Super Mario 3D Land

North American box art.
Developer(s)	Nintendo EAD Tokyo
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Release Date(s)
Nintendo 3DS	NA: November 13, 2011 JP: November 3, 2011 EU: November 18, 2011 AU: November 24, 2011 KO: April 28, 2012 CH: December 7, 2012
Nintendo 3DS	NA: November 13, 2011 JP: November 3, 2011 EU: November 18, 2011 AU: November 24, 2011 KO: April 28, 2012 CH: December 7, 2012
Nintendo 3DS (eShop)	NA: October 18, 2012 NA: February 3, 2018 (Selects) JP: November 1, 2012 EU: October 4, 2012 EU: October 13, 2017 (Selects) AU: October 4, 2012 AU: May 11, 2018 (Selects)
Nintendo 3DS (eShop)	NA: October 18, 2012 NA: February 3, 2018 (Selects) JP: November 1, 2012 EU: October 4, 2012 EU: October 13, 2017 (Selects) AU: October 4, 2012 AU: May 11, 2018 (Selects)
Platform(s)
Classification(s)	This game has playable Miis This game uses StreetPass This game is a Nintendo Selects game
Sales	12.77 million
Genre(s)	Platformer
ROM Size	1702 MB
Rating(s)
ESRB	04
PEGI	01
CERO	01
ACB	01
GRAC	01
GSRR	01

This article is about the video game. For the K'NEX set, see Super Mario 3D Land (K'NEX).

Super Mario 3D Land <sup>(JPJapanese: スーパーマリオ3Dランド

Romaji: Sūpāmario 3 D rando)</sup> (often abbreviated as SM3DL) is a single-player video game for the Nintendo 3DS published by Nintendo and developed by Nintendo EAD Tokyo. It was unveiled at GDC 2011.

It is the first Mario game overall for the console. This is the second 3D Super Mario platformer for a handheld device (with Super Mario 64 DS being the first and an enhanced remake of the first 3D platformer adventure) and, as noted by Reggie Fils-Aime at E3 2011, the first 3D Mario platformer to be built from the ground up for a handheld system. It is also the successor to Super Mario Galaxy 2. It is closely based on side-scrolling Mario games, but it is a 3D platformer in the vein of games like Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Galaxy. The game was 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. It received a sequel entitled Super Mario 3D World, confirmed at E3 2013, which was released for the Wii U in November 2013. The game requires 2315 blocks if it is bought off the Nintendo eShop.

Plot

Artwork of Bowser in his airship with Peach in distress.

Outside Peach's castle stands the Tail Tree, a Tanooki-tailed tree with Super Leaves on its branches. All of the Mushroom Kingdom is familiar with the tree. One night, a huge storm blows all of the leaves off, as Bowser laughs in the background.

Later on, when Mario and three Toads (Red, Yellow, and Blue) check the Tail Tree, they discover that the Super Leaves are gone. However, the yellow Toad notices a hovering letter near the tree, and the group of four goes to investigate. Mario grabs and opens the letter, and a picture of Bowser holding Princess Peach captive with Super Leaves flying in the background pops out. The message shocks the three Toads and Mario, and immediately, Mario and the three Toads run to save the Princess. Throughout his adventure, Mario receives more letters about Peach's predicament and about various stages of Bowser's Super Leaf-related plan.

Inspired by Mario's courage, Peach ultimately attempts to escape from Bowser and his army, but she is soon recaptured. Mario travels through World 8 and defeats Bowser, only to be tricked by a fake Peach sign, as Bowser escapes with the real Peach. Mario eventually finds Bowser's lair, but before they can battle, the floor beneath them breaks and they fall. After being chased through various obstacles, Mario manages to press a switch making the bridge under Bowser collapse, sending Bowser into a pool of lava. At last, Mario and the three Toads find Princess Peach and, using their Tanooki powers, bring Peach back to her castle.

After that, a short cutscene appears with a letter floating down in World 1-1. It shows that Luigi was kidnapped by Dry Bowser. Mario then sets off to save Luigi. After rescuing him in S1, he becomes a playable character.

