Review for Super Mario 3D All-Stars. Game for Nintendo Switch, the video game was released on 18/09/2020
There are several reasons why Super Mario is the most popular character in the vast cosmos of gaming entertainment. Among these reasons is the non-trivial fact of being present on the scene for many, many years; a permanence that has accompanied several generations of players with countless titles, always present, always trustworthy, immortal.
Super Mario is more than a character: he's an archetype, an icon irrevocably instilled in pop culture.
Just a few days ago, the 35th anniversary of the release of Super Mario Bros. for NES, the game that indelibly marked the history of the medium and inaugurated the long-lived success of the mustachioed plumber (although it was not actually his debut title). To celebrate this anniversary and celebrate its mascot, Nintendo has released this collection on the Switch of the three three-dimensional titles that have marked as many of its consoles of the past. Super Mario 3D All-Stars contains in fact:
- Super Mario 64: originally released on Nintendo 64
- Super Mario Sunshine: originally released on GameCube
- Super Mario Galaxy: Originally released on Wii
A collection that is appetizing to say the least, which however in some ways left our mouth dry.
First of all, let's talk about the content of this collection, because these are far from ordinary titles. Virtually every chapter in the Super Mario series constitutes a milestone of its own genre, but in particular Super Mario 64 was the title that laid the foundation for 3D platformers intended at the level of game design (although it was not the first from a technical point of view). An imperishable masterpiece that has made history and which, despite feeling a bit the weight of the years, still remains surprisingly fun today. The next two chapters are a great example of how Nintendo is prolific in ideas and effective in game design. And how, no matter what the haters say, it's not at all true that all Super Mario games are all the same.
Sunshine brought a breath of fresh air thanks to the water jets of the Splac 3000, which gave new possibilities to the mustachioed protagonist; with them obviously came new situations and enigmas to solve. It was a fairly controversial chapter in terms of timing and content, but no less fun and decisive for the evolution of the series. Galaxy unexpectedly managed to change even more the perspective (in the true sense of the word) he was used to, and he did so by revolutionizing the types of "worlds" and situations around Mario, as well as giving him access to new costumes and special powers. Surprising and spectacular to see (and hear), it remains one of the most successful chapters of the series to this day.
Each title represented an advancement of the series, an absolute milestone in the platform genre, as well as killer applications for their respective consoles. And it is in light of what we would have expected from Nintendo a greater care in the packaging of Super Mario 3D All-Stars.
At the content level, the collection includes only the three games and their respective soundtracks that can be enjoyed directly from the initial menu. The games you will find then have been included in their original versions, without any new features. And quite obviously many will have noticed that Super Mario Galaxy 2 is not included in the collection; whether it is for the greater difficulty of transposing controls or for economic reasons, the fact remains that it is an absence that is sadly felt.
Obviously, from the graphic point of view, an HD remastering has been carried out which makes the titles contained in Super Mario 3D All-Stars visually sharper and cleaner. Super Mario 64 runs in 960 x 720p format, while Sunshine and Galaxy support 16: 9 ratio at 1920 x 1080p in docked mode and 1280 x 720 in portable mode.
To play Super Mario Galaxy you can either use the separate joy-cons in docked mode, or the Pro Controller. The pirouette command has been assigned to the Y key. In portable mode, on the other hand, the on-screen pointer will be managed with the console's touch screen. Obviously this is not ideal, but it is the only way to overcome the different structure of the console. In general, the adaptations seemed functional to us, after a natural period of getting used to.
Due to the lack of additions we have already talked about, in general we would have liked Nintendo to have made Super Mario 3D All-Stars more "precious" with a richer physical edition, especially considering its considerable price and the fact that it will be available in limited edition.
Taking as a model the edition of Super Mario All-Stars released for Wii for the 25th anniversary, it would have been enough to add an artbook containing perhaps information and curiosities about individual games, and perhaps a particular package.
We cannot say that Nintendo has squeezed its brains or foreheads too much for the making of Super Mario 3D All-Stars. The side that most disappointed us about this celebratory collection is that of the extra contents, or rather their absence. Yet despite its lazy appearance, it would be superficial to underestimate the immense quality and historical value contained in this package. Those contained in Super Mario 3D All-Stars are not just any games, but authentic pieces of history of the platform genre and of the video game in general. The possibility of being able to replay them without needing a TV with scart socket and to recover the respective consoles, and moreover to be able to carry them around everywhere, could be more than tempting for any Mario enthusiast. While younger players who may have started from Odyssey, or those who have skipped past Nintendo consoles, have the perfect opportunity to retrieve authentic masterpieces.
► Super Mario 3D All-Stars is a Platform-Puzzle type game developed and published by Nintendo for Nintendo Switch, the video game was released on 18/09/2020
