Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury: Complete Controls Guide for Nintendo Switch

Here’re all of the controls that you need to know to play Super Mario 3D World and the add-on Bowser’s Fury.

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Started off as a sports writer with a focus on football, ice hockey, boxing, and American football. After leaving RealSport, I diversified my writing substantially, kept with sport, but also learned much more heavily into pop culture, iGaming, travel, business, tech, and especially gaming. Later, I co-founded Outsider Gaming, was the primary writer and editor-in-chief, and helped to train and bring on the writing talents who also had a passion for gaming. Now, I’m writing everything and anything, from sports to gaming, SEO-optimised content to reviews and previews.

Published on: Feb 12, 2021 | Updated on: Mar 28, 2023

Contents

1 Super Mario 3D World dual Joy-Con standard controls
2 Super Mario 3D World dual Joy-Con special controls
3 Super Mario 3D World single Joy-Con standard controls
4 Super Mario 3D World single Joy-Con special controls
5 Bowser’s Fury dual Joy-Con controls
6 Bowser’s Fury two-player single Joy-Con controls
7 How to start multiplayer on Super Mario 3D World
8 How to start two-player mode on Bowser’s Fury
9 How to change camera controls in Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury
10 How to save your game on Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury

Like many of the Nintendo Switch’s top first-party games, Super Mario 3D World first arrived on the Wii U, being given a new lease of life on the much more popular console.

The 3D platformer returns with a new addition, which is worthy of its own standalone game. Bowser’s Fury gives players a new way to experience the mechanics of Super Mario 3D World and take on a kaijū-sized, sludge-covered Bowser.

With several different ways to play and a bunch of different power-ups to grab, there’s quite a lot to the Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury controls. So, here’s what you need to know to play the games.

For the purposes of this Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury controls guide, the left analogue is denoted as (L) and the right analogue as (R). Pressing an analogue to activate its button is shown as L3 or R3. The buttons on the d-pad are shown as Up, Right, Left, and Down.

Super Mario 3D World dual Joy-Con standard controls

If you’re using a double Joy-Con controller set-up, such as with a charging grip or in handheld mode, these are the Super Mario 3D World controls that you’ll need to know.

Action	Dual Joy-Con Controls
Move	(L)
Dash	(L) + Y / X
Move Camera	(R)
Jump	B / A
Crouch	ZL / ZR
Use Touch Cursor	R
Reset Touch Cursor	L
Reset Camera	L
Open Item Reserve	Up
Navigate Item Reserve	Left / Right
Select Item from Reserve	A
Hold Item	Y (near an item)
Throw Item	Y (while holding an item)
Spin	Rotate (L) anticlockwise
Spin Jump	B (while spinning)
Crouch Jump	ZL (hold), B
Ground-Pound	ZL (while in midair)
Ground-Pound Jump	ZL (in midair), B (when you hit the ground)
Long Jump	(L) forwards, ZL + B
Roll	ZL + Y
Rolling Long Jump	B (while rolling)
Midair Roll	ZL + Y (in midair)
Side Somersault	(L) forwards, tilt (L) in the opposite direction + B
Wall Jump	B (while touching a wall in midair)
Use Amiibo	Left
Enter Snapshot Mode (solo only)	Down
Add Stamps (in Snapshot Mode)	R / Touchscreen
Remove Stamps (in Snapshot Mode)	R (hold) and swipe from the screen
Take Photo (in Snapshot Mode)	Screenshot Button
Open Map	–
Pause Menu	+

Super Mario 3D World dual Joy-Con special controls

There are several power-ups available across Super Mario 3D World, from the cat costume to the multiplayer moves, so here are the controls to use them all. Some of the power-ups below are listed as ‘Mario’ power-ups, but they can also be used by the other characters.

Action	Dual Joy-Con Controls
Cat Claws	Y
Cat Pounce	ZL + Y
Cat Claw Dive	Y (hold) in midair
Cat Wall Climb	Tilt (L) while touching a wall in midair
Fire Mario Fireball Throw	Y
Boomerang Mario Boomerang Throw	Y
Tanooki Mario Attack	Y
Tanooki Mario Float Downward	B (hold) in midair
Two-Player Enter Bubble	L + R
Two-Player Pick-up Friend	Y (next to friend)
Two-Player Throw Friend	Y (while holding friend)
Synchronised Ground-Pound	In midair, press ZL at the same time as the other players.
Plessie Movement	(L)
Plessie Jump	A / B
Plessie Submerge	Y
Plessie Super Jump	Y to submerge, and then A / B just as Plessie surfaces
Dismount Plessie	ZL

Super Mario 3D World single Joy-Con standard controls

For these single Joy-Con controls on Super Mario 3D World, the button will be shown as a direction and a letter, such as Left/X, to indicate the controls on either sided Joy-Con.

