2.5/5 ★ – Casinopolis's review of Super Mario 3D Land.

3D Land is a 3D Mario game in the sense that it is the first to take the rigid structure of the 2D Mario games and stick a third dimension on it. It’s not a 3D game in the mould of 64, Sunshine, Galaxy or Odyssey. Despite that, 3D Land is about as middle of the road Mario as you will find. Few of its ideas feel like its own, despite a handful of new power-ups and foes appearing here. So many mechanics feel uninspired despite the extra dimension; the Bowser drawbridges, the flagpoles, the mini challenges. It ticks all the right boxes, but it feels overall like an incredibly safe bet. The base campaign will see Mario stomp through 8 worlds with little opposition. Bosses, enemies and levels can be bulldozed with ease. The game can be finished with 100+ lives without an issue. The Tanooki power-up is a crutch that totally breaks the game by waltzing over any challenge presented. The new “assist leaf” can grant total invincibility if you fail a level too many times. It feels designed for younger or more inexperienced players. Truly the hardest challenge here is fighting the 3DS’ funky depth perception and the continually baffling decision to map run on a face button. A decision made worse by the cramped design of the handheld system and one that seems bizarre given that true 3D Mario games have managed to solve this issue. A better challenge comes with a surprise second campaign where Luigi becomes playable. His loftier playstyle is a good match for the levels, which albeit are usually retreads of past stages, but do contain trickier designs and more finicky placed star medallions (the main collectible here). This is for the most part a better experience, spare for the one-too-many levels with a shadow Mario/Luigi who stalks behind the player, copying every movement and will hurt on contact. These are overdone come the end of the game, but represent a good step up for those looking for Mario with more bite. An inoffensive but totally unremarkable Mario game.