Super Mario 3D Land was one of those games that made me realize how much fun Mario could be in 3D without getting too complicated. You jump into these colorful, blocky worlds where everything feels familiar but fresh—Bullet Bills come at you from weird angles, platforms twist in ways you don’t expect, and yeah, you’ll still spend half your time chasing coins like always.

At first, I wasn’t sure about the controls—running in 3D with a D-pad takes some getting used to—but after a few levels, it clicks. The Tanooki suit comes in clutch when you misjudge a jump (which happens more than I’d like to admit). Some of the later levels get sneaky with perspective tricks, like platforms that look close but are actually way farther than they seem. Classic Mario troll logic.

It’s not the deepest Mario game, but it’s got that perfect pick-up-and-play vibe where you can knock out a level or two and feel like you actually accomplished something. The music’s catchy, too—I still hum the overworld theme sometimes.