Fun while it lasts, but it's wasted potential.
NOTE: This review was written by me years ago, but it's never been posted on GB, so enjoy!
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New Super Mario Bros. marks the return of Mario in a brand-new sidescroller, which is reminiscent of classic games such as Super Mario Bros. 1, 3, and Super Mario World. In fact, NSMB is basically a hybrid of the three games, with plenty of evidence to support that fact. NSMB adds its own quirks to the time-tested Mario formula, and while it’s not completely successful, it’s a fun ride while it lasts.
NSMB begins with Princess Peach being kidnapped by Bowser Jr., the villain from Super Mario Sunshine. Each world has you chasing down Bowser Sr.’s kid from fortress to fortress, with various stages in between. The world map design is most reminiscent of SMB3; your goal in each world is to reach the fortress and defeat the big boss in each one. The path to the fortress has all sorts of diversions in the form of secret stages, mushroom houses, pipes, and more. If this all sounds like SMB3 or SMW to you, well…Nintendo never hid the fact that NSMB drew inspiration from classic Mario games.
The stages have a mostly linear design, which will probably bring up memories of SMB1. In most stages, you run to the right and reach the flagpole at the end, collecting coins and power-ups along the way. Each stage contains three star coins, which are used to unlock paths on the world map. Most players should not have much trouble completing stages, so the challenge comes from obtaining every star coin. The power-ups are disappointingly few in number, and aren’t all that interesting or useful. Of the three new power-ups, only the mini mushroom is truly useful, and will probably garner the most use thanks to the handy high jump and float.
The 3D graphics are well done; all of the stages look simple yet pretty, and the character models have a similar design. The music, on the other hand, is not the catchy type that one would expect from a Mario game. In fact, the music is forgettable and sparse in number. At least Mario isn’t as chatty this time around, making him more tolerable.
NSMB is a fun game, but it’s not without its problems. First of all, the game is way too easy. Too much handholding in a game is a quick way to hurt the whole experience, and NSMB crosses that line. 1-UPs are handed to you like they were coins, and it’s ridiculous. By the end of the game, you’ll likely have no fewer than fifty lives. In SMB1, it was exciting to find hidden 1-UPs and make a mad dash for them, but in NSMB, it’s not much of a reward because you’ll have enough lives already. The stage designs, while good, are not strong enough. The stage designs in SMB3 and SMW were imaginative, and often had difficult jumps or were otherwise fun to explore in. NSMB’s stages do get better as you get further into the game, but generally they’re over almost as soon as you begin them. The fortress bosses, sadly, are all too easy and can easily be defeated with fire flowers. Nintendo may want to tone down the occurrence of power-ups in any future sequels.
Nintendo is sure to have a top-selling DS game on their hands, but one can’t help but feel that NSMB is a game that isn’t completely living up to its potential. The game is certainly fun, but it is not a game that is as memorable as past 2D Mario sidescrollers. If you need a comparison, NSMB is the Super Mario Sunshine of 2D Mario platformers, while SMB3 (or even SMW) is Super Mario 64. The versus mode and minigames that were included add some replay value to the game, but a much more solid single player game at the expense of multiplayer modes would have been more appreciated. At the very least, NSMB had its heart in the right place.
