https://imgur.com/a/PBhfmbH/
I just finished the game. Maybe I missed most of the hype when it released, but Bowser’s Fury has to be the most fun time I’ve had playing as Mario.
I don’t say that lightly. The only mainline Mario games I have yet to play—in both 2D and 3D—are Mario Sunshine and both Mario Galaxy 1 + 2.
Bowser’s Fury seems to be an exceptional evolution from Mario Odyssey in open world game design. Every nook and cranny of the huge and gorgeous play area is designed to be a delight to explore, filled with challenges, puzzles, dynamic changes, and secrets. And it’s massive.
Sure, I miss Cappy. But playing as Cat Mario in a 3D open world with a fully unlocked camera is its own unique delight.
Props to Nintendo for creatively addressing game difficulty too (as they often do nowadays). There are many ways a player can tailor their own experience. You have a stash of items at your disposal that you can either choose to tactically use or keep for later. You can have Bowser Jr. help “a lot”, “a little”, or not at all. Bowser turns everything up a notch (or two) every few minutes (a la BOTW’s Blood Moon gameplay mechanic imo). Each area has cat shines that require different skill levels. Some even can be obtained different ways. Different areas also range in difficulty overall. You have the casual area of your “Fur Steps Island” yet you also have a distant faraway lava mountain to climb that is ridden with obstacles when you get to it and are ready to take it on.
I found that the pace you decide to tackle obstacles was a fun way to challenge myself. Speedrunning through certain sections might’ve gotten myself killed a few more times than normally would. But it made everything more thrilling, even moreso during the times when Bowser was apeing on me. Obstacles were genuinely challenging at times this way, yet not ever frustrating. Looking back I feel as though virtually every death felt deserved.
There was one section where a bunch of blocks would rotate above a large bed of lava. Going through it at speed had me tilting my head to the side. The disorientation sounds unpleasant, but the sensation was rather a blast. I’m sure the same sensation is felt playing certain sections of Mario Galaxy. Makes me all the more excited and inspired to finally play those games!
I remember the moment I had playing Mario 3D World where I realized in certain sections you could walk on top of pipes rather than ride through them. Doing the same in Bowser’s Fury felt even more fun! Another element of challenging myself just for the fun of it.
The world is gorgeous. Several spots exist that offer wide, expansive views of the world. I’d kill to play this on an emulator upscaled using a beefy pc with max draw distance in order to take it all in. It’s too bad the switch isn’t more powerful. The game’s world is ambitious. And there were frame drops from time to time, especially when Bowser was mad. But they didn’t happen all the time and it was by no means whatsoever a dealbreaker for me.
Other spots were quite secluded and cozy. I’d spend 5, 10, even 15 minutes at times just chilling in these spots fiddling around with the cool camera mode while listening to some great background tunes. Stuff like this is how you fall in love with a game in multiple ways imo.
And what a cool way to implement the stamps too! Currently have an almost completed game file of Mario 3D World on my Wii U. But being able to brings the stamps over the Bowser’s Fury is tempting me to do it all over again on the Switch!
I really only had two main gripes. I know what they were going for with Mario’s sprint mechanic: they wanted to emulate how he sprints in 3D World. I just didn’t think this translated well to full 3D. It was hard to tell when Mario would suddenly double his speed and not exactly the most fun when he’s seemingly flinging himself off a platform and into lava. I also personally view this as a problem in general with 3D World. I’m sure there are people who would disagree. 🤷♂️
The other problem I had was the lack of control you have over directing when (Fury?) Bowser awakens and (more frustratingly) when he can go away. I feel like the player should have more of a say in this after the first 50 shines. There are built in mechanics like getting a cat shine or escaping into a cloud pipe, but even with my Bowser amiibo (which allows you to spawn in Fury Bowser on demand), I found this not be enough. I’d have to wait for him to leave so I could continue my objective on a particular Cat Shine. And at times he just would. not. leave.
I am a slow gamer typically. I like to take my time I guess. So it took me 20-25 hours to complete this banger whereas I’d wager most would take on average about 5 hours less. As a full-time working adult, I felt like this game struck the perfect balance between offering a bunch of fantastic content while also respecting my time. That being said, I did not do the same for myself! I played this game in only 3 sittings it was so fun! 🤣
I’d honestly pay $60 for Bowser’s Fury alone. Sounds insane, I know. But it’s true. I just found it that fun. A VERY slim number of games hold up to it in my opinion. I am genuinely surprised Nintendo sold this alongside another STELLAR game. It’s not their style, but I’m glad they did it! If you haven’t gotten Bowser’s Fury (and Super Mario 3D World, lol)—and your a 3D Mario fan—then what are you doing?!?