After Mario beats Special 8-Castle, another cut-scene appears. Another letter has floated down on World 1-1, and the three Toads who accompanied Mario in his adventure investigate while in their Tanooki forms. To their surprise, Bowser has kidnapped Princess Peach once more. Then, Mario or Luigi must defeat Bowser in World 8-2 again. After that, a picture of Tanooki Peach is unlocked. Once five stars are present on the profile, S8 crown, the very last level, is unlocked.

Gameplay

Mario walking toward a Super Star.

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 rather have a time limit and even feature Goal Poles, a staple of the original Super Mario Bros. and the New Super Mario Bros. games, as opposed to Power Stars, Power Moons, or Shine Sprites, as the level goals. When Mario loses a life, the "Too Bad" banner from every 3D Mario platformer since Super Mario Sunshine appears near the top of the screen and falls to the bottom of the screen, but a circle covers the screen instead of a Bowser emblem. Also, when the timer reaches zero, the "Time's Up" banner appears at the top of the screen. To enter vertical pipes, the player must press L or R; for the first time in the series, the player can re-enter areas through pipes at will (for example, after being transported to the above-ground Goal Pole in World 2-2, the player can go back down the pipe to go underground). 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. Game-play also takes cues from Super Mario Sunshine, notably tight-rope walking. Unlike the 2D Mario games, the level themes in a world tend to be more random, like the galaxies of the Super Mario Galaxy games, instead of focusing on a particular setting per world.

Due to the merging of the 2D and 3D play styles, Mario's moveset is slightly more limited than in the previous Super Mario games; he cannot jump as high or as far as in the past games, nor can he Double Jump or Triple Jump for the first time in a platforming game since Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins. Mario can also no longer Spin Jump, fly (in Tanooki form, unlike in Super Mario Bros. 3), grab and/or throw objects (such as Green Shells), hold onto ledges, or attack without power-ups. However, he can still wall-jump, long -jump, ground-pound, sideways-somersault, and backwards-somersault. Other controls take cues from the 2D titles; Mario can crouch and slide while running, which now requires the use of a run/attack button, like in the 2D games. In addition, the Backwards Somersault works like the Power Squat Jump does in Super Mario Bros. 2. Finally, Mario has a new roll move that can be used to hit blocks from the side and fit through small gaps.

While giving examples of how the Nintendo 3DS enhances game-play, Shigeru Miyamoto has stated that hitting blocks from underneath in 3D Mario games would be easier with stereoscopic 3D. Thus, blocks are more prevalent in this game, unlike past 3D games, where blocks were few and far between. Three Star Medals (which have a similar design to the Comet Medals from Super Mario Galaxy 2) are found in each level, and collecting all three is part of the level's challenge, like the Star Coins in the New Super Mario Bros. games. + Clocks can be picked up to give the player additional time to complete the level, a mechanic only seen previously in Super Mario Galaxy 2s Speedy Comet missions.

Small Mario with an Ink Piranha Plant.

Mario's health system is now based on the side-scrolling titles rather than being a numbered health meter: Mario becomes a cap-less Small Mario when damaged, while power-ups give him an extra hit point and new abilities. These power-ups include the Super Mushroom, the Fire Flower, the new Boomerang Flower, the Statue Leaf (replacing the Tanooki Suit), and the Super Leaf, the last of which had not been seen since Super Mario Bros. 3. Notably, the Fire form, 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. The Item Storage from New Super Mario Bros. also appears in this game.

As in Super Mario Bros. 2, when Mario loses a life, he respawns in his Super form instead of his Small form. Similar to New Super Mario Bros. Wii, the game has features to help the player if they lose too many lives in a stage. When the player loses two lives in one level, a flying Roulette Block appears. When five lives are lost, an Assist Block containing an Invincibility Leaf appears, which makes the player invincible for the duration of the level. Finally, when ten lives are lost, an Assist Block with a P-Wing appears, which warps the player directly to the Goal Pole. Unlike previous Mario games, the lives counter in Super Mario 3D Land extends beyond 100 and goes up to 1,110 lives. This life counter is also included in New Super Mario Bros. 2 and Super Mario 3D World.

