While 2021 holds plenty of secrets for Nintendo Switch fans, one of the more anticipated games in the first half of the year is Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury. While the original WiiU game Super Mario 3D World finally arrives on Switch exactly as fans remember it back in 2013, Nintendo has created a small expansion exclusive to the new console. The large-free roaming area clearly takes inspiration from Super Mario Odyssey, as Mario explores to reactivate cat shrines and ultimately transform into Giga Cat Mario to stop Fury Bowser.
Bowser's Fury takes Mario to a new region called Lake Lapcat to battle with his longtime nemesis Bowser who has been transformed into an even more dangerous enemy by an ink-like substance. Surprisingly, the most recent trailer showed Bowser Jr. seemingly helping Mario battle his father. While Bowser Jr. can be directly controlled by a second player, he's an AI-controlled partner that can assist Mario by using his paintbrush to attack enemies or reveal items for the player to use.
The official Nintendo-run Twitter account for Super Mario 36th Anniversary has some good news for players who may not want the added help inside of Super Mario 3D World. Translating the Tweet from Japanese to English indicates that Bowser Jr can be customized through the options. While details as to what exactly can be changed isn't revealed, it seems that players will have control over how helpful the AI companion will be, potentially even turning him off entirely.
Another individual known as SubPixel took it upon themselves to translate the menu entirely from Nintendo's screenshot revealing even more customization options players will have access to. Things like controlling the camera inversion, its movement sensitivity, and the aforementioned assist level of Bowser Jr. While the choice appears to be a binary Yes or No option, fans have been quick to point out that the original Japanese characters indicated the assistance level featured words roughly translated to the degree of assistance. This implies that players can control how much Bowser Jr. helps Mario, rather than just turning him off entirely.
While Nintendo has already warned players that Bowser's Fury is intended to be a shorter yet action packed expansion, Nintendo has also confirmed that parts of the original Super Mario 3D World are getting slight adjustments as well. One such enhancement is coming to the Captain Toad sections of the full game which can now be played in co-op with up to three other players. In the original game, these segments were single player only, though with the success of Captain Toad Treasure Tracker, it makes sense that Nintendo would continue to enhance the experience for this re-release.
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury launches February 12, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.