Question of the Week #2: Too Many Power-Ups?

Every Friday, join the discussion as we present a question to the community and provide a quick analysis and our very own answer! Respond with your own answer and share all your thoughts in the comments! Who knows, we might just feature your comment in our next post!


Thanks to everyone who answered our very first question last week! We got quite a few answers, and it looks like we have a mixed bag when it comes to whether or not the we liked the Forest section of Paper Mario: Sticker Star. Lot’s of people who loved it, lot’s of people who hated it, and lot’s of people in between. Good discussion, but now it’s time to move onto our next question…

Does Super Mario 3D World have too many Power-Ups?

 

It feels like every week we are getting new power-up reveals for Super Mario 3D World. This last week we got a glimpse at the Mega Mushroom and the new Light Boxes. Not long before that we saw the reveal of the Goomba Hat and the Double Cherry. If we count all the items that give Mario and friends new abilities, then Super Mario 3D World is set to have the most power-ups in any Super Mario game to date.

The more power-ups, the better, right? Possibly. There are two sides to having a plethora of transforming power-ups and additional moves. With more power-ups, you get a greater range of variety between your transformation powers and your move set. We see levels created entirely for these power-ups, and it helps make the game that much more unique.

But is there a negative side to this? If you have so many power-ups, you’ll have to spend less time with each power-up so that you have room to equally fit them all in. Say that we only had the Super Bell, the Fire Flower, and the Super Leaf. The developers would be forced to create levels that use these power-ups over and over again, but each level would be different and unique, making the most out of those power-ups. For reference, here are all the power-ups confirmed (so far!) in Super Mario 3D World:

  • Super Bell
  • Mushroom
  • Fire Flower
  • Super Leaf
  • Boomerang Flower
  • Mega Mushroom
  • Double Cherry
  • Starman
  • Invincibility Leaf
  • Cannon Box
  • Light Box
  • Propeller Box
  • Coin Box
  • Goomba Hat
  • Goomba’s Shoe
  • Koopa Shell
  • Potted Pirahna Plant

But then we run into another question. Are all these power-ups? What defines a power-up? If these are all power-ups, does Super Mario 3D World feature too many? If they aren’t all power-ups, does Super Mario 3D World feature too many? I’m excited to see your responses on this one!

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