Super Mario 3DS Pays Homage To Link With A Zelda Level

This year is the 25th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda series and even Mario has a little tribute to Link. Super Mario 3D (working title) has a level based on the Zelda games. Nintendo presented it as a surprise during their developer’s conference.

I wish I had screenshots to share, but it’s easy to imagine. The entire stage was played from a top down perspective, just like a Zelda game, but with Mario. Cylindrical spike traps rolled throughout stages for Mario to dodge. Unlike other levels, Mario would pass through rooms and some of them had puzzles. A neat addition was a room with a locked door and four unlit candles. Mario had to pull a trick from Link’s handbook to open the door, lighting the candles by throwing fireballs at them.

A neat addition for Zelda and Mario fans, but it’s not the first time elements from these games crossed paths. Link’s Awakening gave a nod to the Mario series and added goombas as enemies.