After months of speculation by fans, Nintendo finally released a new trailer forSuper Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Furyrevealing whatBowser’s Furyis all about, and it’s not exactly what many folks expected. Instead of other Wii U ports which largely added very small additions such as additional playable characters inNew Super Mario Bros. U DeluxeandDonkey Kong Tropical Freeze, this Wii U port aims to add something far more substantial and different.
Bowser’s Furylooks to be perhaps the biggest and most interesting addition to anyWii U portseen thus far, with the game mode being almost an entirely new game. Here’s a full breakdown of the trailer that launched on Tuesday, as well as a discussion of what fans might be able to expect when the game finally launches for the Switch next month.
RELATED:Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury is Proof an Odyssey 2 Could Still Happen
New Gameplay, Camera System, Collectibles, and World
The trailer opens by showing off the various new gameplay features present withinBowser’s Fury, with the most obvious being the fact that everything looks much more open thanSuper Mario 3D World. Those who’ve played3D Worldwill remember how the game features much smaller and focused levels than those featured in other3D Mariogames. While many fans anticipatedBowser’s Furyto simply be a new level pack with similar designs to3D World’s base game,Bowser’s Furyseems to simply be one large, semi-open world.
The game’s camera is also noticeably free, and not fixed, allowing for Mario to freely explore the world a laSuper Mario Odyssey. There are even new collectibles present within the world: Mario can be seen in the trailer, for example, collecting cat-shaped collectibles. But apart from these changes, however, the game does seem to still be using most of the assets from3D World.The enemies and environments are the same, with the art style and Mario’s moveset staying true to3D World.
Joined By Bowser Jr.
Another interesting element thatBowser’s Furyfeatures is the introduction of Bowser Jr. as some sort of sidekick. Halfway through the trailer, Mario is seen joined by Bowser Jr., who assists the player by attacking nearby enemies with his trusty paintbrush and even helps by giving Mario a power-up. This is interesting, as Bowser Jr. has never appeared as an ally to Mario before, but this could have a story-related reason: perhaps Bowser has fallen victim to some sort of curse, and his son is seeking out a truce with Mario to help save Bowser? It’s unclear.
It was just recently confirmed thatBowser Jr. serves as a co-op companion to Mario, and will be playable in an optional co-op mode for the game. It’ll be interesting to see if this co-op mode will be available to play locally split-screen, online with friends, or both.
RELATED:Wii U is Trending After Impressive Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury Trailer
Giant Bowser and Cat Mario
Later into the trailer, fans finally get a good look at Bowser, who appears to get awakened. Bowser is bigger and badder looking than ever before here, seen reigning down fire on Mario. The over-world also becomes covered in darkness upon his awakening. As a result, it appears that Mario’s only way to combat Bowser here is by getting the giant cat power-up on the other end of the stage, which then turns him into a giant Cat Mario. Mario then turns ginormous, and spawnsaDragon Ball Z-like hair style. The trailer then ends here, and it’s made unclear what will happen next.
While this trailer finally answer’s many questions in regards towhat fans could expect fromBowser’s Fury, it remains unclear how big this new content will be. It seems like all ofBowser’s Furyis just one single map, with a big boss at the end, and expecting more than that is probably not wise. As aforementioned, none of the Wii U ports have received additional content that diverged from the base game as much asBowser’s Furyis, and it’s unclear how long this mode will take to complete.
But regardless of whether this mode is the size of an entirely new game or simply just a short complimentary side mode, it certainly looks like a lot of fun and like something that fans have never seen before. Players will just have to play it for themselves and find out whenSuper Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Furyfinally comes to theNintendo Switchnext month.
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Furylaunches exclusively for the Nintendo Switch on February 26th, 2021.
