The first three dimensional Mario game for a hand held console that is not a remake.
The first Mario game to be played in stereoscopic 3D. It will be quickly followed by Mario Kart 7 (2011), which was released a few weeks later in 2011.
The expressing that Bowser showed when he fell into the lava near the end of the game is the same expression he showed when he was sucked into a black hole after finally being defeated in Super Mario Galaxy 2 (2010). However, the expression ended in a humorous note when some of the debris unexpectedly hit Bowser twice before falling into the lava.
When getting the Tanooki leaf, Luigi wears a kitsune suit instead of a raccoon suit. The reason for the difference is unclear.
This game features the first re-appearance of the character named Boom Boom, who last appeared 23 years earlier in the game Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988).