When Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury first revealed its box art, it focused almost exclusively on the Super Mario 3D World part of the package. The only difference was a small segment in the bottom righthand corner of the box denoting the "+ Bowser's Fury" expansion. Now that Nintendo has offered more details on what exactly Bowser's Fury means for the Super Mario 3D World re-release, it has updated the box art to give the new content a bigger focus.
The new Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury box art gives the Bowser's Fury logo more focus, making it larger and putting it closer to Super Mario 3D World. It also gives more real estate to Bowser's Fury on the box art in general, cutting off the image of Cat Luigi traveling through a clear pipe to make room. The new Bowser's Fury art does a great job of showcasing the expansion's darker tone when compared to the base game, with its foreboding darkness contrasting with the brightly-colored 3D World art.
The Bowser's Fury section of the box art highlights exactly what fans will be up against when the game launches next month. It showcases Fury Bowser front and center, highlighting Bowser's terrifying and destructive new form. In the image, Bowser appears to be preparing for a fire blast that's aimed at not only Mario, but his son Bowser Jr. as well.
There's a reason why Bowser Jr. is featured on the box art, and that's because the longtime Mario villain will actually be joining forces with the plumber in this entry. It's unclear exactly how this partnership will come about, but Bowser Jr. will have an extended role in Bowser's Fury. When playing Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury in co-op, a second player can take control of Bowser Jr. directly, utilizing his paintbrush to fight enemies and fly around collecting coins.
Really the only big detail missing from the new Bowser's Fury box art is Giga Cat Mario. As seen in the most recent Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury trailer, a new Giga Bell power-up is available in the game that turns Mario into a giant cat with Super Saiyan-like energy radiating off him. Players will need to utilize this new Mario form in fights against Fury Bowser, which are sure to be some of the most action-packed moments of the game.
Nintendo could have rested on its laurels and simply ported Super Mario 3D World to the Switch, but it went the extra mile to include some substantial new content in the form of Bowser's Fury. With Bowser's Fury switching to a free-roaming environment and serving as an adventure all its own, it's fitting that it's getting a bit more attention on the redesigned box art than was available previously. And with the game set to launch within a month, it's unlikely that the box art will be changing again between now and then.
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury launches February 12, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.