He has been reincarnated in various forms and formats, but this time the Mario we all know and love has been resurrected in a true action classic in the latest DS game, New Super Mario Bros.
new super mario bros returns to the roots of Mario. We haven’t seen a Mario game like this in over 15 years, and even longer when you consider that the N64 version was rendered in 3D. This version is a 2D sidescroller, but it incorporates excellent 3D graphics. Mario is rendered in 3D, as are many of the enemies and environments, although you can’t explore them like in the N64 version.
From the first seconds of the game, you can tell that a good time awaits you. The game just smacks of quality. It looks great, it sounds nostalgic, it’s brilliantly responsive, and it’s a lot of fun, and that’s just the first minute of gameplay. You can tell that Nintendo has done its homework on this game. It retains the look and feel of the side-scrolling game Super Mario Bros. but manages to update and improve it with new moves, enemies, booby traps, puzzles, bonuses and secrets so you always know you’re playing a new game and not a rehash reheated. There are many nodes in its heritage, including goombas, koopas, question mark blocks, and flag pole jumps at the end of levels, but these are classic elements that I think should be included to give us a sense of familiarity. Perhaps this would not have worked five or ten years ago, but enough time has passed that we do not perceive these elements as hackneyed.
With today’s games, we tend to take stories too seriously, when in reality the story can’t fix a terrible game. The Super Mario Bros. story is as basic as it gets, and we really don’t expect it to be any different. Come to think of it, it doesn’t have to be any different. Everything is arranged for us. Her mission is to rescue the Princess from the clutches of Bowser, in this case, Bowser Jr. He kidnapped her and took her to the castle at the end of the first level. Once you get to that castle, Bowser Jr. takes Peaches to the next castle. This continues through numerous levels. There are eight worlds in total, and a top map lets you see all the different levels in each world. It’s pretty easy to get through the entire game as there are a lot of power-ups and extra lives, but you’ll miss out on the whole experience if you just get through the levels without stopping to smell the piranha plants.
There are a couple of hidden worlds to unlock. You must explore all areas thoroughly to find all unlockables, secrets, surprises, and shortcuts. There is also the added challenge of collecting coins. Not only will you earn extra lives by collecting coins, but there are also three huge coins in each level for you to locate. This challenge isn’t easy and I haven’t found all of them yet, but I’m intrigued to get back to the levels where I missed them. The replay value is tremendous if you decide you want to find everything in the game and take on all the challenges.
Mario has a lot of moves this time. He’ll still run, jump and stomp, but there are a few more moves that give him more flexibility, and he’ll need them to negotiate his way through some of the deadliest platforming elements and enemies he’ll encounter. A back bounce will allow him to break the blocks he is standing on. He can grow big enough to take up the entire screen, allowing him to smash tons of blocks and take care of smaller enemies by stomping on them. A mini mushroom will make Mario tiny and allow him to get into small places. He will also let you walk on water. A wall bounce allows him to scale walls to reach new heights or can be used if he falls into a pit.
Platforms will twist, bend, warp, shrink, expand, float, fall, rise, and destroy. I don’t think the developers have left anything out. Even the ground will ripple, causing Mario to experience a rippling effect similar to that of a ship in a stormy sea. Despite all of these new elements and moves, the game doesn’t take full advantage of the DS’s unique control system, touchscreen control system, or even dual screen control. The lower screen is basically used to show your progress in each level. The touch function is almost exclusively used to access your power-ups. In other words, there’s nothing you’d really miss, control-wise, if this game were released on the GBA. However, the graphics are what really matters and this game would never look as good on the GBA simply because of the super powerful processing capabilities of the DS. Not only does this version look 10 times better than the Super NES version, it’s just as big. Think about that for a moment. That should tell you how far Nintendo has come.
But wait, there’s more… The game also features a two-player verse mode with Luigi. The premise is a kind of race, to see who can be the first to get five stars in a platform obstacle course. You can deliberately try to insult the other player by hitting them. This will cause him to drop the star from him and allow you to claim it for yourself. This mode can be played by sharing with only one copy of the game card. The same mini-games from the Super Mario 64 DS game are also included, but can be played with other players, requiring only one copy of the game. These minigames make better use of touch controls, but aren’t incredibly exciting.
The sounds are fantastic. It’s like having an arcade in the palm of your hand. “Is that an arcade in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?” Mario has a voice in this game and repeats some Italian-soaked clichés. Fortunately, he avoids saying, “That’s some spicy meat.”
New Super Mario Bros is new in look, feel, and gameplay, but thankfully we can still visit the old Mario pitch. This game is reason enough to buy the DS system if, God forbid, you haven’t liked any of Nintendo’s other killer titles yet.
