5/5 ★ – Zimtiki's review of Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury.

Super Mario 3D World is a game so packed with charm that it’s almost sickening. I played this through with my wife Gooby the entire way through, and it was a blast. Unlike the more open levels of Mario 64 and Galaxy, 3D World’s levels feel more like a series of 2D levels that were translated into 3D, and it works SO DAMN WELL. I swear to God, EVERY level has a new idea and the game never chooses to dwell on them. Through all of its 117 levels, this game never stops being imaginative. The games levels each have you finding 3 green stars and getting to the flag pole at the end, your classic Mario formula! But almost every level has some kind of gimmick, and they ALL work. The Toad Treasure Tracker levels also stand out, as they have you navigating small, cube shaped levels without any of Mario’s jumping abilities, making these feel like cozy little puzzles. This game is the culmination of hundreds of platforming ideas all out into one overly stuffed package of pure joy, leading up to a climax that had Gooby and I literally applauding the TV. The music, the visuals, the controls, the CHARM. If you don’t play this game, you might as well be DEAD. It’s a MASTERPIECE!