Super Mario 3D Land 15th Anniversary: Tanooki Suit, 3D Without Glasses, and 12.89 Million Sales

Super Mario 3D Land turns 15 on November 13. Nintendo released it in North America on November 13, 2011, and it mixed the short, tight levels of 2D Mario with 3D movement on the Nintendo 3DS. Here’s a look at how it plays, how critics reacted, and where it went next.

A 3D Mario that plays like a 2D one

Nintendo EAD Tokyo made the game, with Brownie Brown helping. Koichi Hayashida directed it, and Yoshiaki Koizumi produced it. Each course is short and ends at a flagpole, like the classic side-scrolling games. Mario still runs and jumps through 3D space, so the game feels like both styles at once.

The game launched in different regions on different days:

Japan: November 3, 2011
North America: November 13, 2011
Europe: November 18, 2011
Australia: November 24, 2011

New power-ups and a 3D screen that’s optional

The 3DS screen shows 3D without glasses. The game was designed to work with the 3D effect off, though a few spots are easier to judge with it on. Other parts of the game add to the fun:

Tanooki Suit: Mario floats down slowly, but he can’t fly.
Boomerang Flower: Mario throws boomerangs that hit enemies and grab items he can’t reach.
Star Medals: Each course hides three Star Medals, and the medals unlock more courses.
Special Worlds: They open after you beat the game once, and they bring harder courses.

What critics said

Reviews were very strong. The game holds a 90/100 on Metacritic, and Famitsu gave it 38 out of 40.

Sales that helped the 3DS

Japan bought more than 343,000 copies in the first week. By January 2012, it was the first 3DS game to pass 5 million copies. As of March 31, 2024, it had sold 12.89 million copies worldwide.

How you could play it later

Nintendo put the game on the 3DS eShop in the United States on October 18, 2012. It came back as a Nintendo Selects release in the United States on February 5, 2018. Super Mario 3D World followed on Wii U in November 2013, and it reached Switch in February 2021.

Did you keep the 3D slider all the way up, or did you play with it off?

Image Credit: Francisco Gonzalez Romanelli on Unsplash