Updated! New questions! New answers!

We've played the first two worlds of Super Mario 3D Land, and so we opened our inboxes to invite questions from you, the information-hungry Nintendo Life readers.

Of course, the game isn't out yet so there are some questions we simply can't answer, but in the interests of fairness we'll reproduce those questions all the same.

Before we commence, make sure you've read our Super Mario 3D Land preview to get a feel for Mario's first 3DS game.

To check out our previous answers, skip ahead to page two. For the fresh information, just keep reading.

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Zippy: Are you able to keep your Power-Up after you finish a course, as in the 2D games? Or do you always start every course without a Power-Up, as in the Galaxy games?

You start with your last power-up, but you can harbour another one on the touch screen too. Let's say you're Tanooki Mario and you pick up a Fire Flower — the Tanooki leaf then goes down to the touch screen to use later.

nano43: Is this game like Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Super Mario 64 put together? Can you do the spinning move like in the Super Mario Galaxy games? What about the triple jump and the backflip?

Nope, not really: it's more like Super Mario Bros. 3 with a bit of Mario 64 in there. There's no spinning move, but the backflip is definitely in there, although we're not so sure about the triple jump.

Matthew: its been long time Bombshell Koopas came out super marioland 1989 i hope Bombshell Koopas return super mario land 3D why they don't Bombshell Koopas anymore on mario 3D???

Honestly dude, we have no idea.

Alex: Can you tell us a little more about the music used? Lots of new tunes or also old favorites as used in Galaxy 2? What is that level that looks like the very first Super Mario Bros.?

Music is all-new and very catchy in places, with some nods to previous games with things like following the trail of notes and so on. Not sure about the level that looks like Super Mario Bros. — it wasn't available in the preview levels we played.

Gabrielwoj: You know if there are "cameos" in this game? Cameos from other Super Mario games. I know Super Mario Galaxy 2 had some cameos, such as Super Mario 64/Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Sunshine.

Well the whole game is built on traditional Mario levels so it's not really a case of "cameos" but a case of "here's what we've done before with a twist". The Super Mario Bros. Level is a good example of course, but there'll be plenty of bits familiar to veterans of any Mario game.

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soylent_system: Does the game in any way make use of gyro controls? If so, what examples have you encountered? Does it work alongside the 3D?

Yes, gyro controls are in. We used them to look through mounted binoculars to get a good view of the level, but we're told that Nintendo hasn't fully revealed the game's gyroscope controls yet, so it's possible there's more to come. As for whether it works with 3D, it does indeed (as long as you're gentle).

Luke: In that one interview with Miyamoto, he mentioned alternate routes that reward the player (and eventually put them back on track). What exactly do these paths contain?

We wrote this about alternate routes in our preview:

As a result they're less field-like than 64's stages; exploration is rewarded with a quick power-up and a prod to get back on track, with alternate routes soon dovetailing together again.

Generally you'll grab a power-up, extra time or a Star Medal and then rejoin the main path of the level. Sometimes you'll get a little bit more to do, but usually it's a power-up and a nudge back.

Kate: Does the game use the pedometer coins in any way? if so-how?

Not any way that Nintendo has talked about yet. Sorry!

Paco: Is the control full 360° or has it only 8 directions?

Total 360º control. Circle Pad was made for this game.

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Caleb: Are there multiple battles with Bowser, or do you only play against him on the last level?

We only played one boss so we can't really say yet. However he only appeared in the final stage of World 1, if that helps.

Joe: Do coins count as HP in this game? Or do power-ups?

Power-ups are HP. You start every level as Super Mario — take damage and you go down to "Small Mario". Coins are still there — collect 100 for a 1-up, of course — but health-wise it's all power-ups.

smc: Is the game running at 60fps or 30fps?

A very lovely and completely adequate 30 frames per second.

Sam: Does Mario go to sleep in this game like he does in Mario 64/Sunshines/Galaxy/Galaxy 2?

We didn't wait long enough to find out, we were too busy playing Super Mario 3D Land. Sorry.

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Victor: I tend to play the 3Dgames in 2D due to the fact that the 3D really hurts my eyes and gives me a migraine after too long. Does this game have to be played in 3D to get the full enjoyment (example would you need the 3D turned on to make use of items, levels or bosses in the game) or can it be played just as well with the 3D turned off?

Hey, Victor. Sorry to hear about your 3D-induced migraines.

You can play the game very comfortably with 3D turned off: you don't get the 'wow' factor but 3D certainly isn't essential to enjoy the game. Even the stages where 3D is used most effectively — the Escher-like visual puzzles — have a switch to change the viewpoint, so even in 2D mode you can see what you need to do.

AJ: 1. Does the level timer pause when Mario stops to view the scenery? 2. Can you save 3D snapshots of the worlds to the SD card? (similar to the snapshot function in Smash Bros?)

1. No.
2. Afraid not.

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Ron: 1. Since the game has illusion puzzles, it is harder to figure out those puzzles w/ the 3d effect (turned) off 2. What power-ups(old, & new) are present? 3. Are the levels short-burst style of gameplay, or long? I mean clear in 3 minutes vs. clear in 5-10 minutes?

