I really dig how this game is built to bridge the gameplay gap between 2D Mario and 3D Mario. It's strange that the two types of games play so differently, and I'm excited to see how a talented studio brings these two gameplay philosophies together. I'm really digging how the game starts more linear and 2D-styled, and gradually morphs into something more like Mario 64. I have a feeling it'll play like Galaxy somewhere in the middle, and I am all kinds of okay with that. Also it sounds like this one is going to have a huge amount of post-game content like the Galaxy games, which is pretty sick as well. Definitely getting more excited for this one (finally).
Also I'm loving that you can use the boomerang to retrieve items. I always like when a little splash of Zelda mechanics work into Mario, and vice versa.