintendo trots out every few years to sell another console with repackaged but fundamentally stale ideas. Super Mario 3D World is a fierce rebuttal to the accusation. Mario and his makers once again assert their dominance of spatial navigation games, displaying a rude abundance of ideas to delight, surprise and celebrate innocence and playfulness.

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Ken McKown
Top Critic
10 / 10.0
Nov 19, 2013

Super Mario 3D World justifies a Wii U. It is rare these days that there is one game to make a console worthy of purchase, but I cannot express how much pure fun I had with this title. If you own a Wii U it is a no-brainer, you should own this game. If you don't own one, but have considered buying one, this is the game that makes it all worthwhile.

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Nov 18, 2013

Like 3D Land on the 3DS before it, Super Mario 3D World is a must have for existing owners and enough for anyone on the fence to make the plunge. Similarly, while it isn't a strong case for the Wii U's unique features, that doesn't make it anything less special. It's platforming perfection, brimming with clever ideas and flawless execution.

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10 / 10.0
Dec 1, 2013

The launch of a three-dimensional Mario platformer on a console always carries huge expectations with it.  Ever since Super Mario 64 redefined 3D gaming and single-handedly sold countless people on the Nintendo 64, each 3D Mario game is expected to somehow match its impact.  Well, that's physically impossible — literally, we'd have to make a 4D game to recreate it — and we need to accept that.

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5 / 5.0
Nov 19, 2013

I thoroughly enjoyed playing solo as well as with my wife and son, and I'd say this is a must-get game if you've got a Wii U — and, quite possibly, a reason to think about getting one if you don't, even amid the frenzy of other next-gen consoles breaking into the market.

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5 / 5.0
Dec 7, 2013

Super Mario 3D World is one of the best Super Mario games (even better than Galaxy 2) to date and not only modernises the franchise but pays homage to what came before. It's fun, it's fast and it's the best multiplayer experience on the Wii U. I thoroughly enjoyed this game from start to finish and I will be returning again.

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5 / 5.0
Nov 18, 2013

Super Mario 3D World is the closest we will ever come to a perfect Mario game, one that is a culmination of every right decision ever made in the series. Alone, or with friends, the first time, or the tenth time, it does everything right. It's a wonderful adventure, and makes me proud to be a Wii U owner.

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10 / 10.0
Jan 14, 2014

A mastery of games design, Super Mario 3D World shows that Nintendo are still on top of their game. Blending the old and the new into platforming gold, this is everything we could've wanted and more. The reason to own a Wii U has arrived.

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Cubed3
Top Critic
10 / 10
Nov 24, 2013

Super Mario 3D World is a superb first attempt at a 3D Super Mario Bros. platformer from Nintendo. It's more than just a simple Mario title with multiplayer bolted on. The game weaves together a plethora of unique, compelling and occasionally downright bizarre ideas that simply work. Mario and friends run, jump, float, crawl, climb, throw fireballs and explode cannonballs across multiple worlds of charming designs, experimental ideas and rock hard platforming towards the end. Super Mario 3D World is one of the best titles on the Nintendo Wii U and one of the best platformers, period. Go forth and save the Sprixie Kingdom!

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10 / 10.0
Nov 18, 2013

Not since Super Mario World have I been so in love with a Mario game.

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Dec 12, 2013

The first mistake you can make is to judge 'Super Mario 3D World' on what it's lacking than what it brings to the table. This is not 'Super Mario Galaxy 3,' but it doesn't need to be. Utilizing the more traditional geometry from 'Super Mario 3D Land,' Nintendo's designers have given themselves a pre-constructed canvas upon which to dispel their captivating ideas. Without the developmental burden of a dramatically changed visual style or tone, those ideas are translated into substantive flourishes of clearly bustling minds, though that isn't to undermine the gorgeous, HD-aided visuals.

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10 / 10.0
Nov 26, 2013

If you own a Wii U, get this game. If you don't own a Wii U, consider buying one for this game.

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10 / 10.0
Nov 25, 2013

‎To read Dickens is to get a mystical view." Playing Mario is one of the rituals that humanity needs: sometimes we need something to remind us that life is a fact and that everything is worth it. ‎‎Mario 3D World‎‎ is the joy of living.‎

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98 / 100
Nov 27, 2013

Make no 'ifs' 'ands' or 'buts' about it, Super Mario 3D World is a must buy as it is the game Wii U owners have been waiting for.

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