But this game just feels, I don’t know, glossier? Perhaps it’s the high-definition 3D character designs, which look like collectible vinyl figurines. The game is polished within an inch of its life, even by the standards of the Mario universe, in which every enemy, block, and bottomless pit is placed with intentionality. Little is new here, except the game’s fluffiest upgrade: The cat suit allows Mario and pals to climb walls and launch a diagonal diving attack.

Stages feel, to a longtime fan, familiar - or, to put it another way, referential. Super Mario 3D World builds upon this assumption that most players can already speak its language. If you want to see the very best of the best for your platform(s) of choice, check out Polygon Essentials. When we award a game the Polygon Recommends badge, it’s because we believe the title is uniquely thought-provoking, entertaining, inventive or fun - and worth fitting into your schedule. Polygon Recommends is our way of endorsing our favorite games. And so, loving Mario games means noticing the tiny details that distinguish them, like how one emphasizes coin collection or another features a power-up inspired by a woodland creature known for its engorged (and mythically magical) testicles. As a result, if you know how to play one Mario game, you have the tools to play every Mario game.

Nintendo isn’t afraid to bend the Mario franchise in inventive ways its designers never outright break the formula. U, the colorful levels of Super Mario World, the zippy mobility of Super Mario 64.

An alternative title for Super Mario 3D World would be “Super Mario’s Greatest Hits”: the multiplayer of New Super Mario Bros. Though technically a sequel to Super Mario 3D Land on the Nintendo 3DS, Super Mario 3D World borrows freely from the entire series. On one path is Super Mario 3D World, a port of a little-played but lovingly reviewed Wii U game that blends together the best bits of 2D and 3D Mario adventures. But beyond that pseudo-superficial connection, the duo represents a rare fork in the road for the future of Nintendo’s diminutive plumber. One “old,” one new, the pair have been loosely tied together by a shared love of cats. As the math equation of a title implies, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury bundles two discrete video games in one package.

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