Super Mario 3D World

It's another peaceful night in the Mushroom Kingdom, and Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, and a random blue Toad are enjoying a nice stroll. That is, until they stumble upon a clear warp pipe that's been haphazardly stuck in the ground. Putting their plumbing skills to work, Mario and Luigi fix it up, allowing an adorable green fairy and a host of strange power ups to pop out! Said adorable fairy is a Sprixie Princess, and she comes from a strange and distant land that's being terrorized by a certain familiar flame-spitting turtle who has kidnapped her fellow princesses... And right when she's explaining this, said flame-spitting turtle, the ever-persistent Bowser pops out of the pipe and swipes her in a glass jar for his own nefarious ends! Unwilling to just watch another princess be kidnapped, Peach dives in after him, and when Mario and friends follow, they all end up in the Sprixie Kingdom. Can they traverse this strange world and save all seven princesses from Bowser?

Super Mario 3D World is a Wii U platformer released on November 23, 2013. Much like the preceding Super Mario 3D Land, it's a level-based 3D Mario game that plays like one of his 2D adventures, only this time it's packing New Super Mario Bros-style multiplayer for four different players at once. It also takes a page out of Super Mario Bros. 2s book by letting you play as Mario, Luigi, Peach, or Toad, all of whom have different physics with some characters being more appropriate for certain levels than others. There are also certain levels where you can play as Captain Toad from Super Mario Galaxy, which are focused more on puzzle-platforming and carefully navigating a 3D space. Said levels would be followed up by Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, a spinoff themed around the captain himself!

Super Mario 3D World was re-released for the Nintendo Switch on February 12, 2021, where along with certain quality of life improvements it was bundled with a new game: Bowser's Fury, which sees Mario teaming up with Bowser Jr after Bowser himself has been transformed into a gigantic, terrifying monster.

Tropes used in Super Mario 3D World include:

Action Girl: Since she hasn't been kidnapped for a change, Peach gets to kick bad guy butt alongside the Mario Bros (and Toad)! Once you beat the game, Rosalina gets to join the fun.
Adorable Evil Minions: Cat Goombas are so cute! Goombas already have a bit of Ugly Cute appeal going for them, but when they're fuzzy, scamper around, and meow when they dive from high places, you'll find yourself wishing you could cuddle with them instead of squish them.
- Ant Troopers are also pretty cute, since they're round and chubby ants with adorably big yellow eyes. Ditto for Blocksteppers, which are tiny cubical Octorok-looking things with big hats that constantly march while chanting in high-pitched voices. When you kill one, the way the rest of them flip out and run around in a panic makes them even cuter.
Advancing Wall of Doom: A few of these show up in the form of an unstoppable cloud of purple smoke and a swarm of Fuzzies respectively.
And Now For Something Completely Different: Several levels have you play as Captain Toad instead of the main characters. His platforming skills leave... a lot to be desired, but since his levels are puzzle-based and not meant to be platforming-focused, it works out for him.
Anti-Frustration Features: While not hard, the boss fight against Bowser in World Castle can really eat up time thanks to how stingy the Koopa King is when it comes to throwing his soccer balls. If you're worried about timing out and dying against him, there are plenty of Boomerang Flowers in his stage, and you can toss boomerangs at his car to hurt him instead.
- The Switch version lets you keep any Green Stars or Stamps you collect in a level if you die. You still have to beat the level to truly obtain them, but you no longer have to start a level over again if you die after touching a checkpoint flag beyond a collectible, nor do you have to endanger yourself again to grab one of the trickier ones.
Autobots Rock Out: All of Bowser's boss fights are set to blaring electric guitars.
Badass Adorable: Mario, Luigi, Peach, Toad, and Rosalina make all kinds of cute cat sounds when they're wearing the Cat Suit, and they're still undeniable ass-kickers. Even Bowser gets in on this when he uses a Super Bell to become Meowser, a fluffy cat/tiger/lion/turtle who is still a threatening foe despite how goofy he looks.
Badass Princess: Thanks to this being one of Peach's rare outings as a playable character in a Mario platformer, she's just as capable of kicking ass and clearing dangerous stages as the Mario brothers.
Bee Afraid: Stingbies return from 3D Land and are just as aggressive and persistent as ever.
Big Bad: Who else but Bowser?
Big Band: This is the theme of the game's OST: most songs are very swanky and upbeat, often accompanied by tons of brass.
Big Boo's Haunt: Levels such as Shifty Boo Mansion, Spooky Seasick Wreck, and A Beam In The Dark are all haunted levels that are crawling with Boos and Peepas. The first also gets remixed into the harder Shiftier Boo Mansion.
Big Creepy-Crawlies: Ant Troopers, which are large chubby ant enemies that always seen marching in lines and are capable of clinging to walls and ceilings. The Big Ant Troopers are way bigger, and are so bulky that nothing can kill them.
Boss Arena Idiocy: Why, Meowser? Why would you have POW blocks installed on your tower when they're the only thing that can hurt you?!
Boss Only Level: The first two fights with the Hisstocrats and Motley Bossblob are these, and a few of the enemy blockades (Boss Broulder, Prince Bully) also count.
Breaking the Fourth Wall: When you defeat Bowser in World Castle and think you've saved the day, Bowser grabs and swipes away the level clear screen and kidnaps all the Sprixie Princesses at once.
Brutal Bonus Level: Worlds Star, Mushroom, and Flower have levels that can swing between very hard and fairly easy in terms of challenge level, but World Crown is INSANE. Not only is it home to a long, grueling gauntlet of challenging Mystery House puzzles that force you to start all over if you mess up, but Champion's Road takes Platform Hell to ridiculous extents.
Bubblegloop Swamp: There are a few swampy levels, but Piranha Creeper Creek is the most famous.
Bubbly Clouds: World 6's atmosphere is that of a delightful cloudy paradise in the sky. Levels such as Clear Pipe Cruise and the Great Goal Pole also serve as traditional sky levels.
The Bus Came Back: Several Mario enemies finally return after long absences: Chargin' Chucks and Galoombas (the rounder Goomba lookalikes that you could flip over and pick up) from Super Mario World, and Bullies from Super Mario 64.
Cartoon Bomb: Traditional examples can be chucked around, but there are also bombs designed like soccer balls. Instead of throwing them, you kick them into whatever you want blown up.
Cat Girl: Princess Peach and Rosalina become this with the Cat Suit power up. Not fanservicey, but still adorable.
Cool Car: The Pimpmobile, Bowser's badass and stylish looking car that he uses for his first two boss fights.
Cute Giant: Plessie's a downplayed example: he isn't enormous, but he's still big enough for all four characters to comfortably ride on. And as far as cuteness goes? He's basically a big Yoshi mixed with a Plesiosaur, and you can make him giggle by petting him like a puppy. Aww...
Cute Monster Girl: Pom Pom returns from 3D Land, and is still incredibly adorable. She's even packing some new ninja skills to boot!
Damsel in Distress: Since Peach hasn't been kidnapped for once, you're tasked with saving seven adorable Sprixie Princesses who Bowser has locked away in giant bottles.
Deliberately Monochrome: Shiftier Boo Mansion is a remixed version of Shifty Boo Mansion, and one of the changes is a black-and-white filter that makes it look like an old horror movie.
Difficult but Awesome: Toad's not as good at jumping as everyone else and his high speed can lead to him zooming off of platforms and cliffs to his death, but once you've gotten a hang for how his physics work, he can clear levels in no time flat and is even officially considered by Nintendo to be the perfect speed-runner character.
Disc One Final Dungeon: While Mario veterans might not be fooled by World Castle's presentation as the supposed last world, it does make for a convincing fakeout: not only is the world map a lava-filled hellhole, but Bowser's Castle looks just as imposing as the Definitely Final Dungeon versions in other games, like the preceding Super Mario 3D Land.
Dishing Out Dirt: Brolders and their leader, Boss Brolder, are living rock monsters.
Double Jump: Rosalina can do this thanks to her spin attack. But she only has it in her standard and small forms: if you've picked up a power-up, no spin attack for you!
