Two games in one box. The first is a colorful obstacle course you can play with up to three friends, where a cat suit lets you claw enemies and scramble up walls. The second drops you in one big open lake full of islands to explore, and every few minutes a giant Bowser rises out of the water breathing fire while you scramble for cover.
Gameplay video
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Screenshots & review notes
Overall
Pairing a decade-old classic with a bold new experiment turns out to be an inspired combo, and both halves hold up better than expected.
Moment to moment
3D World's tightly choreographed levels reward precision, while Bowser's Fury's open structure feels looser and more chaotic in a genuinely refreshing way.
Art and atmosphere
The cat suit silliness and Fury's stormy, glowing world give this package a visual range that few platformers attempt in one release.
Worth your time?
Local co-op makes 3D World a great party pick, and Bowser's Fury alone is worth returning to for anyone curious what an open Mario could look like.
Frames captured from the gameplay video above; notes are our own take on the game.
What it's like to play
You are getting two separate games here. The first is a colorful obstacle course where you and up to three friends run through short, tightly designed levels toward a flagpole at the end. The camera sits at a fixed angle above you, which makes it easier to judge jumps than in a fully free 3D game. The standout power-up is a cat suit that lets you claw enemies, pounce, and scramble straight up walls, and each level introduces one new idea, a see-through maze, a musical block sequence, a boat ride, and then drops it before it wears out.
Playing it with others is where it gets loud. Everyone is grabbing the same items, stealing each other's crowns, and picking teammates up and throwing them, and the game scores you at the end of each level, so there is a friendly competition on top. Alone it is still excellent and takes about fifteen hours, with plenty of extra levels unlocking afterward for people who want a harder test.
The second game, Bowser's Fury, is completely different and roughly five hours long. Instead of separate levels you get one big lake full of small islands you sail between freely, collecting sunny objects at your own pace, with a young Bowser in a go-kart helping you out. Every few minutes the sky turns black and an enormous Bowser rises out of the water breathing beams of fire across the whole map while you either take cover or use the chaos to reach somewhere you could not before. It is a genuinely novel little experiment and worth playing first.