New Super Mario Bros.
Released: May 15, 2006
New Super Mario Bros. is a side-scrolling platforming video game developed by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS video game console and published in 2006. It is the first traditional side-scrolling platform game starring Mario since Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins was released for the Game Boy in 1992.
New Super Mario Bros. 's plot is the same as the original Super Mario Bros. and other Mario games—Bowser captures Princess Peach, and it is up to Mario to rescue her. However, at the beginning of the game, Princess Peach and Mario are out for a walk when a thundercloud slightly shakes the castle. Bowser Jr. then swoops in and kidnaps the princess while Mario is distracted. Mario must venture through eight worlds ( plains , desert , tropical island , jungle , ice , mountains , sky , and the Koopa Kingdom) to rescue her from Bowser Jr. and his father, King Bowser .
As the game starts, Mario chases Bowser Jr. (who drags the princess behind him) through the eight worlds, confronting him occasionally, but unable to save the princess from his clutches. At the end of the first world, Bowser Jr. retreats into a castle, where Bowser himself is waiting. Mario defeats Bowser by dropping him into a pit of lava, a technique reminiscent of the original Super Mario Bros. game. Mario continues chasing Bowser Jr. through more worlds, and conquering more bosses, until they reach a castle deep within the Koopa Kingdom. There, Bowser Jr. resurrects his father in skeletal form but once again Bowser is defeated, this time by being dropped into a pit. Bowser Jr. flees once more to a larger castle, where he throws his father's bones into a cauldron and causes Bowser to be reincarnated into a more powerful form. They attack Mario in tandem, but Mario is able to once again drop the pair into the pit below.
In the end sequence, Princess Peach is rescued and rewards Mario with a kiss. As the credits roll, various pictures from the game are reviewed, followed by a scene in which Bowser Jr. is seen dragging his unconscious father out of the castle. The player is also rewarded with a secret code (Hold L+R and press A when selecting file) that allows the game to be played as Mario's brother Luigi.
Gameplay
Single Player
New Super Mario Bros. was inspired by the original Super Mario Bros. ( SMB ) with many elements from later Mario releases such as Super Mario Bros. 3 , Super Mario World , Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island , and Super Mario 64 . As in past games, Mario can grab coins, stomp on enemies, and grab Super Mushrooms from blocks, causing him to grow into "Super Mario", as well as getting a Fire Flower to turn into "Fire Mario". Unlike other games in the Super Mario series, such as Super Mario Bros. 3 , Super Mario World , and Super Mario 64 , flying is not a critical aspect in this game. The game also features a world map similar to Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World . While the main characters and villains are 3-dimensional , most of the lesser enemies and objects are pre-rendered sprites on 2-dimensional backgrounds, resulting in a 2.5D effect.
Many traditional moves from Mario's 3-D games appear for the first time in a 2-D Mario adventure, including the ground pound, triple jump, and wall jump , (though the ground pound was a move of Wario in the Mario spin-off Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 ). Some enemies have also been carried over, such as Petey Piranha , and so have helpful characters such as Dorrie, the blue Loch Ness -style monster from Mario 64 .
New Super Mario Bros. contains 80 levels divided between eight worlds. Each world is represented by a map, with alternate pathways and secrets throughout. The goal of each level, as in the original SMB , is to reach the flag goal at the end of side-scrolling levels. A vertically scrolling tower level, where the mini-boss ( Bowser, Jr. ) must be defeated, appears at least once in each world. At the end of each world a main boss must be defeated in a level that takes place within a castle. Not all the worlds have to be cleared to reach the ending, as special "Warp Cannons" and "Warp Pipes" can be discovered which allow the player to skip large segments of the game (and reducing the number of levels necessary to beat the game by up to three-quarters). Collecting and spending the Star Coins scattered throughout the stages will unlock certain helpful paths and bonuses as well.
The game also rewards the player for completing additional tasks with stars on the file select screen. When the player finishes the game the first time, one star appears. If all of the games stages are finished as well, the player receives two stars. To obtain the third and final star, the player must find every secret exit, use all of the Warp Cannons, as well as collect (and spend) all of the game's hidden Star Coins. While trying to complete the game, the player can only save their progress once they have defeated a Castle or a Tower for the first time, or after having spent 5 Star Coins on a Toad House or a bonus level. Once the game has been completed, however, the player earns the right to save the game at any time while outside a stage. The game also is credited with employing sounds from past mario games of both the SNES and NES platforms.
Multiplayer
The multiplayer mode supports two players (Mario and Luigi) as they fight it out over one of five stages, trying to lay claim to a set number of Big Stars before the other player. Both players can attack each other to try and steal the Stars the other player grabbed, and Ground-Pounding a player will make him or her lose three Big Stars instead of one. In addition, many of the minigames previously found in Super Mario 64 DS now offer a multiplayer option for added replay value. Both modes can be played multiplayer with one DS game cartridge and two handhelds for the fight stages or up to four handhelds for the minigames, via the DS Download Play feature. In early screenshots, what appears to be a CoOp mode was shown.
Power-ups
All of the power-ups from the original SMB return, and as in Super Mario World , the player can save one power-up for later use. A Super Mushroom will make Mario grow into Super Mario, and give him an additional hit point . The Fire Flower lets Mario shoot fireballs at enemies. The Starman grants Mario invincibility for a limited time. The 1-up Mushroom gives Mario an extra life . In addition, several all-new powerups occur in the game.
The Blue Shell causes Mario to wear the shell in the style of a Koopa , becoming Shell Mario. In this form, he can perform a Shell Dash by running quickly, which causes him to duck into his shell and bounce around like any other Koopa shell. Shell Mario is also able to duck into his shell at any time rendering him invulnerable against most enemies. Shell Mario can swim faster and is more agile in water.
The Mega Mushroom causes Mario to grow into the gigantic Mega Mario for a limited time, allowing him to crush nearly anything he runs into, including pipes, bricks, enemies and even the end-of-level flagpole. Mega Mario can destroy any boss in the game with a single jump on the head. A ground pound in this form will cause Goombas , coins, or a combination of both to fall from the sky. In addition, a meter at the top of the screen fills as the player destroys more and more items. For every meter bar Mario fills, a 1-up will appear when the mushroom wears off. Mario is invincible like the Starman, but will lose a life if he falls down a gap, into acid, or into lava. However, his size makes it difficult for him to fall through most gaps. Also, you can use the Mega Mushroom underwater. This power-up is quite rare in regular levels but it can be obtained from orange Mushroom Houses and saved for use in places it otherwise cannot be found.
The Mini Mushroom causes Mario to shrink into the minuscule Mini Mario, giving him access to tiny passageways that he couldn't otherwise access. His jumps have slower descent and increased height, and Mario also gains the ability to run on water. If Mario is hit once in this form, he will lose a life, and Mario cannot defeat a standard enemy in this form with a normal jump, but must instead rely on a ground pound. Only by defeating the bosses at the end of worlds three and five as Mini Mario can the player access the Warp Pipes that lead to worlds four and seven, respectively.
Minigames
New Super Mario Bros. contains 18 minigames for single play (some of which can be played in multiplayer mode as well) and ten multiplayer mini games exclusive for LAN play. The minigames are split into the categories of "Action", "Puzzle", "Table" and "Variety". Many of the minigames originally appeared in Super Mario 64 DS , though some have been altered slightly. Mario , Luigi , Yoshi and Wario also make appearances in these minigames.
