Table of Contents
- Super Mario 64
- Super Mario Sunshine
- Super Mario Galaxy
- Super Mario 3D All-Stars is a throwback to the past
I remember that my life as a video game player started with Mario. Since Super Mario 3, my first contact with the character, I've been following practically all the releases of Nintendo's main franchise. the launch of Super Mario 3D All Stars arrives to celebrate the franchise and reintroduce 3 classics to the generation of Nintendo Switch players, in celebration of the plumber's 35th birthday.
The games in the collection are Super Mario 64, Nintendo 64 original, Super Mario Sunshine, do GameCube, e Super Mario Galaxy, of the Wii. As it is a 35th anniversary celebration, I admit that I expected a little more polish in the final material. At the time of the SNES, Nintendo introduced us to the Super Mario All-Stars, a celebration of all Marios released so far, being remastered from beginning to end — but unfortunately there was no such effort in the new collection.
The collection is simple and if you expect something special, know that it's just the 3 games and their soundtracks. The highlight here is the graphics, as for the first time we have the opportunity to play these classics in high resolution, with all running at 720p in handheld mode and at 1080p on TV in the case of Super Mario Sunshine and Super Mario Galaxy. These two titles have also been expanded to 16:9, while Super Mario 64 unfortunately retains the original 4:3 format.
Mario's adventures are known for their vibrant colors and now the games shine brighter than ever. The remaster is light, so don't expect improvements in the quality of textures and the like, however Nintendo has made an update on items such as the icons that make up the screen, text boxes and the texts that present game commands. The games also feature up to 10 different languages for you to play in, depending on the title.
Super Mario 64
The first game is an era-defining classic. Launched in 1996, Super Mario 64 was responsible for defining the format of 3D platform games as we know them today. At the time, the use of an analog stick was new and camera control was innovative.
The story is the same as always: Peach is kidnapped and it's up to Mario to rescue the princess from Bowser's hands. Playing the title in 2020 is a beautiful rescue to my memories of the late 90's and there's no denying that the main feeling is nostalgia. The ultimate goal remains to collect 70 stars to defeat Bowser, and earning all 120 stars unlocks Yoshi's visit to the game.
The adaptation of the controls for the Switch is positive and the camera control, previously done through the C buttons, has now changed to the right directional pad. Unfortunately, as this is a remastered port, we don't have the freedom to control the camera freely, with it remaining the same as the fixed-position scheme introduced 24 years ago. For those who played before, adapting to this camera is simple but it can turn away potential new players.
The controls respond well and the experience of playing both in the portable version with the joy-cons and on the TV with the Pro controller is very similar, the latter being my preference. Interesting note: the present version of Super Mario 64 is the “Shindou Edition”, released in 1997 with support for the rumble pack — a Nintendo 64 peripheral that added vibration to the controller — and correction of some bugs from the original game.
Super Mario Sunshine
Released in 2002 for the GameCube, Super Mario Sunshine is known for being the most nonstandard version of the franchise so far. In the story, Mario, Peach and company travel on vacation to Delfino Island, the Caribbean of the Mushroom Kingdom. Upon arriving there, Mario is accused and arrested for dirtying the island, and to get out of prison he needs to clean up all the mess made by "him".
For this, the game evolved the formula of its predecessor and even added a novelty to its gameplay: FLUDD, the water pump that helps the player throughout the adventure. I consider this game the most difficult of the three and its controls do not contribute to the experience. The game was created thinking about the Gamecube controller and the adaptation for the joy-con is not my favorite (and oddly enough, this game does not support being played with the GameCube controller, peripheral accepted by the Switch). The layout of the buttons doesn't help and makes the game more difficult than it already is.
One of the negative points of the whole collection is the absence of the option to change the commands on the controller — and for Sunshine I missed that a lot. Of the three, it's the one that frustrated me the most in gameplay. In the graphic part the game is beautiful and its colors jump out of the screen. A point to note, however, is that with the adaptation of the game from 4:3 to 16:9, the CG scenes received a new cut to occupy the screen as much as possible, which makes the quality of the films drop a little and still cuts a little sideways.
Super Mario Galaxy
Released in 2007 for the Nintendo Wii, Super Mario Galaxy revolutionized the way to play with unique gravity mechanics, beautiful graphics and incredible levels. Its version for the Switch is, by far, the highlight of the collection and Nintendo managed to make the game even more beautiful and alive.
In this game, Mario sets out on an intergalactic adventure to save Princess Peach and recover the power of the “Grand Stars” — obviously stolen by Bowser — with the help of Luma, an accompanying star.
The differential of the Super Mario Galaxy it's the motion controls that have been incredibly adapted for the Switch. Shaking the Wiimote in the original game, you would attack enemies, launch yourself at stars and collect star bits. On Switch, moves like attacking and throwing can now be done either by shaking the controller (or the Switch, in handheld mode) or by pressing the Y button. The star cursor has also been adapted and in handheld mode you control it with your finger (the that makes the experience a little bit difficult) while on TV you control with the right joy-con or with the Pro controller. Once again, the experience of playing the Pro was my favorite.
As with Sunshine, the CG movies have not been remastered and are of a much lower quality than what we find in the game in general - but nothing that detracts from the experience.
Super Mario 3D All-Stars is a throwback to the past
The lack of more extras, a greater polish on the graphics or even Super Mario Galaxy 2 are felt and leaves the celebration of Mario's 35th birthday looking like a party organized in the 45 minutes of the second half. Available for sale until March 31, 2021, Super Mario 3D All Stars is a great choice for lovers of Mario and 3D platform games. For those who have played the 3 titles before, the collection is a rescue to the memories of the past, while for new players some of them can be a little dated (let's not forget that we are talking about games with 13 to 24 years old)
Regardless, they are unique games that will entertain you for hours on end (especially if you engage in all the achievements). Super Mario 3D All Stars is available on the Nintendo eShop for R$ 299, in digital media.
