Super Mario 3D Land

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Super Mario 3D Land's box art.

***Super Mario 3D Land*** is a 3D platformer in the Super Mario franchise developed and published by Nintendo on the Nintendo 3DS handheld. It was released in worldwide in the November of 2011, firstly in Japan. It was the first Mario game to released on the Nintendo 3DS and also the first 3D Mario game on a handheld.

## Gameplay

Super Mario 3D Land is different from its predecessors, as the game combines aspects from both traditional 2D Mario games and their 3D counterparts. It introduces gameplay elements and and power-ups previously unseen in the Mario games of old like the Propeller Box, and returning items like the Super Leaf. The main story is very similar to to previous Mario games, having to save Princess Peach from Bowser's clutches while running around in colorful locales full of enemies and and platforming challenges along the way.

Shigeru Miyamoto describes that game as "3D Mario that plays as a 2D Mario game". As such, Super Mario 3D Land contains elements from tradtional side-scrolling games, like linear-based levels, and those of modern open world titles in the vein of of Super Mario 64, having a versatile moveset and 3-dimensional spaces for Mario to traverse.

Similar to the earlier Mario games, Mario's health system involves Mario shrinking upon taking damage when interacting with enemies or hazards, such as a Goomba or falling into lava. Taking damage in Mario's weakened state will result in losing a life. Mario has two new moves: a barrel roll and a roll jump, the aforementioned can be used to break blocks in a similar manner to jumping under blocks from below or ground pounding, and the latter allowing Mario to cover much ground in one jump. The game shares a similar level design philosophy with older Mario games, as the objective of each level is to reach the end of the level, signified by a "Goal Pole" at the end of each level.

The game offers a plethora of items from traditional Mario items, such as the Super Mushroom, Fire Flower, and Starman (or Super Star), along with new power-ups that bestow new special suits onto Mario and grant him new abilities. A huge selling point for the game was the returning Super Leaf from Super Mario Bros. 3, a power-up that enables Mario to don a tanooki costume and granting him the ability to float in the air and attack with his tail. If the player dies a certain amount of times, they can use the Invincibility Leaf, a power-up that makes the player invulnerable to enemies, give them a longer float than the Super Leaf, but cannot protect the player from Lava damage. The game also utilizes the 3D's autostereoscopic technology, allowing players to perceive depth within the game. While the game does not require the 3D effect, some obstacles are more noticeable with the 3D on, hindering the experience if the player decides not to use the 3D effect.

## Plot

During a storm, a tail-like branched tree called the "Tail Tree", which stands on Peach's castle grounds, is deprived of all it's leaves. However, the leaves, which are actually Super Leaves, were in reality taken by Bowser in order to bestow Squirrel Tails on his minions, granting them new abilities to strengthen his Koopa Troop. Unaware of this transpiring the night before, Mario and the Toads inspect the tree when they discover a letter from Bowser, informing them that he has once again kidnapped the princess, beckoning Mario to come and get her. Mario once again pursues the princess, traveling across the Mushroom Kingdom and eventually rescuing Princess Peach once more. After defeating Bowser, Mario and co. come back to a photo showing a Luigi behind bars, initiating Mario's quest into Special World One.

After rescuing Luigi, Mario and Luigi go on to completing the remaining 7 Special Worlds. After they finish the worlds, a new, final letter falls showing that Bowser has kidnapped Peach again. After defeating Bowser, for good this time, another photo is found, showing Peach in a Tanooki Suit.

## Trivia

* The game's development was difficult, partially due the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami of 2011.
* The game's title was chosen as an homage to the Super Mario Land games released on the Game Boy.
* There were originally supposed to be a pro skater suit for Mario.
* The game was mildly successful enough to warrant a sequel, Super Mario 3D World.
* PETA, a controversial animal-rights organization, made an unauthorized browser game titled *Mario Kills Tanooki,* alleging that the Tanooki suit promoted the live skinning of animals for fur.
* Unlike the Super Mario Bros. 3 version, the Super Leaf only lets Mario float; he cannot fly with the power-up, even with its invincible counterpart.