Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury is bringing one of the Wii U's most critically-acclaimed games to the Nintendo Switch. And while many may have been satisfied with a simple port that brought the Wii U classic to Nintendo's latest console, the game is actually making quite a few quality of life changes in an effort to improve the experience across the board. This includes a big change to the Captain Toad bonus levels that players will come across while playing the Super Mario 3D World portion of the game.
Super Mario 3D World is built for co-op, with the game supporting up to four players. But while the vast majority of Super Mario 3D World can be played in co-op with friends, the original game had Captain Toad bonus levels that were restricted to one player. The Super Mario 3D World Switch re-release is changing that, allowing up to four players to participate in the Captain Toad bonus levels this time around.
It's possible this change was made due to the Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker Switch re-release that proved the concept works quite well in co-op. Regardless, it's not the only co-op improvement coming with Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury. The new version of Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury supports online co-op for the first time, so fans will have options when it comes to playing with their friends.
These new co-op options could make Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury worth double-dipping for Switch owners who already played the game extensively on Wii U, but there are some other bonuses to take into account as well. Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury has new amiibo support, plus it also runs faster, theoretically allowing for a generally smoother gameplay experience across the board.
The big new addition to the game is the Bowser's Fury expansion, however, which adds a big new open world for players to explore. Unlike the more linear levels found in the Super Mario 3D World base game, the Bowser's Fury level is more akin to a classic 3D Super Mario experience, like Super Mario 64 or Sunshine.
The Bowser's Fury trailers have been impressive so far, but the jury is still out on whether or not it justifies players paying full price for an eight year old game that they may have already played extensively on the Wii U. Fans will find out if it lives up to expectations when Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury comes to the Nintendo Switch next month.
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury launches February 12, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.