E3 2013: Super Mario 3D World is Cat Mario: The Game, and we’re fine with that [Gallery]

The big reveal for the next Mario game has come: Super Mario 3D World is a thing, and it’s coming to the Wii U later this year.

Developed by the top Nintendo in-house team, EAD, the game is a sequel to the fantastic Super Mario 3D Land, which released on 3DS in 2011. What makes this game different? Several things, actually.

First and foremost, the game is now in HD. That’s a small tidbit, but one that’s important as it is the first time we really, truly see an HD 3D Mario. The New SMBU launch title was still stuck in 2D platform land, so going to 3D and HD together will be supremo. Secondly, the game is now a 4-player co-op romp drawing love and inspiration from Super Mario Bros 2 for the original NES. The characters — Peach, Toad, Luigi and Mario — all have unique abilities able to traverse the world and solve puzzles differently. It’s that classic love that we’re (finally) happy that Nintendo brought back.

Oh, and there are cats. Mario & crew can now grab a powerup that transforms them into feline furries, granting them the ability to run up walls and melee attack with their claws, more like a traditional action game. Yeah, you may not need to jump on enemies if you don’t want to, which at least for the isometric angle that the game is designed in could be a blessing. Just trying to aim a Mario stomp in 3D Land could get tricky, so we understand why the team went this route.

Also: it’s a cat, and Mario looks cute, and it’s a cat. Also, cats.

Super Mario 3D World launches this year on Wii U.

We’ll have more on the game this week when we give it our hands-on.