Can I play Bowser's Fury before Super Mario 3D World?

When turning on the game, players can choose to play Super Mario 3D World or Bowser's Fury from the main menu. You don't need to unlock either game first as they are both available from the start. If you'd like to hop between the two games, that's also possible.

While the games share many of the same assets, they're rather different from each other. Super Mario 3D World is more of a 3D sidescroller that allows for up to four players, while Bowser's Fury is more of an open-world adventure for up to two players. You might just want to jump between the two games to switch up the experience every now and then.

Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Toad discover that Bowser has imprisoned Sprixies in various worlds. The four heroes set out to collect Green Stars and defeat the Koopa King. Each players has their own skills and weaknesses. Mario offers balanced running speed and height. Luigi jumps higher but has less traction. Peach floats in the air after jumping but runs slowest. Finally, Toad runs the fastest of them all but can't jump very high.

There are 12 worlds to run through and each one gets more challenging than the last. You'll have to think creatively to solve puzzles and defeat all of the enemies you come up against.

Mario finds himself at Lake Lapcat, a place where just about everything has adorable cat ears. Somehow, Bowser has turned into an enormous beast known as Fury Bowser and is terrorizing the islands in the area. Concerned for his father's wellbeing, Bowser Jr. joins Mario and the two of them embark on a mission to return Bowser to normal.

To do that, they'll need to travel to various islands, collect Cat Shines, and free lighthouses. Fighting Fury Bowser isn't a one-off occurance, though. He pops up every now and then and will unleash his terrifying fiery attacks on Mario. To calm him, Mario will need to grab another Cat Shine or beat him as Giga Cat Mario.