Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury is a reimagining of the iconic plumber's 3D outing on the Wii U. The game has been recently released for the Nintendo Switch along with a fleshed-out expansion in the form of Bowser's Fury.
The game has enjoyed great critical reception in the past few days, with its current Metacritic score sitting at around 90. Many fans are having fun with the game by playing it for the first time, as Nintendo's Wii U didn't exactly sell well. However, some fans are skipping out an exclusive game-changer, which is Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury's online multiplayer.
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury Multiplayer
Multiplayer support in Mario games isn't exactly a new thing, as many games prior feature it as well such as the original release of Super Mario 3D World on the Wii U, but this was mostly limited to local co-op. That being said, many fans would agree that most Nintendo games have a track record of underwhelming online experiences, with the most recent case being the pitiful condition of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's online mode at launch which was plagued with lag and timeout issues.
While Super Mario 3D World's online experience isn't perfect, it's far better than Nintendo's past tries. For starters, there aren't many complaints circulating around regarding lag and performance, and setting up a game lobby isn't so cumbersome. A player must choose his/her save game and host a lobby, then invite the 3 friends to join it after which everything is good to go. However, players must know that the progress will only be saved on the host's save game, and not in the save files of players joining that lobby. In addition to this, the Bowser's Fury expansion does not support online multiplayer.
What Makes It So Fun?
Despite the few shortcomings, Super Mario 3D World's multiplayer is one great rendition of Mario's multiplayer outings for a key reason, which is its balance of casual and competitive play. Super Mario 3D World's levels when played in co-op will see players finishing stages as quickly as possible, all the while helping and outplaying each other at regular intervals. Some obstacles require players to co-operate to cross, and hence fellow players will have to spare some power-ups and help others to clear the stage. At the same time, players will compete for the crown which is awarded to the player with the highest score at the end of a stage. There is almost an uncommon level of strategy involved in the competition, as players figure out the most rewarding plays that must be performed to get the crown.
What makes this so special is that Nintendo isn't really known for creating competitive multiplayer-centric experiences, with games like Mario Kart favoring the players who are far behind the pack with special items. Many fans don't like the aforementioned tactics that can be cheesed to get ahead, but the reliance on regular co-operation prevents it from ever becoming stale.
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury is available on the Nintendo Switch.