Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury will be with us soon enough. However, I’m wondering about this new content, and whether we’ll be able to get at it as soon as the game released. It’s been a good few years since most people will have played Super Mario 3D World, but I still think that some will want to skip it and get straight into that new stuff. There’s not been any confirmation of when players will be able to access it, or whether it’s set after the main game or before, but I think I know what Nintendo’s plan probably is for it.
In short, I’m pretty sure that those who want to play Bowser’s Fury straight away will be able to do so. It’s not in Nintendo’s best interest to make all players go through the main game and then an extra campaign on top of it. Some players might find the main game too difficult and give up before they even get there. Instead, I think Nintendo is going to make it possible to jump into Bowser’s Fury from day one. I even have some evidence!
If we look back at the remaster of Xenoblade Chronicles for the Switch, it came with a brand new epilogue story. That story was accessible from the main menu. Players didn’t need to complete the main game, which could take at least 100 hours if you wanted it to. Instead, they were given the choice of skipping straight to the new stuff, allowing them to relive the classic main game when they wanted to without being restricted in any way.
That’s why I think we’ll be able to get straight into Bowser’s Fury. After all, a lot of developers have spent quite a lot of time making this new content. They’re as excited as anyone for players to get their hands on it, so why hold back at all? It’ll also give players the chance to take loads of lovely screenshots and raise awareness of it through social media, which is what everyone really wants. I’m hoping that Nintendo doesn’t block this expansion with the main game, because it’ll make the Switch an even better place to play.