Dual Boss: King and Queen Hisstocrat will fight you together during the game's Boss Rush.
Egopolis: The final world is a theme park called World Bowser.
Elite Mooks: Octoombas have come a long way from being interstellar Goomba clones. They're immune to most forms of attack save for ground pounds, and are a lot more aggressive as well.
Everything's Better With Dinosaurs: Yoshi may not be present, but we still have Plessie as an adorable dinosaur mount!
Everything's Squishier with Cephalopods: Octoombas return from the Galaxy games, and have taken several levels in badass along the way.
Fake Longevity: If you want every single stamp in order to beat the game 100%, then buckle up: You need to beat every stage with every character. Oh, and one of those characters, Rosalina, isn't even available until the postgame, so replaying levels at least once even in multiplayer is inevitable.
Feathered Fiend: Conkdors, which are long-necked ostrich enemies that will slam their beaks down on you if you get too close.
Getting Crap Past the Radar: When Mario and friends jump in the clear pipe that takes them to the Sprixie Kingdom, Peach is in the lead which leaves Mario staring right up her dress.
Green Hill Zone: World 1's map is a calm, peaceful hilly meadow as befitting of the world that's meant to ease you into the game. The first level, Super Bell Hill, is also a very green and easy stage.
Jiggle Physics: Peach and Rosalina. No, not in THAT way, but their dresses have a very visible bounciness to them.
King Mook: A lot of the bosses are this: you've got Boss Brolder, King Ka-Thunk, Prince Bully, and the Hisstocrats. Though in the case of the Hisstocrats, their smaller snake henchmen are only fought alongside them, and King Ka-Thunk is weird for being the King Mook to faceless obstacles as opposed to proper enemies.
Laser-Guided Karma: During the credits, a miserable Bowser can be seen stuffed into the same jars he had trapped the Sprixie Princesses in.
Lethal Lava Land: The world map for World Castle as a whole is this, and as far as specific levels go, you've got Fort Fire Bros, Grumblump Inferno, and Boss Brolder's Castle among others.
Level Ate: There are several levels made entirely out of delicious desserts, such as Cookie Cogworks and Cakewalk Flip.
Light Is Not Good: Instead of a Mordor-style wasteland full of lava pits, the final world is a bright and colorful amusement park lit up by tons of dazzling neon lights.
A Load of Bull: Bullies return from Super Mario 64, but have been redesigned to where their horns are more bull-like to fit with their aggressive nature, as opposed to the devil horns from previous games.
Me's a Crowd: The Double Cherry power up, which will create clones of whoever you're playing as that will mimic your behavior. Pom Pom and Boom Boom will also create fake copies of themselves during their boss fights, but it's easy to see right through them and attack the genuine article.
Mix-and-Match Critters: Conkdors are large ostrich-style bird enemies with toucan beaks and Koopa/turtle shells.
Monster Clown: Motley Bossblob, who looks like a Koopaling that took up a life as a jester. He's fairly adorable, at least until he surrounds himself in liquid metal shaped like a fat, malevolent clown. Once he starts trying to squish you flat, he becomes a lot less adorable.
Moving the Goalposts: World Star-4 is Bowser taking this to a literal level: the goalpost moves away from Mario and his friends and only touching it or dying beforehand ends the level.
Nostalgia Level: Take a wild guess as to what game Super Galaxy is a throwback to. If the name doesn't tip you off, the friendly Luma NPC's, Octoomba enemies, background music, and Rosalina's presence will.
- Super Block Land is also one to Super Mario 3D Land, complete with the music from the first level playing in the background.
One-Winged Angel: Meowser, which is the name of the tiger form Bowser takes after using a Super Bell for the final boss fight. Along with Bowser's usual abilities such as fire breath and super strength, Meowser has the acrobatic capabilities of Cat Mario and friends and will chase you all over his tower by running across its walls. And when you're halfway close to beating him, he grabs a Double Cherry and sends clones of himself after you.
Paper-Thin Disguise: The Goomba Head power up simply has the character you're playing as wear a (admittedly, convincing) Goomba head that does nothing to disguise their legs. Goombas however are always fooled by it, even with Peach or Rosalina's obvious dress poking out from beneath it.
Promoted to Playable: Captain Toad goes from NPC to playable character in this game, though only in special levels that are more puzzle-oriented than the ones in the main game.
Somewhere a Paleontologist Is Crying: Plessie's name indicates that he's meant to be some kind of Plesiosaur-styled creature, but he looks nothing like one aside from his face bearing a vague resemblance to Dorrie's redesign. He has a lot more in common with generic Ornithopod dinosaurs, but even then he's more of a general Cartoon Creature shaped like a big, goofy prehistoric animal.
Speaking Simlish: When the Green Sprixie Princess explains what Bowser's been doing, her language is a bunch of adorable-sounding gibberish. This doesn't stop the princesses from yelling "Help me!" in English when you get near their castles, however.
Tennis Boss: Or rather, Soccer Boss: during his first two boss fights, Bowser tosses exploding soccer balls at you that you'll have to kick back at him.
Took a Level In Badass: Along with Rosalina, Octoombas return from Super Mario Galaxy and they're a lot harder to deal with. Remember how they were basically alien Goombas? Yeah, now they're not only immune to jumps, but they're immune to most forms of attack and can only be beaten with a ground pound. They're also a lot more aggressive, making them Demonic Spiders in the game's brutal bonus levels.
Unstoppable Rage: A minor examples in the form of Madpoles, who are aggressive tadpole enemies who will charge you with a noticeably cheesed-off expression on their faces.
Video Game Cruelty Potential: In multiplayer, you can grab your friends and hurl them off cliffs or into enemies or obstacles just to be a dick. You can also attack NPC Toads and the adorable generic Sprixies all you like.
Wutai: Hands-On Hall was designed with this trope in mind, which results in a memorable, stereotypically fuedal Japanese-feeling level.
Yokai: The Hisstocrats seem to be cutesy versions of the Yamada-no-Orochi, a huge eight-headed serpent from Japanese myth.