Normal, big Mario can take two hits before he dies, or three if he's wearing a power-up suit - the first hit removes his suit, if he has on, the second shrinks him into small Mario, removing his hat and then getting hit as small Mario will kill you, costing you one of your stock of lives.
Tut Tut Mario - missing two Star Medals on the first level. They also add an element of replay value and encourage a bit of exploring and experimentation as you return to an earlier level to track down the last elusive medal. These aren't just optional pick-ups either, as you'll need certain amounts of them to unlock the next level, so you should try to pick up as many as you can. Scattered around each level are three big collectable Star Medals, which are often hidden a bit off the beaten track and may require a bit of thinking - or maybe a special outfit - to reach. The controls are simple, making use of only three buttons, although for some reason two different buttons can be used to accomplish the same thing - the A or B button jumps, X or Y make Mario dash when held and the L or R buttons make him crouch although only the Circle Pad can be used to move the titular plumber. That's not to say it can't be enjoyed by anyone - it starts out tamely enough in fact, Shigeru Miyamoto, the man behind Mario, Zelda and other much-loved Nintendo franchises, has even been quoted as saying it doesn't actually get very hard until the final, eighth world. Especially without a helping hand telling you what to do. While people who've grown up with Mario will get rather excited by the nods to past games - a certain bald turtle boss reappears, and Mario gets his Tanooki suit back among other things, you can't help feel you're missing out if you haven't played other games. Playing 'Super Mario 3D Land' as a relative newcomer kind of feels like one of those childhood 'clubs' you've been left out of, like when you're told there's 'no girls allowed' in the boys' football matches at school. If you die even more, there's a special set of wings you can pick up which will fly Mario straight to the end of the level. You can still fall off a cliff though, losing your mega power-up.
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So I was lucky I already knew how to do a long jump when the time called for one (dash then crouch and quickly jump, if you're interested).Īs a concession for the less-able player, enough deaths will reward you with a few special power-ups, like a Super Tanooki Leaf, which gives you the powers associated with the Tanooki suit - like the air-hovering and tail-whipping - along with making you invulnerable to enemy attacks.
As it happens, 'Super Mario Galaxy 2' turned out to be the best starting point, with it's signposts explaining how to do various moves, the helpful Rosalina who'd let you bypass tricky sections if you struggled and even a tutorial DVD included in the box - yet 'Super Mario 3D Land' offers none of this not even a cursory tutorial. Now, I'm relatively new to the Mario games, learning the ropes on 'Super Mario Galaxy 2' on the Wii a couple of birthdays ago. Once you make it to the end of a level, it's on to the next - and, with a few boss fights mixed in, you'll eventually find and rescue your beloved Princess with just a kiss on the cheek as thanks.
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Your journey takes the form of a series of different levels, from deserts to underwater to high up in the clouds, where you just need to make it from one end of the level to the other, jumping from platform to platform, dispatching enemies with a bonk to their head and avoiding perilous obstacles. Usually, they begin with Mario's love interest, Princess Peach, getting kidnapped by the evil turtle-come-dinosaur, Bowser, and it's up to Mario to trek all over the world in pursuit of her. Mario games generally don't change too much. Mario seems quite happy about his new game.