

Rather than a series of open levels, Bowser’s Fury is the first Mario game to present a single open world. It shares more in common with a Cappy-less version of Mario’s biggest Switch jaunt than his Wii U equivalent to which it has been tied. 3D World has Mario following a linear path to reach a flag at the end of each stage, but with more freedom to move than a side-scroller in a 3D space that’s relatively confined.īowser’s Fury is a proper open world game, of the ilk of Odyssey. It exists somewhere between the side-scrolling of New Super Mario Bros and the Star/Shine/Moon collecting of the open level 3D Mario games. For starters, despite “3D” anchoring the title, 3D World isn’t an open 3D Mario game. Super Mario 3D World and Bowser’s Fury are cut from the same cloth, no doubt, but are opposing renditions of what a 3D Mario game can be. Bundling it with an off-the-shelve Mario game many Switch owners haven’t played is a no-brainer, as we conclude celebrations for the portly plumber’s 35th anniversary.

Ninty wouldn’t want to devalue an open world Mario game with a budget price, but we would have felt short changed for a 3-5 hour game. It’s experimental in nature, and its shorter length is likely why Nintendo didn’t risk the backlash of a standalone release. For the millions of newcomers, it’s even more attractive, with not one, but two genuinely great Mario games.Īs we covered in our preview, Bowser’s Fury is nothing like its twin game. The double package is worth the price of admission for Bowser’s Fury - so long as you have some interest in replaying 3D World.
#Fury unleashed game length full#
While we are hesitant to recommend Wii U owners double dip on most Switch reruns for a comparable experience, at full price, this one is different. But unlike most of the Wii U’s greatest hits, it arrives with significant new content in the form of Bowser’s Fury.

Super Mario 3D World is one of the last Wii U exclusives to see a revival on Switch. Old meets new as Nintendo delivers two distinct takes on 3D Mario.
