Complex Complex

Multi-floor, more complicated levels dominate the second half of Book 3. This is a good thing because there are, I feel, far too many simple levels. The levels that featured on Super Mario 3D World were more complicated than these, and there's still no sign of the wonderful turn-the-whole-room cubes that were a highlight from that game.

Here are four notable levels from the second half of Book 3:

Magikoopa Keep is a tall tower with stacks of coins, pipes and Magikoopa strikes. The layout is not straightforward, and there's plenty to think about. A recurring problem is how to move a key up and down the levels when climbing becomes impossible.

Shadow Den is a lovely, dark level. At last there's a tactical reason to have your headlamp off - and there should have been more levels like this. Avoiding the Shy Guys is tricky when it's hard to see where they are, where Toadette is and where the corridors go.

Razzle-Dazzle is a beautiful pinball machine. There's lots of control over Toadette as she tumbles down the slope. Whether you want to fall down a hole or avoid them completely, there's a good amount of challenge.

Retro Ramp takes the classic layout of Donkey Kong and switches Kong for Spikes, barrels for spiked balls, and hammers for the short-lived pickaxes. The brilliance of this level is that in the classic if you went inside an alcove, there's no indication of what's behind it.