| Bowser's Fury | |
|---|---|
 The game's key art. | |
| Developer(s) | Nintendo EPD |
| Publisher(s) | Nintendo |
| Composer(s) | Daisuke Matsuoka James Phillipsen |
| Series | Super Mario |
| Platform(s) | Nintendo Switch |
| Release | February 12, 2021 |
| Genre(s) | Platform, action-adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Bowser's Fury[a] is a 2021 platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. It is an original 3D platform entry in the Super Mario series and a spin-off title that derives mechanically from Super Mario 3D World (2013). The game's story involves Mario reluctantly helping Bowser Jr. on a series of cat-themed islands surrounding Lake Lapcat, which are being terrorized by an enhanced form of his enemy Bowser called Fury Bowser, having been transformed by mysterious black sludge that has also enveloped the various island regions.
The gameplay of Bowser's Fury departs from the linear structure of 3D World in favor of an open-ended sandbox overworld encompassing the islands of Lake Lapcat, assuming various design elements of the non-linear 3D Mario entries, Super Mario 64 (1996), Super Mario Sunshine (2002), and Super Mario Odyssey (2017). The player assumes control of Mario with the objective of collecting Cat Shines by completing platforming challenges while traversing across the island areas. In contrast with the prior sandbox Mario titles, Lake Lapcat is one seamless world that can be traveled on foot or with the use of Mario's dinosaur companion Plessie on water. Fury Bowser will momentarily awaken and cast darkness over the world during player activity, forcing them to either take cover until sunrise is restored, or confront him directly with the use of Cat Shines to transform Mario into a similarly sized figure, engaging Bowser in kaiju-like battles.
Bowser's Fury was primarily developed by Nintendo EPD. The title was announced in commemoration of the Super Mario Bros. 35th Anniversary event in September 2020 and was released on February 12, 2021. It was included as a companion game within Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury, alongside an enhanced port of 3D World for the Switch. The game received favorable reception, with many reviewers highlighting its numerous deviations from both its sister title and prior 3D Mario games, and its approach to nonlinear design; criticism was directed towards its lack of technical polish, the design of challenges, and the intrusion of Fury Bowser's events on the gameplay. As of March 2024, Bowser's Fury has sold 13.47 million units worldwide in association with the Switch version of 3D World, making it one of the best-selling games on the console.
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).