A refreshing return to the side-scrolling formula that makes this game feel like a sequel to the original platformer
Story
The story is simplest in the Mario series. No crazy plot twist like in the first one involving giant mushroom people saying the princess is in another castle. No, Peach is just kidnapped and Mario, her plumber in colorful overalls, must venture through lands filled with bouncy mushrooms and forest of overgrown caterpillars to save her.
Gameplay
Mario's usual 2D platformers deal with getting from point A to point B by running, jumping, and sometimes shooting fireballs. New Super Mario Bros. introduces new mechanics present in Super Mario 64. that really give a new edge to Mario abilities. He can now do a triple jump, ground pound, slide, wall slide, and wall kick. Now that Mario's ninja skills have been activated, you are better equipped to give Bowser the button stomping of his life. Or if you choose play as Luigi. The game progression is very linear and follows the same basic formula for all worlds. You play through a few levels then fight a mini-boss in a tower stage and play several more levels and fight the boss at the castle stage. Power ups new and old are present in this game, as well. Returning veterans are the Super Mushroom that makes Mario grow, Fire Flower that lets you shoot fireballs, and the Starman which allows you become invincible with the power of the rainbow. The new recruits are the Blue Koopa shell that lets you withdraw for defense, swim easily, and slide to cause damage; the Mega Mushroom which turns Mario into a giant; and the Mini Mushroom which powers-up Mario into a tiny guy that could run on water and jump higher. You can store one extra power-up on the touch screen for later use. The touch screen also acts as a progress map. The map, score, and number of star coins collected are displayed. Star coins are special coins that are collected three times from each stage to give replay value. The game plays new, but still feels like the great old classic.
Multiplayer
A nice addition to the main game are the simple casual mini-games and competitive Mario vs. Luigi mode. The mini-games are a bit too simple and easy going for my taste, but I really enjoyed Mario vs. Luigi. You can duke it out Mario style against anyone with another DS. In Mario vs. Luigi you must get a number of stars present on a choice of five maps. You can steal each others' stars by stomping on them or using your abilities gained from your power-ups.
Appeal
Let's face it, all Mario games have charmed us to some extent, but how does this game stand up? This game feels like a perfect mix of Mario's 3D adventures and his 2D platformers. The level designs make you feel like you're playing Super Mario Bros. all over again with updated polished graphics. There are a total of eight worlds with 80 levels overall each one different from one another, but still retaining the theme of that world. The 3D objects and platforms are smoothly mixed in with the flat background to create what we call 2.5D. Everything looks really polished and brand new. The audio is very catchy and sounds distinctly fresh. Some are just modern remixes of old tracks and some are just plain annoying after a while, but the sounds are perfect for the platformer. The game will continue to inflict its charm on those new to Mario and old veterans alike.
Conclusion
If you have been reading my review thus far, you probably have reached the conclusion about what is so striking about this game. This game plays anew yet still feels like the same old, same old. In some cases things are recycled to death, but New Super Mario Bros. pulls it off quite splendidly and bridges the gap between those looking for simple fun and those looking to find an engaging experience. New Super Mario Bros. is just simple plain fun for everyone anywhere.