With the release of Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury, the world has been reintroduced to one of the best games of the Wii U era. On top of that, fans are now being given a separate experience in its entirety that puts the Super Mario 3D World mechanics in a more open-world setting.
Those experiencing the original game for the first time will get the opportunity to play Mario in more linear 3D levels, with local and online co-op available. The world has gotten its first experiences collecting Cat Shines as Mario in Lake Lapcat and Fury Bowser reigning terror upon him. But there's plenty of things players can do that they may not know about.
10 Play Levels Entirely Immune
Sometimes, the levels in Super Mario 3D World can get rather difficult and the death count can begin to grow. At some point after dying a few times, players will start to notice a leaf block to the side that can be used. The white-and-yellow Invincibility Leaf turns Mario into a white tanooki, giving Mario the ability to bulldoze through levels without taking a hit.
The game doesn't punish the player for doing this and will advance them to the next stage, but unlike the levels finished normally, the star indicator on the level's flag will not be shiny.
9 Get Around Lake Lapcat Easier
Exploring the open world of Lake Lapcat in Bowser's Fury is a great time, but sometimes getting around can be a bit difficult or even time-consuming. After reaching 50 Cat Shines and defeating Fury Bowser for the first time in Bowser's Fury, Bowser Jr. tells the player that they can use the map to select islands and he will teleport them there.
This comes in handy when trying to hunt down all the remaining shines in the area by reducing the time it takes to move between the islands.
8 Earn An Invincibility Bell
The release of Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury brought with it the introduction of two new amiibo figurines, Cat Mario and Cat Peach. These amiibos can be scanned into the game to give the player a hand in completing levels.
While playing either of the two games, players can scan in the Cat Mario amiibo to get an Invincibility Bell. This functions similarly to the Invincibility Leaf in terms of being safe from enemies, but it gives Mario the feline powers that let him climb and scratch like a regular Super Bell.
7 Make Bowser Jr. More Useful
The Koopa King and his son both have amiibos that can be used to affect the games as well. Using the Bowser amiibo while playing Bowser's Fury will cause Fury Bowser to wake up, which is good in case he needs to be awake in order to access certain areas of Lake Lapcat.
But the more useful amiibo is Bowser Jr., who may not contribute much to Mario's journey. However, using his amiibo will cause a shockwave to appear that will clear surrounding enemies and blocks.
6 Become A Goomba
There are plenty of looks Mario can have over the course of Super Mario 3D World, and this includes disguising himself as a Goomba. During certain levels, players can defeat Goombas where specific ones will drop Goomba masks. At this point, players can pick the head up and use it to blend in amongst a group of Goombas that won't attack them.
The most straightforward way to experience this is World 5-1: Sunshine Seaside, where a Goomba Mask is in the rightmost statue where the Chargin' Chucks are.
5 Ride Plessie With Other Cats
Plessie is a huge resource while navigating the waters of Bowser's Fury. The lovable dinosaur is a lot easier to steer in this game as Plessie can move in all directions rather than left and right. Mario is able to hop on Plessie and go wherever the player has access to. However, Mario may not be the only passenger.
Players can actually pick up the cats that live on the islands and put them on Plessie so they can navigate around with Mario. This feature comes in handy when trying to return the calico kittens to their mother.
4 Use Stamps Differently
In the Wii U version of Super Mario 3D World, the original purpose of the collectible stamps was to use them on the Miiverse message boards. Unfortunately, Miiverse no longer exists on the Switch, but that doesn't mean the stamps can't be used.
The reboot has introduced Snapshot Mode to the game, which allows players to take posed images while playing the game. The stamps can now be layered on top of these images for extra effect. On top of that, the stamps are now in full color to better help them stand out in these images.
3 Earn Endless Coins Using The Lucky Bell
One of the primary mechanics of Bowser's Fury is that there is no life system. Instead, similarly to Super Mario Odyssey, there is a coin-based system where each time Mario dies, coins are subtracted. That said, like in Super Mario 3D World, the coin counter resets after it hits 100 but rewards the player with a power-up they can hold on to.
This is why finding the Lucky Bell on the map is so important because ground-pounding while wearing the power-up will keep giving the player coins.
2 Die But Keep The Collectibles
One of the great things about a Mario game is the collect-a-thon element. In Super Mario 3D World, each stage has three green stars and a stamp for players to locate. In the Wii U version of the game, players needed to make sure that they found a checkpoint or reached the end in order to hang on to their collectibles.
Now, players can die after collecting something and still hold on to it as long as they don't run out of lives and complete the stage.
1 Using Fury Stakes Against Bowser
The fights between Fury Bowser and Giga Cat Mario are the pinnacle moments of Bowser's Fury gameplay. Early on, the main way to get rid of Bowser is to ground-pound on his belly after he tries to land on top of Mario. However, more mechanics are introduced that give players alternative tactics they can take to damage the inky boss.
When Bowser brings down Fury Stakes, they are important to dodge. However, once they are in the ground, pick them up. They can be used to throw at Bowser and knock him to the ground in order to perform a ground-pound.