The game also makes extended use of the Nintendo 3DS hardware. When the player uses a cannon or the binoculars, the Nintendo 3DS gyro controls can be used to aim by moving the 3DS. The game also includes a StreetPass option, whereupon encounters, Mystery Boxes and Toad House items are exchanged between players. Items in Toad Houses sent by another player are recorded, including the amount of items sent by the user.

By clearing Special 1-Castle, Luigi is unlocked as a playable character, and can be swapped in or out by pressing the "M"/"L" button in the bottom corner of the touch screen on the world map. As in Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, Luigi jumps higher than Mario, but has lower traction.

Characters

Playable

• Mario
• Luigi

Bosses

Boom Boom and Pom Pom.

• Bowser
• Fake Bowser
• Boom Boom
• Pom Pom
• Dry Bowser

Supporting

• Princess Peach
• Toads

Mario Transformations

Tanooki Mario.

• Small Mario
• Super Mario
• Fire Mario
• Tanooki Mario
• Invincible Mario
• Boomerang Mario
• Statue Mario

Power-Ups

• Super Mushroom
• Super Leaf
• Fire Flower
• Star
• Invincibility Leaf - Grants invincibility and appears if Mario dies five times in a level.
• Boomerang Flower
• 1-Up Mushroom
• Statue Leaf
• P-Wing - Float invincibility and appears if Mario dies five times in a level.

Worlds and Levels

World 1

World 1 of Super Mario 3D Land is a grassland area that features tall mushroom hills and flowers. As this is the start of Mario's adventure, the levels of World 1 are rather basic.

• World 1-1: A grassland level with many colored blocks. This level features Cheep-Cheeps, Goombas and the new Tailed Goombas
• World 1-2: An underground area, which features a Super Mario Bros. World 1-2 Warp Zone-like area. This stage's featured music is the Super Mario Galaxy remix of the Super Mario Bros. underground theme.
• Mystery Box
• World 1-3: A Mountain stage where Mario jumps on a rainbow Music Block and is sent to a location similar to Coin Heaven.
• World 1-4: An area where Mario rides a platform down rails.
• Toad House
• World 1-Castle: A lava area with Firebars and small dragons where a Tail Goomba disguised as a False Bowser is fought.

World 2

World 2 is a yellow autumn-themed plains area

• 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 2-2: a underground level with poison and many Paragoombas.
• Mystery Box
• 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 2-4: A level with flip Panels and stingbys.
• Toad House
• World 2-Airship: An Airship level with bullet bills and the new tail bullet bill at the end before 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 his own theme. the E3 demo of the level had Peewee Piranhas theme from Super Mario Galaxy 2.

World 3

World 3 is a watery tropical-themed area

• World 3-1
• World 3-2: A water stage with Blooper and Cheep-Cheeps.
• Photo Toad House: You can find the photos from Peach.
• World 3-3: An area with many Donut Lifts. The background walls are made of yarn.
• World 3-4: A snowy themed level with fuzzies.
• World 3-5: An area made of cookies with Para-Biddybuds.
• World 3-Airship: Another airship level with spiky things and the camera does not scroll. Boom Boom is battled again and there are left-right panels on the bottom in the fight.

World 4

World 4 is mainly themed around a forest of large mushrooms

• World 4-1: A forest area with many large trees and a giant tree trunk with Biddybuds.
• Mystery Box
• World 4-2: a underground level with inky plants and tower goombas.
• world 4-3: a level with paragoombas and moving panels.
• World 4-4: A Spooky area with a Big Boo.
• World 4-5: a snake panel level with 2 boomerang bros.
• World 4-Airship: An airship level with rocky wrenches. Pom Pom is battled here.