Action	Single Joy-Con Controls
Move	(L)
Dash	(L) + Left/B
Jump	Down/A or Right/X
Crouch	SL
Use Touch Cursor	SR
Open Item Reserve	Up/Y
Navigate Item Reserve	Left/B and Right/X
Select Item from Reserve	Down/A
Hold Item	Left/B (near an item)
Throw Item	Left/B (while holding an item)
Spin	Rotate (L) anticlockwise
Spin Jump	Down/A (while spinning)
Crouch Jump	SL (hold), Down/A
Ground-Pound	SL (while in midair)
Ground-Pound Jump	SL (in midair), Down/A (when you hit the ground)
Long Jump	(L) forwards, SL + Down/A
Roll	SL + Right/X
Rolling Long Jump	Down/A (while rolling)
Midair Roll	SL + Left/B (in midair)
Side Somersault	(L) forwards, tilt (L) in the opposite direction + Down/A
Wall Jump	Down/A (while touching a wall in midair)
Pause Menu	-/+

Super Mario 3D World single Joy-Con special controls

Here are the single Joy-Con controls for the many special move and power-ups available in Super Mario 3D World on the Nintendo Switch. Some of the power-ups are named ‘Mario’ power-ups in the table below, but the controls are the same for the other characters.

The controls shown apply to either Joy-Con in use, with the translated buttons being included. For example, the bottom button of the four is listed as Down/A, denoting the controls for the left Joy-Con and right Joy-Con.

Action	Single Joy-Con Controls
Cat Claws	Left/B
Cat Pounce	SL + Left/B
Cat Claw Dive	Left/B (hold) in midair
Cat Wall Climb	Tilt (L) while touching a wall in midair
Fire Mario Fireball Throw	Left/B
Boomerang Mario Boomerang Throw	Left/B
Tanooki Mario Attack	Left/B
Tanooki Mario Float Downward	Down/A (hold) in midair
Two-Player Enter Bubble	SL + SR
Two-Player Pick-up Friend	Left/B (next to friend)
Two-Player Throw Friend	Left/B (while holding friend)
Synchronised Ground-Pound	In midair, press SL at the same time as the other players.
Plessie Movement	(L)
Plessie Jump	Down/A or Right/X
Plessie Submerge	Left/B
Plessie Super Jump	Left/B to submerge, and then Down/A or Right/X just as Plessie surfaces
Dismount Plessie	SL

Bowser’s Fury dual Joy-Con controls

Using a dual Joy-Con controller set-up, most likely playing as Mario, you’ll have access to all of these Bowser’s Fury Controls.

Action	Dual Joy-Con Controls
Move	(L)
Dash	(L) + Y / X
Move Camera	(R)
Jump	B / A
Crouch	ZL / ZR
Direct Bowser Jr. (touch cursor)	R
Move Cursor	Motion directions
Instruct Bowser Jr. Action	R
Instruct Bowser Jr. Spin Attack	Y
Reset Touch Cursor	L
Reset Camera	L
Open Item Reserve	Up
Navigate Item Reserve	Left / Right
Select Item from Reserve	A
Hold Item	Y (near an item)
Throw Item	Y (while holding an item)
Spin	Rotate (L) anticlockwise
Spin Jump	B (while spinning)
Crouch Jump	ZL (hold), B
Ground-Pound	ZL (while in midair)
Ground-Pound Jump	ZL (in midair), B (when you hit the ground)
Long Jump	(L) forwards, ZL + B
Roll	ZL + Y
Rolling Long Jump	B (while rolling)
Midair Roll	ZL + Y (in midair)
Side Somersault	(L) forwards, tilt (L) in the opposite direction + B
Wall Jump	B (while touching a wall in midair)
Cat Claws	Y
Cat Pounce	ZL + Y
Cat Claw Dive	Y (hold) in midair
Cat Wall Climb	Tilt (L) while touching a wall in midair
Fire Mario Fireball Throw	Y
Boomerang Mario Boomerang Throw	Y
Tanooki Mario Attack	Y
Tanooki Mario Float Downward	B (hold) in midair
Plessie Movement	(L)
Plessie Jump	A / B
Plessie Submerge	Y
Plessie Super Jump	Y to submerge, and then A / B just as Plessie surfaces
Dismount Plessie	ZL
Use Amiibo	Left
Enter Snapshot Mode (solo only)	Down
Add Stamps (Snapshot Mode)	R / Touchscreen
Remove Stamps (Snapshot Mode)	R (hold) and swipe from the screen
Take Photo (Snapshot Mode)	Screenshot Button
Open Map	Right / –
Pause Menu	+