1. At first glance yes, you'll struggle, but then you can step on the camera switch to change things around.
2. Fire Flower, Tanooki Suit, Propeller Block, Starman, Boomerang Suit, Super Tanooki suit — available after five deaths, this makes you into an invincible Tanooki Mario for a short time — and the P Block, which transports you to the Goal Pole after eight deaths.
3. Short-bursts mostly. Some will take longer of course — we've only played the first two worlds.

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B.J: Will Luigi and Yoshi be playable characters? And will the Koopalings appear in the game?

Nothing so far has suggested Yoshi will appear, so we're 99% confident in saying he won't be included. However, this panoramic Mario artwork includes a Luigi statue which certainly suggests he'll appear in some capacity: perhaps not playable, but in Green Star-like challenges.

As for the Koopalings, we've not seen anything of them yet but there are still six bosses we haven't seen.

Robin: Will the game include multiplayer?

No, Nintendo has confirmed this is a single-player only game.

Hussain: How would you describe the difficulty in Super Mario 3D Land? Is it too easy, or will it give us challenges in a similar fashion to Super Mario Galaxy 2's green stars?

We've only played the first two worlds — there are eight in total — and even Shigeru Miyamoto says the game doesn't get difficult until the final world. That said, we didn't have too much difficulty to start with: the fact you start as Super Mario means you can take a hit and still survive, which is obviously a bit more forgiving. Mario newcomers might find it more challenging, but seasoned plumbing veterans will ease through the first two worlds at least.

AJ: Are the worlds named or numbered? Does the game make creative use of alternate exits, as Super Mario World did, or is it strictly a linear path from one world to the next? Also, is there a separate world map for each area in the style of Super Mario 3 and New Mario Brothers, or does the entire overworld take place on one large, expansive plain, like Super Mario World?

The worlds and their stages are numbered or feature icons, so it's World 2-3, World 1-Castle, World 2-Airship. Everything we've seen and played so far suggests a single exit via the Goal Pole, but this is Nintendo, so there may be Warp Pipes tucked away.

As for the map itself, it's broken down into Worlds, each of which is a single straight line. Nothing special, really.

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Shockerz: I'm curious to what the medal coins do in this game, they were my favorite in Super Mario Galaxy 2 but what do they unlock in this game?

Each stage has three Medal Coins, which are used to unlock "Mystery Box" stages from the World Map. If you've played Super Mario Galaxy 2 these are like the green pipe mini-challenges: you're in a room full of enemies, and you have to defeat them to earn a stack of coins and usually a power-up. They're bonus stages, and usually over pretty quickly, but of course there's always scope for more complex levels in later worlds.

Andrew: In a screenshot of Super Mario 3D Land, level 1-1 on the map appears to consist of a grassy field with colored blocks from SMB3, Goombas, and Cheep-Cheeps. But, in the second trailer for 3D Land that came out after TGS '11, world 1-1 has a white and pink structure extremely reminiscent of Princess Peach's Castle. Would you happen to know whether Level 1-1 takes place at or near Peach's Castle or not?

Excellent eyesight! We assume you mean this screenshot when compared to this trailer. In this very recent screenshot of World 1-1 you can see Peach's castle is in the background, but a shot of the world map released on the same day doesn't show Peach's castle. We're getting mixed messages from Nintendo on this one, so let's leave it as open until we can get an answer.

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Joel: How many levels were in each world? Also, how does the Circle Pad feel for control, as I heard some concerns about that. Did the worlds have themes, like the 2D series, or random ideas, like the 3D ones?

World 1 has seven levels: that's including Toad's House, which fulfils the same purpose as in SMB3. Worlds themselves aren't as obviously themed as New Super Mario Bros., for example, but you'll see thematic similarities: a desert world, a grassy world, ice, haunted house and so on. The levels themselves are more centred around concepts than environments, though: one strongly resembles Flipswap Galaxy from SMG2, only more evil.

The Circle Pad feels good, though it's strange to have full analogue control and a run button, like a strange compromise between Mario's 2D and 3D control schemes.

As for the worlds, the first world starts off with the Super Mario Bros. template — 1-1 is overworld, 1-2 is underground —

Matthew: What does the Luigi statue do in this game? How will StreetPass work?

We're honestly not sure about the Luigi statue, but see above for our response. As for StreetPass, it'll allow you to exchange "items and information" according to Nintendo, which could mean pretty much anything. We asked, but Nintendo isn't ready to share this information yet.

Cyberguy: What other powerups are in the game besides the Tanooki suit, Fire Flower, and Propeller Block? Was there the Goomba Shoe? The Frog Suit? The Cape Feather? F.L.U.D.D.?

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We've played the first two worlds and haven't seen any suits other than Tanooki, Fire Flower and Propeller Block. However we do know that there's a pretty cool white, 'super' Tanooki Suit that shows up to help players who die repeatedly. We know there's more suits to come — Shigeru Miyamoto has said so — but we'll have to wait to see what they are.

Super Mario 3D Land is yours to own in just one month, so we will no longer be taking questions for the FAQ.

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