World 5

World 5 takes place in a desert canyon area

• World 5-1
• World 5-2: 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.
• World 5-3: A level with many elevators and flophoppers.
• World 5-4
• Toad House
• World 5-5: A air level with Tail Grand Goombas and Propeller Boxes.
• World 5-Castle: A castle level with Thwomps. a False Bowser is fought (Magikoopa)

World 6

World 6 is based high up in the sky

• World 6-1: A tropical island area with palm trees and large waterfalls.
• World 6-2
• World 6-3: A Boo house stage with giant piano and a library. A Big Boo can be found again.
• Mystery Box
• World 6-4
• World 6-5
• World 6-Airship: A airship level with spiky things. Pom Pom is battled again, but fire surrounds the floor.

World 7

World 7 is a deep dark jungle with some more complicated levels than previous points in the game

• World 7-1
• World 7-2: A desert area with enemies hiding in the sand.
• World 7-3
• Toad House
• World 7-4
• World 7-5
• World 7-Airship: This is where Boom Boom and Pom Pom is battled.

World 8

World 8 is Bowser's traditional lava lair with volcano's and fortresses everywhere

• World 8-1: a level with many spiky balls.
• World 8-2: a level with things that Mario can go on to.
• World 8-3 a level with rotating platforms and Rocky Wrenches.
• World 8-4 a Boo house level with moving carpets.
• World 8-5 a fortress level with Banzai Bills and Rocky Wrenches.
• World 8-Castle 1: a castle level with magmagghs and a fight with bowser at the end, bowser will do a fire ring.
• World 8-6: a level with platforms that Mario can move on.
• World 8-Castle 2 part 1: you go on a bone coaster with fire and many enemies, when you go outside the 3 toads will appear and you go inside the castle for the final battle.
• World 8-Castle 2 part 2: the final battle has began! you start with Bowser shooting fireballs at Mario, when Mario goes up the stairs Bowser will shoot spiky balls and may use a big spiky ball, then you go on a tightrope to Bowser who shoots crates at Mario, then you press the button and he falls in, but he comes back shooting pink fireballs. then he will chase after you with many Brick Blocks. then you press the button and he falls in. then you rescue peach.

THE END! at the end you get a picture of Mario (or Luigi) and Peach sitting in the Tanooki Tree. Then a picture of Luigi, captured by Bowser's minions, is seen at the end. if you play this level after the special world levels at the end you get a picture of Peach in a Tanooki suit.

Special Worlds

Special 1

• Special 1-1: A replica of World 2-1, but with a sunset background. It has different enemies like Spinies and Statue Leafs and Poison Mushrooms appear in the level.
• Special 1-2: An underground level the same as World 1-2, but it includes Spinies and blue spiked blocks. A Cosmic Clone appears here.
• Special 1-3: A level that is similar to World 2-3, but it includes enemies and items and and the level takes place at night.
• Special 1-4: A beach level like world 6-1, but replacing the cheep cheeps and other enemies with Boomerang Bros and Paragoombas.
• Special 1-Castle: A clone of World 1-Castle that needs to be unlocked by collecting 110 Star Medals. Dry Bowser is the boss here and when defeated, Luigi is rescued (and then playable). This level starts with 30 seconds.

Special 2

• Special 2-1: A stage where the screen is scrolling up. It has Piranha Plants and the music is a remix of the main theme.
• Special 2-2: A mainly water level where the player is swimming. The clock starts at 30 seconds.
• Special 2-3: A level with the green platforms with arrows above lava.
• Special 2-4: A snowy level with many propeller boxes.
• Special 2-5: A level where it is snowing and there are many green reproducing panels.
• Special 2-Airship: An Airship with a lot of Spikes and Banzai Bills like World 3-Airship, but takes place in the daytime.

Special 3

• Special 3-1: A level with platforms that move back and forth.
• Special 3-2: A level a lot similar to World 4-3, but the colorful blocks move faster and the Statue Leaf appears here.
• Special 3-3: A forest area with many tightropes the time starts at 30 seconds and the player has to get timers so time will not run out.
• Special 3-4: An dark underground area with rolling cylinders and Giant Spiked Balls.
• Special 3-5: A level similar to World 6-4, the blocks beat is slower than normal. and the platforms will be 1 at a time.
• Special 3-Airship: A quickly scrolling Airship Level at Nighttime like world 2-airship. the camera moves faster.

