Super Mario Bros. 3X

This game is, without a doubt, a shining example of what good level design is. Each level is impeccably made, with the attention to every detail being apparent throughout the entire game. No matter what level I played, the difficulty felt correct for its place in the game, as items and hazards are always properly and strategically placed to help and hinder the player to just the right extent. Every level has an ideal length, none make the mistake of testing the player too much or too little at a time. They're all short enough to not require a checkpoint, but none are unsatisfyingly short, either. The game also constantly throws something new at the player, continuously changing up the playing experience so that while one level would be a basic linear run, another would be a maze, the next one would be open and require exploration, and so on. None of these things ever got old because they were never used too much at a time. There's a nice mix of gimmicky levels and regular ones, which creates a nice alternation between simpler gameplay and more dynamic experience. The moving parts of World 8 and the excellent scrolling and movement of the ships are especially impressive when it comes to the more gimmicky aspects of the game. The secrets are also devised extremely well, both in terms of secret exits and hidden items. The reward is always equivalent to the challenge of getting it, and every discovery in this regard truly felt like an accomplishment. The hints that the Toads give you about the exits are very interesting and clever, which adds not only to the intrigue of finding the exits, but also to the aforementioned sense of accomplishment that locating them gives. The hints are vague, but they make you think as you search the levels for their meanings.

This game also presents a ton of amazing visuals as well. For the first few worlds, everything looks pretty familiar to what you would see in a typical SMB3-styled game. This is not a complaint by any means, but as you progress further, more unique visuals begin to appear. To name a few particularly notable examples, the transparency in the underwater levels creates a realistic effect that actually makes you appear to be submerged. The grassy interlude stages of the water world feature flowers that add a small touch of originality to an otherwise familiar scenario. In levels that feature lava, the nearby cave tiles always look burned, which is another interesting touch of realism. The ships are structured and decorated in a highly detailed manner, referencing heavily to the style that SMB3 used. The dark and gloomy atmosphere of World 8 as a whole is especially impressive, as it truly sets the stage for an endgame world. It feels different from your typical World 8 lavaland, while still fitting very properly with that theme. It's a neat hybrid of a volcanic setting and a desolate wasteland. The foreground fences are also neat details for that world, and they give those levels a Super Mario 64 feel. The world map also shows off some fascinating details, such as the underwater area and ice/cloud mix. The warp zones are also creative with their black and white color scheme. Every world in the game felt like a zoomed-out version of the levels within, and the maps are always nicely laid out to match their respective environments, both in terms of decoration and overall shape. The original SMB3 elements are still widely used, but combined with the more original and creative ones, the entire game feels like a splendid mix of new and old.

If I had anything to complain about in regards to this game, it would be that on most of the ship levels, some gaps are only two tiles high. This wouldn't be a problem on its own, but if you aren't small and you happen to jump in that space while a ship is moving down, you get crushed and die. It doesn't look like the sort of thing that should happen, and it's a nasty surprise when it does. Just making the gaps three tiles high or more would fix this right up.

Overall, this is a stellar game and an ideal example of a 2D Mario game done right. Despite having played numerous levels in SMBX, this game was a fresh and entertaining experience from start to finish, with a design style so refined and amazing that I was almost sad when the game was over. I could feel that in the structure of the game as a whole that these levels were designed with maximum respect for quality and an optimal gaming experience all the way through, and it made me very glad to have come across this. If it weren't for the ship crushing issue I mentioned above, I would give this 5 stars. That is literally the only flaw in the whole game. Spectacular job.