Review: Super Mario 3D All-Stars ★★★★

There are three separate games to choose from: Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine and Super Mario Galaxy. All of these titles have been graphically enhanced for the Nintendo Switch, both in handheld and TV mode.

If you’ve never played a Mario game, the concept is fairly straightforward. Run, jump and spin your way through the levels without being hit by any hazardous objects or enemies along the way. Collect as many coins as you can and finish the mission as quickly as you can for a higher score.

Super Mario 64 was the first in the franchise to feature open world exploration, allowing the player to roam freely around Princess Peach’s castle in an attempt to free her from the claws of wretched Bowzer. Super Mario Sunshine took a different approach, with the crew heading off on holidays only to find the island they’ve arrived on has been taken over by a dark, shadowy figure. The latest game in the collection, Super Mario Galaxy, sees the world’s favourite plumber try to foil Bowzer’s latest plan to take over the galaxy.

Graphically, it looks so much better than the originals, which were released on the N64, GameCube and Wii respectively. They’ve managed to smooth out the roughness from the older games, particularly Super Mario 64, which was revolutionary at the time but has become a relic of times gone by.

There’s some neat little features that have been added for this release, like the inclusion of a music player that lets you play 175 songs from the three games, even just as background noise. There is a co-op mode featured in Super Mario Galaxy which works really well, especially when you’re playing with a younger audience.

Super Mario 3D All-Stars is a must-have for fans of the series, or even those with a persuasion for action-adventure games in general. There is enough content to keep you entertained for a couple of weeks, and what a couple of weeks they will be.