Special 4

• Special 4-1: A level featuring a yellow platform that slowly shrinks while Mario or Luigi fight enemies and dodge obstacles.
• Special 4-2: A Ghost House level with a Cosmic Clone.
• Special 4-3: A level similar to world 6-1 with a lot of Bullet Bills and some Banzai Bills.
• Special 4-4: A mountain level the same as world 1-3 but with 30 seconds and you get time when you stomp on the Goombas.
• Special 4-5: A level with a lot of rock donut lifts and is filled with Boos and Dry Bones.
• Special 4-Airship: An Airship level with many Boomerang Bros. At the end, Boom Boom and Pom Pom are fought separately. In Boom Boom's part there are spikes, but in Pom Pom's there are donut lifts.

Special 5

• Special 5-1: A dark blue area filled with many flipping platforms and boos.
• Special 5-2: A level where a cosmic clone is in. This level consists of many Chain Chomps.
• Special 5-3: A stage with the moving platforms with arrows that dictate which way to go.
• Special 5-4: An area where it is snowing and there are cookies that Mario or Luigi can walk on.
• Special 5-5: A Ghost House with lots of Library books.
• Special 5-Castle: Same level as World 8-6, but the timer starts at 30 seconds, Mario or Luigi need to stomp on goombas to get clocks to continue and Dry Bowser is fought at the end of the level.

Special 6

• Special 6-1: A Nighttime level with Desert music.
• Special 6-2: A level with bubbles and the time starts at 30 seconds.
• Special 6-3: A level with many Poisonous Mushrooms and Poisonous Water
• Special 6-4: A Nighttime level. A Cosmic Clone appears here.
• Special 6-5: A Ghost House with a fog like effect.
• Special 6-Airship: An Airship Level with many flipping platforms. Boom Boom is fought here.

Special 7

• Special 7-1: A snow level like world 3-4 where the time starts at 30 seconds. you can get time by jumping on Boomerang Bros.
• Special 7-2: A level like world 6-4 where a Cosmic Clone appears. There are lot of Red, Blue, and Yellow platforms that appear and disappear by the beat of the music.
• Special 7-3: A level with lots of moving gears like world 7-4.
• Special 7-4: A level with obstacles that look like Flip Flap platforms and the player jumps to make them turn like world 2-4. A large Cosmic Clone also appears.
• Special 7-5: An Airship level like world 7-airship with many rotating platforms and Poison Mushrooms.
• Special 7-Castle: Same as Level 1-Castle but with a large Cosmic Clone and only 30 seconds.

Special 8

• Special 8-1: An underground level that's similar to world 1-2 but you start backwards and a Cosmic Clone is found and with the time starting at 30 seconds.
• Special 8-2: An area with many spinning platforms and Rocky Wrenches. There is also a Rocky Wrench that throws Coins.
• Special 8-3: A castle level like world 5-castle with a giant cosmic clone and the time starts at 30 seconds.
• Special 8-4: The same as World 8-6, but the time starts at 30 seconds.
• Special 8-5: An Airship level with a large Cosmic Clones, the camera does not move and the platforms are faster. A harder edition of world 7-airship
• Special 8-Castle: A castle level where the time starts at 30 seconds. Dry Bowser is faced at the end. he will breath fire like Bowser does in World 8-Castle 1. Hammer Bros. are the way to get blue clocks as the only 2 enemies (the other are magmarrghs)
• Special 8-Crown: The last level of the game, that contains many colorful blocks and varied enemies and obstacles. Like Special 4-Airship, Mario has to fight Boom Boom and Pom Pom at the same time, and there is a short Cosmic Clone part in it. In the final area, the message "THANK YOU!!" is made of green reproducing panels and there are many Toads near the goal pole. Although this is the final level to become unlocked, when unlocked it is located before Special 8-1 on the course selection screen. To unlock this course, the player must have five Stars in his or her profile. When unlocked, the background music for the world (based on the "Mario Drawing Song" in Flipnote Studio) is remixed.

