The e3 demo for Super Mario 3DS was short but sweet, giving the public their first chance to see how 3D can make an impact on a platformer. Miyamoto has gone on record saying that stereoscopic 3D would be a beneficial feature to platformers, and I’m here to tell you that he is 100% correct.
The ability to see your character in 3D space makes it much easier to judge where Mario is going to land in the environment, making the jumping sections just a little bit easier. For example, in the demo there is a series rotating platforms in which Mario must jump from one platform in the foreground to another in the background. Without the 3D on, the only way to judge where Mario will land is to look at his shadow, but once the 3D is turned on, you can see exactly where you are in the environment making it much easier to judge your jump.
Mario can also collect multiple items and save one in an item box this time around,  just as  he was able to in Super Mario World. The item box is located on the bottom screen, so all it takes to collect the stored item is touch of the bottom screen.
I can not be sure, but it looks as if instead of a raccoon suit, Nintendo has chosen skip it in lieu of the Tanooki Suit. As far as I know the suit does not give Mario the ability to turn in to a statue, but that may be something we see in the final product.
Overall, the demo was very enjoyable and has some  new ideas packed into it making the wait for holiday 2011 that much harder.
Continue following Infendo for more hands on impressions.
