New Super Mario Bros Three

New Super Mario Bros Three is a 2.5D platform game released on the Nintendo Switch worldwide on September 8th, 2021. It is the fifth major installment in the New Super Mario Bros series, a sub-series of the parent Super Mario platformer series. The game is a follow-up to New Super Mario Bros U and features improved graphics and uses 3D models for all objects, including enemies, making it look similar to the Super Mario 3D World game style in Super Mario Maker 2. The game introduces new, more detailed levels and worlds, along with new power-ups, bosses, and music. New Super Mario Bros Three also takes gameplay elements from other Nintendo franchises such as Donkey Kong and Kirby, examples being minecart rides and use of the background in levels and boss fights.
== Story ==
Mario is out taking a walk in Mushroom Town to get some fresh air, and jumps over some pits and collects some coins along the way. He keeps walking but notices that he's completely alone. There are coins and question blocks, but there's no one in town. At all. Mario runs to the houses around the town which all have completely unlocked doors, and sees that there is no one inside any house. Mario goes back to his house and sees that there's no one there, not even Luigi. Mario, worried, goes over to the one place that he hasn't checked out - Peach's Castle. He goes there and sees nobody, but learns that the furniture has been entirely rearranged, and all the pictures of Peach and Mario and co. have been replaced with pictures of a certain kind of darker-colored star. He platforms his way up to the top of the castle, where he enters the throne room and sees dark purple glitter swirling everywhere. He walks closer and sees none other than...Kamek? Along with Peach trapped in a cage, crying out for Mario's help. Kamek greets Mario, delighted that he has arrived to witness the creation of his new world. Kamek explains that he is disturbed by the amount of peace in the world, wanting to cause enough chaos to create a perfect balance between peace and violence. Kamek tells Mario that the rest of the Mushroom World has been put under his magic spell, and the Mushroom Kingdom is the only place left on his list, which explains why no one was in town. Kamek was clearing out the town to become the grand hub for his new world. And as for Peach, he is going to absorb her power into his new kingdom, leaving the world sans a princess. Mario attempts to jump on Kamek, but he is knocked away by his dark spell. He is knocked far away into another land, and the camera cuts to the entire castle being swarmed in darkness before cutting to black.
Mario wakes up in a fog-filled place, and platforms through what he can see before encountering a crystal with someone trapped in it. Mario tries to use various power-ups to break the crystal but to no avail. Mario then sees a Koopa Clown Car that looks like it crashed right near the crystal. The Car is still functioning, so Mario uses it and shoots a cannonball at the crystal which breaks it. Out of the crystal pops Bowser Jr, waking up and thanking Mario for saving him. Bowser Jr explains that Kamek overthrew Bowser's rule over his castle and trapped him somewhere, and worries that Kamek has gone crazy because he never usually acts like this. Once again Bowser Jr has no choice but to ask for Mario's help. Mario, remembering the events of Bowser's Fury, decides to help Bowser Jr again. They set off on their new adventure to save Bowser and defeat this strangely more powerful Kamek.