Nintendo has finally showcased the Bowser’s Fury DLC that will be included with the long-awaited Super Mario 3D World remaster for Nintendo Switch. If you haven’t checked out the trailer yet, I highly recommend you do so now.
There’s quite a lot to break down in that trailer. Not only does Bowser’s Fury look far more substantial than some were previously anticipating (the design of the DLC’s world reminds people of the more open-ended levels featured in Super Mario Odyssey) but the brief teaser offers some tantalizing glimpses at compelling gameplay sequences that make buying Super Mario 3D World for Switch even more of a no brainer than we suspected it would be. You also apparently get to fight alongside Boswer Jr., which is arguably a selling point in and of itself.
It was a sequel to “Super Mario 3D Land,” the Nintendo 3DS title that brought an isometric camera angle to the series. This has helped level designers focus on creating more traditional platform levels like the older games, rather than the open world escapades of “Super Mario 64” and “Super Mario Sunshine”. Bowser pretty much goes Super Saiyan in the Fury reveal, offering a different way to experience a beloved universe. While some Nintendo fans will already be aware of what Super Mario 3D World has to offer from the original on the Wii U, the Super Mario 3D World and Bowser's Fury bundle will have more than a few new content drops to enjoy. Well, Cat Mario and Cat Peach are on the way. The pair of brand new Amiibo figures will be landing on retail shelves on the 12th as well, adding “in-game enhancements for Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury.” For that matter, both Bowser and Bowser Jr. Will be returning to stores.
Cat Mario Cat Mario is a form of Mario introduced in Super Mario 3D World which he can transform into by using a Super Bell. This suit is not limited to Mario, and can also be used by Luigi, Toad, Princess Peach, Rosalina, Toadette in Super Mario Maker 2, and Bowser. The trailer doesn’t show how Mario’s abilities are different when he’s Super Saiyan Giant Feline Plumber Man Saiyan, but maybe we’ll get a better sense of how these kaiju fights will work when we get closer to Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury launches on Switch on February 12.
However, there’s still one question we have about Bowser’s Fury that has to be answered before we go any further: “What’s up with all of the cat ears?”
While fans on Twitter and elsewhere were quick to pick up on the fact that most of the DLC’s enemies (and other supporting characters) seem to be sporting cat ears, it turns out that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Just take a look at some of these screenshots and see if you can spot all of the cat and cat ear visual references:
While some of those designs are subtle, Nintendo eventually decides to treat subtlety with all of the respect afforded to the concept by a Zack Snyder script by ending the DLC’s trailer with a shot of Mario turning into a Super Saiyan cat in order to summon the power of a thousand felines batting a thousand balls of yarn.
That’s obviously awesome, but it sadly only raises more questions about the overwhelming amount of cat imagery featured in that trailer. The DLC may be called Bowser’s Fury, but the trailer suggests the real working name was Bowser’s Furry.
While Nintendo hasn’t formally explained the meaning of the cat imagery in Bowser’s Fury, it’s easy enough to make some reasonable guesses at what’s going on. After all, Super Mario 3D World‘s defining image was the game’s Cat Suit which granted Mario and friends the ability to pounce on enemies, swipe at foes, and sprint at high speeds (which we assume are enhanced when the player utilizes that ability at 3 A.M. when everyone is sleeping). The Cat Suit was even featured on the game’s cover.
It’s also very much worth noting that Super Mario 3D World is hardly the only time that the Cat Suit appears in the Mario universe. Cat Mario, Cat Peach, and other feline formatted versions of popular Mario characters appear in Super Mario Maker, Super Mario Odyssey, Mario Kart 8, Super Mario Maker 2, and more. Nintendo even released a video series called The Cat Mario Show which featured Cat Mario and Cat Peach sharing gameplay tips and random bits of Nintendo related information. In recent years, Nintendo has gotten a lot of mileage out of the Cat Suit.
Yet, the most interesting bit of cat imagery in the Bowser’s Fury trailer isn’t the Cat Suit, the cat ears, or even the bits of cat architecture. No, that honor belongs to the cat bell featured at the start of the trailer.
3d World Bowser's Fury
That bell resembles the Super Bell item that grants players access to the Cat Suit in Super Mario 3D World. According to that game’s plot, the Super Bells came into the Mushroom Kingdom via “Clear Pipes” that connect various worlds. In that instance, a Clear Pipe led Mario and crew to the Sprixie Kingdom.
Cat Bell Mario
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Put it all together, and it sounds like the world we see in the Bowser’s Fury DLC trailer is essentially the homeland of these cat bells and the place where the power of the Cat Suit is derived from. While there are some holes in that theory (the Super Bells and Lucky Bells in Super Mario 3D World weren’t shaped like cats), it’s certainly not unprecedented for Nintendo to base entire worlds around certain powerups. After all, the bells behave similarly to mushroom powerups, and Mushroom Kindom is the most famous corner of the Super Mario universe.
While that’s the most popular theory at the moment, we’re again still waiting for Nintendo to offer an official explanation for this fancy feast of feline foes. Failing that, you’ll just have to solve the mystery for yourself when Super Mario 3D World and Bowser’s Fury are released for Nintendo Switch on February 12.