The 50 Best Nintendo Games Right Now (Wii U / 3DS)

Best Nintendo Games List – #30 Super Mario 3D Land

Developer: Nintendo EAD Tokyo

Publisher: Nintendo

Platform: Nintendo 3DS

Release Date: November 13, 2011

Before Super Mario 3D World launched for the Wii U, Mario had already paved the wave for the 3D platforming adventure we would come to expect from the series. Super Mario 3D Land is an important Nintendo 3DS title not just because it helped bring relevance to a then-fledgling handheld during its first holiday season, but it created its own style of Mario gameplay that hadn’t been created; a teaser of the mind.

You see, Super Mario 3D Land brought for the important 3D video feature for the Nintendo 3DS, doing so in a way to subvert the mind to platform in a three-dimensional space. Because of this, the level design of stages added verticality to improve upon the series’ left-to-right sensibility. It meant using your brain to look, explore and discover hidden treasures in a style of Mario game that typically leaves the suspense hanging out in public view. This adaptation would be improved upon years later, but Super Mario 3D Land meant giving 3DS early adapters a proud mark of excellence early on.

Next: #29 Mario Golf: World Tour