Put simply, Super Mario 3D World is stunning. Its world is beautiful, its design is impeccable, and its fun is infectious. I'm running out of superlatives here, so let me finish where I started: Go play it.

It really is a fantastic game. That thrill of hitting the top of the flagpole is still there after all these years, Mario and co leap about at the top of their game, it's colourful, friendly, joyful, and the most fun I've had with a platform game since Super Mario Galaxy 2.

While not as revolutionary as Mario 64 or Galaxy, 3D World manages to feel simultaneously fresh and nostalgic in a way the New Super Mario Bros. series never quite realized.

It's not a game that'll single-handedly save the Wii U, but it is a typically brilliant, typically Nintendo experience - and one that'll live in the memory long after the final flag pole has disappeared from view. [Jan 2014, p.45]

Traditional Mario, who perfects all the possible aspects of the plumbing trade. Indeed, this is not a revolution, but you will be frequently surprised, and you will never be bored in his company.

While I’d still like to see a proper 3D Mario game on Wii U, 3D World does so much right that it’s hard to bash the formula, especially when it veers off course so often.

If you’ve sampled a wider range of platformers, and if you don’t have an inherent predilection for Mario worlds, Super Mario 3D World will proceed like a pleasant enough curiosity. It’s a bit like hearing oldies on a radio station. It’s familiar and safe. Then it’s over and out of your head entirely, leaving you room to discover new and better music.