Development

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 Mario 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 at the time. In November 2010, Shigeru Miyamoto announced that both 2D world 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. 3s logo, which had Raccoon Mario's tail shadow behind the "3".

First four screenshots at GDC.

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". Shigeru Miyamoto has stated that the development took over two years and started with 2 to 30 staff members working on the game.

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. 3s Tanooki Mario.

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 and the conference trailer were put up for download on the 3DS eShop for a limited time. By playing the trailer on their 3DS, viewers could then see the game in stereoscopic 3D for themselves.

The main ambition of the design team was to "reset" the conventions of 3D Mario games, which were mostly designed for home consoles. One of the ways of doing that was to create short, pick-up and play levels more suitable to a handheld, as opposed to the Super Mario Galaxy series, and more specifically Super Mario Galaxy 2, which director Koichi Hayashida described as a "Manchu Han Imperial Feast". Additionally, according to Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto, the term Land was used in the title to pay homage to past Mario titles, like Super Mario Land and its 2D art style.

The developers also wanted the game to serve as a jumping point for players that liked 2D Mario but did not want to play the 3D installments. One of the solutions was to eschew the exploration-based level design of the traditional 3D Marios so that the players would not get "lost", and return the focus on reaching the end of linear levels. The levels were carefully designed to lead the player toward the end goal. However, the developers included Star Medals hidden throughout the levels to cater to the 3D Mario players and thus bridge the two game design sensibilities.

The development was heavily affected by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. Damage to the train network led to developers visiting the Kyoto office to be stuck there, and fear of aftershocks and radiation emanating from the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant caused several developers to lock themselves in their homes. These events made Nintendo unsure of whether the development could continue in Tokyo. Tired of not doing anything, Hayashida risked sharing his personal contact information with other members. This led to a web forum being set up so that work could be continued while the Tokyo office was closed.

Following the events of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, the team had to rely on Nintendo-affiliated studios like Brownie Brown to help finish the game's development on time.

The developers were pressured to finish the game in time for the 2011 holiday season, which led to parts of Super Mario 3D Land being outsourced to other Nintendo-affiliated developers such as Brownie Brown, something that did not typically happen with Mario games at the time.

Shigehisa Nakaue designed the 2D art seen in Peach's letters in the game, making it the first Mario game to use this art style in-game.

Nintendo eShop Description

NA Version

Platforming with serious depth! With the 3D visuals of Super Mario 3D Land, players can see exactly where floating ? blocks and flying Paragoombas are, so that they can jump and stomp with the precision of the pros. Expert gamers will appreciate the way 3D graphics reveal the true challenge of the levels, so that they can focus on nailing the perfect jump or shaving precious seconds off their speed runs, while new players will find that 3D makes platforming simple to grasp and satisfying to master.

Try on Mario's Tanooki Suit, and put some spring in your step! While longtime gamers will delight in using Tanooki Mario's tail-spin attack to sweep enemies off their feet and fluttering through the air to land super-long jumps, a new generation will learn what makes this classic suit a fan favorite. But even seasoned players will be in for a surprise—Mario's enemies may be sporting the familiar Tanooki tail too!

Mario at his very best! Mario™ returns to his roots in his first 3D platforming adventure designed exclusively for a handheld system. From the frantic race-against-the-clock dash through the Mushroom Kingdom to that final leap to grab the top of the flagpole, this eye-popping addition to the Super Mario™ series combines everything that makes Mario great from one generation to the next.

EU Version

SUPER MARIO 3D LAND reinvents everything fans love about Mario gaming with the first platforming enviornment in true 3D, presenting a 3D Mario game that plays like a 2D Mario game! Players will experience an exhilarating new sense of depth, distance and speed while running, jumping and stomping on enemies throughout the levels.

Among other outfits for Mario, the fan-favourite Tanooki Suit makes a comeback. Use the Tanooki Suit's tail to attack enemies or float gently down from great heights.

Accessible and challenging in equal measure, SUPER MARIO 3D LAND offers new and familiar abilities that add unique gameplay strategies to the adventure! Make your way to the end-of-level flagpole using Mario's signature moves- or try to apply his new skills in challenging ways if you dare to discover every hidden shortcut and secret!