Bowser’s Fury two-player single Joy-Con controls

Bowser’s Fury can played in a two-player mode, with player one taking the role of Mario while player two controls Bowser Jr. Using a single Joy-Con each, these are the controls that you’ll need to know, with the buttons listed for both the left and right Joy-Con, such as Right/B for the left/right Joy-Con.

This first table of controls is for the singe Joy-Con use of Mario, with the second table further down denoting the Bowser Jr. single Joy-Con controls in Bowser’s Fury.

Mario Action	Single Joy-Con Controls
Move	(L)
Camera	(L) + Right/X
Reset Camera	L3
Dash	(L) + Left/B
Jump	Down/A or Right/X
Crouch	SL / SR
Open Item Reserve	Up/Y
Navigate Item Reserve	Left/B and Right/X
Select Item from Reserve	Down/A
Hold Item	Left/B (near an item)
Throw Item	Left/B (while holding an item)
Spin	Rotate (L) anticlockwise
Spin Jump	Down/A (while spinning)
Crouch Jump	SL (hold), Down/A
Ground-Pound	SL (while in midair)
Ground-Pound Jump	SL (in midair), Down/A (when you hit the ground)
Long Jump	(L) forwards, SL + Down/A
Roll	SL + Right/X
Rolling Long Jump	Down/A (while rolling)
Midair Roll	SL + Left/B (in midair)
Side Somersault	(L) forwards, tilt (L) in the opposite direction + Down/A
Wall Jump	Down/A (while touching a wall in midair)
Cat Claws	Left/B
Cat Pounce	SL + Left/B
Cat Claw Dive	Left/B (hold) in midair
Cat Wall Climb	Tilt (L) while touching a wall in midair
Fire Mario Fireball Throw	Left/B
Boomerang Mario Boomerang Throw	Left/B
Tanooki Mario Attack	Left/B
Tanooki Mario Float Downward	Down/A (hold) in midair
Plessie Movement	(L)
Plessie Jump	Down/A or Right/X
Plessie Submerge	Left/B
Plessie Super Jump	Left/B to submerge, and then Down/A or Right/X just as Plessie surfaces
Dismount Plessie	SL
Pause Menu	-/+

These are the Bowser Jr. controls available to player two in Bowser’s Fury.

Bowser Jr. Action	Single Joy-Con Controls
Move	(L)
Camera	(L) + Right/X
Reset Camera	L3
Warp	SL + SR
Attack	Left/B
Fly Up	Down/A
Pause Menu	-/+

How to start multiplayer on Super Mario 3D World

From the course selection screen, before you enter one of the game worlds, press R on a dual Joy-Con controller or SR on a single Joy-Con to bring up the Local and Online multiplayer options.

On the next screen, you can opt to connect to other Nintendo Switch devices via ‘Local Wireless Play’ or connect to others over the internet via the ‘Online Play’ option.

For local co-op, two-player fun on Super Mario 3D World on one Nintendo Switch system, press + (or – on one of the single Joy-Cons) to bring up the menu, select ‘Controllers,’ and then connect the controllers.

How to start two-player mode on Bowser’s Fury

To bring a friend into the game to control Bowser Jr. in Bowser’s Fury, you need to press + (or – on one of the single Joy-Cons) to go to the menu. Next, select the ‘Controllers’ option and connect the two single Joy-Cons. The player listed as player two will control Bowser Jr., and player one will control Mario.

How to change camera controls in Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury

In some controller formats of Super Mario 3D World, you’ll be able to move the camera around. By default, the camera controls are set as ‘Normal.’ Should you want to invert the horizontal camera or invert the vertical camera, you need to press +, select ‘Options,’ and move left or right to invert camera controls.

In Bowser’s Fury, you can also change the camera sensitivity via the Options section of the pause menu.

How to save your game on Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury

To save your progress in Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury, you’ll need to go to the menu (+), select ‘Save Files,’ and then press the ‘Save’ option. From the Save Files window, you can also load previously saved games or erase ones that you don’t want to keep.

Now you know all of the Super Mario 3D World controls to get started with either Joy-Con set-ups for your controller.

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