Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury

With some of the cleverest level designs and a boundless sense of joy, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury is essential playing for any Mario fan.

To be clear, I’d still wholly recommend this version of 3D World even without Bowser’s Fury. The tweaks are small overall, and Bowser’s Fury isn’t going to sate the most hardcore of Mario fans looking for a brand new game, but the package as a whole is magical. If you were one of the many who missed out on this Wii U classic, fix that.

Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury is a fantastic package that any Mario fan should own. Super Mario 3D World might not be the most unique Mario, but it sure is fun. With Bowser's Fury as an extra mode, it's a smash hit.

Aside from some repetition between the two titles, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury is a joy from start to finish. Super Mario 3D World is the perfect balance between Old Mario and New Mario, and its huge variety of levels ensures it’s nothing but entertaining from start to finish. Bowser’s Fury, on the other hand, leans more into modern, open world design, but the thrill of fighting against a giant version of Bowser is unrivalled. If you’re a Mario fan – hell, if you’re just a fan of having fun – Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury is an absolute no-brainer.

There's no two ways about it- if you have a Switch, you absolutely should not miss out on Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury.

Super Mario 3D World was already a fantastic Mario title that alone made it worth owning a Wii U back in the day. The inclusion of Bowser's Fury fixes the character speed and the addition of online have made this one of the greatest Mario experiences to date. It's hard to put into words the pure joy and chaos this enhanced port has brought, but considering the main campaign was already fantastic alone, it's only been improved tenfold by the ability to bring it online and make for some of the most enjoyable chaos to ever exist in the Mushroom Kingdom. Whether wanting to play alone or take it on...

“Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury is a must-own Switch bundle that contains two wonderfully creative Mario games for the price of one.”

Bowser's Fury is good enough to be released standalone, but makes up a significant part of this excellent package.

Bowser's Fury is yet another example of Nintendo's ingenious innovation to ensure its most iconic mascot remains relevant. Its shortcomings are both literal in terms of its duration and minor, with its iffy performance in handheld mode, and cookie cutter copying from Super Mario 3D World. They're so minor, though, that ultimately my biggest complaint is there isn't more of it.

By combining the completely new Bowser's Fury expansion with what was an already stellar Super Mario 3D World, there is no question that Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury will provide you with hours of pure joy in what is one of the best entries in the overall Mario series and yet another must own title in the Nintendo Switch library.

Whilst this isn’t a game that represents great value, it’s still excellent fun. Bowser’s Fury is a nice, if a little short, addition to a game which didn’t get the attention it deserved due to the failure of the Wii U.

Is Bowser’s Fury the future of Mario? I doubt it. The formula has worked too well for too long to go too far down this antagonistic open-world path. But I hope we see similar diversions from Nintendo in the future, new ways for the familiar to surprise us.