Promotion

On November 12, 2011, to celebrate the launch of Super Mario 3D Land in North America, Nintendo set up an event in Times Square's Military Island in which attendees would be able to play in a real life mock-up of the game environment, as well as a chance to play the game a day before the official release. In addition, many attendees were also given free Tanooki ears and tails, as well as free slices of mushroom pizza from a "Mushroom Kingdom" pizza truck to the first 1,000 attendees who tweeted the "#SuperMario3D" hashtag and an exclusive early sale of the game at the Times Square Toys "R" Us.

Reception

Super Mario 3D Land received critical acclaim. IGN rated this game a 9.5/10, GameXplain reviewed the game a 4/5 stars. Euro Gamer 9/10, Joystiq 4.5/5, GamePro 5/5, GameInformer 9.5/10, N-Zone 90/100, Famitsu 38/40, and Edge with 8/10. As of December 10, 2011, gamerankings has an average score of 90.02% out of 46 scores and metacritic with an average score of 90% out of 71 reviews, 70 were positive, 1 was mixed.

Sales

As of March 31, 2014, Super Mario 3D Land is the 4th best-selling game for the Nintendo 3DS, having sold about 9.27 million units so far and is causing a great boost in 3DS sales. It is also the fastest-selling portable Mario game ever.

Gallery

Main article: Super Mario 3D Land/gallery

Trivia

• 3D Land uses many elements from the Super Mario Galaxy games.
• The game's sound effects are later used in later entries, as well in the Mario Party games.
• This is the first 3D Mario game to:
  • Be released on a portable console, excluding Super Mario 64 DS which is a remake.
  • Not feature Koji Kondo as the composer (he's still credited in "Special Thanks").
  • Which Mahito Yokota was not the lead composer.
  • Be in stereoscopic 3D, and to date, the only one.
• The game is focused on the linear approach and uses power-ups instead of health, very similar to the past 2D Mario games.
• It is not to be confused with Super Mario Land on the Game Boy.
• This is the first game for composer Takeshi Hama since joining Nintendo in 2010, who later worked on The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. He has since left in 2012.
  • Hama's 3D Land theme has influenced the "Jazz"-style music, which would later be heavily implemented in its sequel, featuring actual jazz performance.
• Asuka Hayazaki has previously worked on the music for New Super Mario Bros.. This is her first work in a 3D entry.
• Super Mario 3D Land is the first installment in the Mario series overall (excluding crossover installments) to be officially localized to Dutch, Portuguese, and Russian.
  • Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games is actually the first game with Mario officially localized to Dutch. However, it is a crossover game and it is localized and published by Sega. Nintendo also stated on its official news update: "Super Mario 3D Land™ and Mario Kart 7 include for the first time (in the Mario series) fully Dutch screen texts".
• From 22 November to 24 December 2013, North American 3DS users that went to a Nintendo Zone could receive an Exclusive Mystery Box from Mr. Hayashida, the producer of Super Mario 3D Land.
• Because Super Mario 3D Land was developed and released before the Nintendo 2DS was produced, the game does not recognize when it is running on a 2DS system and still displays the 3D icons that indicate the available 3D viewing modes at the beginning of every level. This does not affect the actual gameplay; attempting to switch the 3D viewing mode has no effect and the game is still fully playable on the 2DS.
• This is the last 3D Super Mario game where the "Super" in the title is colored, rather than solid white.
  • Additionally, this is the first Mario game to use the current font for some in-game text and logos.

External links

• Super Mario 3D Land at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• Super Mario 3D Land at GameFAQs
• Super Mario 3D Land at MobyGames
• Launch Trailer
• Official American Website
• Official European Website
• Official Oceanian Website
• Official Japanese Website
• Official Chinese (Hong Kong) Website
• Official Chinese (Taiwan) Website
• Official Chinese (China) website
• Super Mario 3D Land at Super Mario Wiki, the Super Mario wiki.
• Super Mario 3D Land at TV Tropes