Honestly, it is kind of wild to think about how much the Wii U struggled when games like Super Mario 3D World were sitting right there on the shelf. Most people skipped that entire console generation. They missed out. When the game finally ported to the Switch in 2021 with the Bowser’s Fury expansion, the world collectively went, "Oh, wait, this is actually one of the best Mario games ever made?"
But here is the thing.
The original Wii U Super Mario Bros 3D World has a specific soul that didn't entirely translate to the faster, snappier Switch version. It was a weird bridge between the 2D "New Super Mario Bros" style and the full-blown 3D exploration of Galaxy. It felt experimental. It felt cozy. It felt like Nintendo was desperately trying to prove that the Wii U GamePad wasn't a giant, plastic mistake.
The Identity Crisis That Actually Worked
Back in 2013, Nintendo was in a tight spot. The Wii U was tanking. Hard. They needed a killer app, and they decided to take the blueprint of the 3DS hit, Super Mario 3D Land, and blow it up for the big screen.
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The result was a four-player chaotic masterpiece.
Unlike Super Mario 64 or Sunshine, you weren't hunting for stars in a wide-open sandbox. You were running from point A to point B on a timer. It sounded restrictive at the time. Critics were worried it was "too safe." Then they actually played it. The level design in Super Mario 3D World is basically a masterclass in the "Kishōtenketsu" philosophy—introduce a mechanic, develop it, give it a twist, and then throw it away before it gets boring.
One minute you're riding a neon-orange dinosaur named Plessie down a river. The next, you're a cat climbing a literal circus tent. It’s relentless.
The Cat Suit and the Power-Up Meta
You can't talk about this game without the Bell. The Super Bell turned Mario and the gang into cats. It sounds like a gimmick, right? It totally wasn't. It changed the entire verticality of the series.
If you've played the Switch port, you might notice everything feels a bit... twitchy. On the Wii U, the movement speed was slower. Mario had a bit more weight to him. While "faster" usually sounds "better," the original Wii U pacing was perfectly tuned to the specific layout of the platforms. The Cat Suit allowed for a slower, more deliberate exploration of the corners of the map.
And let’s be real about the Double Cherry.
Having five Marios on screen at once, all controlled by a single joystick, is the kind of mechanical flex that only Nintendo attempts. It’s stressful. It’s hilarious. It’s the reason your couch co-op sessions usually ended in someone getting "accidentally" thrown off a cliff.
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The GamePad: A Feature or a Flop?
The Wii U version of Super Mario 3D World used the GamePad in ways the Switch simply can't replicate without feeling clunky. You could blow into the microphone to move platforms or reveal invisible blocks. You could touch the screen to stun enemies.
In the modern port, these are replaced by a cursor or gyro controls. It’s fine, but it’s not the same.
There was something tactile about looking down at your hands to interact with the world of the Mushroom Kingdom. It made the game feel like a physical toy box. It also gave the "Captain Toad" levels their start. Those little diorama puzzles were so successful on the Wii U GamePad that they spun off into an entire franchise. That started here.
Why the Character Choices Matter
One of the best decisions EAD Tokyo made was bringing back the Super Mario Bros. 2 (USA) character archetypes.
- Mario: The all-rounder. Nobody actually plays him unless they have to.
- Luigi: The high jumper with the friction of a bar of soap. Essential for speedruns.
- Peach: The literal cheat code. Her float ability makes the hardest platforming sections a breeze.
- Toad: The speed demon. If you want to finish a level in 30 seconds, you pick the mushroom.
- Rosalina: The unlockable powerhouse. Her spin attack changes the combat entirely.
Having these distinct physics sets meant that a level played with Toad felt completely different than a level played with Peach. It added a layer of replayability that most 3D platformers lack.
The Difficulty Spike Nobody Warned You About
People think this is a "kids' game" until they hit World Star, World Mushroom, and World Flower.
Then they hit Champion's Road.
If you know, you know. Champion's Road is arguably the most brutal final level in Mario history. No checkpoints. No power-ups (unless you're a coward and bring them in). Just a grueling gauntlet of blink-and-you-die precision. It’s the game’s way of saying, "Oh, you thought this was cute? Good luck."
The Wii U version actually felt a bit harder because of the slightly slower run speed. You had to be more precise with your momentum. On the Switch, the increased base speed allows you to "cheat" some of the jumps, but on the Wii U, you had to earn every single inch of that final flagpole.
The Visual Legacy
Even years later, the art direction holds up. It doesn't use the hyper-realistic textures of Odyssey. Instead, it goes for a plastic, high-gloss sheen. Everything looks like it was made by a high-end toy manufacturer. The jazz-fusion soundtrack? Absolute fire. The "Double Cherry Pass" theme will stay stuck in your head for three days minimum.
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Nintendo wasn't trying to push the hardware to its breaking point with polygons. They were pushing it with style. The lighting in the "Shadow-Play Alley" levels, where you only see the silhouettes of the characters, is still one of the most creative uses of 3D space in the genre.
Actionable Tips for Revisiting the Wii U Original
If you still have a Wii U plugged in, or you're looking to pick one up from a retro shop, here is how to actually get the most out of it.
- Don't ignore the Miiverse stamps. Even though Miiverse is officially dead, collecting the stamps is still part of the 100% completion requirement. They are hidden in some genuinely devious spots.
- Play with a Pro Controller if you're solo. The GamePad is cool for the gimmick levels, but for the high-intensity platforming in the later worlds, the Wii U Pro Controller is one of the most comfortable controllers ever made. Use it.
- Find a friend for "Crown" bragging rights. In multiplayer, the person who finishes with the most points gets to wear a crown in the next level. It adds a layer of "competitive cooperation" that makes the game much more engaging.
- Master the "Long Jump into Roll" combo. The movement tech in this game is deeper than it looks. Learning how to preserve momentum out of a roll is the key to beating the gold medal times.
The Wii U might be remembered as a commercial failure, but Super Mario 3D World was its crown jewel. It’s a reminder that a game doesn't need a massive open world or a complex leveling system to be perfect. Sometimes, you just need a cat suit and a really well-placed floating platform.
To truly "finish" the game, you need to beat every level with every character. It sounds like a grind, but because the levels are so short and the music is so infectious, it’s one of the few games where "completing it" doesn't feel like a chore. It feels like a celebration of why we play video games in the first place.