New Super Mario Bros.

New Super Mario Bros. is a side-scrolling 2.5D platformer game for the Nintendo DS, starring Mario and Luigi. The game features a solo story mode with Mario or Luigi, a two-player wireless game Mario vs. Luigi, as well as a minigame mode for up to four players. The multiplayer games support both single-card and multi-card play. Most of the minigames are the same as those featured in Super Mario 64 DS, however, they are no longer required to be unlocked. This game is so far the only one of the New Super Mario Bros. sub-series to not include the Koopalings. It is also the first game of the Super Mario series to be translated to Spanish for Latin America, but only on re-releases.

Story
Mario or Luigi (depending on who the player is playing as) and Princess Peach are walking together around Peach's Castle, when a mysterious thundercloud (known as Lakithunder) appears and strikes the castle with lightning. Mario/Luigi goes to investigate, but while he is there, Bowser Jr. sneaks behind a bush, kidnaps Peach and flees. Mario/Luigi gives chase, and Bowser Jr. drags her behind him through eight worlds.

The end of the first world has Bowser as its boss, unusually. Even more surprising, after Mario/Luigi presses a switch that destroys the floor and Bowser falls into the pit of lava, Bowser's skin is burned off and he becomes a Dry Bones-like version of himself (known as Dry Bowser). Later, at World 8, Mario/Luigi has to face this undead version of Bowser as the penultimate boss. Dry Bowser falls into a pit, but Bowser Jr. somehow finds his father's bones, and he revives him by tossing his remains into a cauldron, which results in not only Bowser resurrected, but him roughly three times in size. Mario/Luigi, Bowser, and Bowser Jr. then proceed to battle. Princess Peach is watching with fear from a platform above, hoping Mario/Luigi will prevail.

In the end, Mario/Luigi defeated them, sending the two into yet another pit and rescuing Peach. The platform breaks, and a grateful Peach gives Mario/Luigi a kiss (which the plumber responds to with a nervous chuckle). Then they return to the castle together, and the credits roll. After the ending sequence, Bowser Jr. is shown dragging his unconscious father across the castle floor. When he notices the player watching him, he growls at the player and then continues on with his task.

Controls
Gameplay of New Super Mario Bros. is very much like Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros. 3 in terms of gameplay, but new features have been added. One of two control options can be selected in the Options menu: Jumping with /  and Dashing with  /, or Jumping with  /  and Dashing with  /. Mario is controlled with the, and the Touch Screen is only required to activate the stored item, which is used in the same style as in Super Mario World. When Mario enters a pipe to a secret area, the top screen and the touch screen are switched, and gameplay continues on the touch screen as long as Mario is in that area. In that case, the stored item cannot be activated.

Moves and Items
The Wall Jump makes its first appearance in a 2D game since being introduced to 3D Mario games starting with Super Mario 64. In contrast to the 3D games, Mario has to slide down a wall for a small amount of time before being able to jump. This technique lets Mario or Luigi reach new areas by bouncing off the side of any wall or vertical object, and is useful for escaping from a fall down a pit. Mario has the ability to Ground Pound by pressing down when he is in the air, allowing him to crush blocks under him. There are many new power-ups, like the Blue Koopa Shell that lets Mario travel like a kicked Koopa shell, the Mega Mushroom that makes the player grow about three to five times Mario's size (similarly to the mushroom seen in Super Mario 64 DS), and the Mini Mushroom which causes Mario to shrink to about half of Small Mario's size, allowing him to fit through tiny pipes and passages, jump higher and longer, and dash across the top of water. However, some items remain unchanged, such as the Super Mushroom, the Starman, and the Fire Flower.

Like Super Mario Bros. 3, Mario does not power down to standard form if he is powered up with a Fire Flower or Blue Koopa Shell when he takes damage, instead he powers down to Super Mario unlike Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario World.

Levels
The game features a world map, with alternative and secret paths (like Super Mario World). Alternate paths can be unlocked with Star Coins. There are three in each level, usually adding an extra challenge for the player apart from simply reaching the Goal Pole. Some Goal Poles are in clear sight while others are hidden in Warp Pipes, up Beanstalks, or other inconspicuous places. On the world map, signs block paths that require five Star Coins to open. After a player defeats Bowser and Bowser Jr. in Bowser's Castle, a new, mysterious blue Toad House will appear just above World 1. It is a market, and for 20 Star Coins, the player can buy a wallpaper for the bottom screen. The fifth and final background is only available after all of the 40 Star Coin Signs have been opened.

Mario or Luigi only has to go through 3 of the eight worlds — using the World 1 cannon to go to World 5, and World 5 cannon to World 8. After World 2, the player gets to either of World 3 or World 4, and the world following both of those is World 5. After World 5, the player can get to either World 6 or 7 in the same fashion. Mario or Luigi must defeat the World 2 or World 5 bosses in Mini Mario form to instead reach World 4 and World 7, respectively.

Another secret is Challenge Mode. This means the player cannot scroll the screen to the left or downward. To unlock it, the player should go to the map screen (any world) and press, , , , , , , ,. It will also show an arrow pointing right on the world maps and levels touch screen. This means that the player cannot turn back in all the courses (including towers), which adds the feeling of the original game even more.

It is also possible to play as Luigi in single player mode by holding down ++ when selecting a file. There are no gameplay differences between the brothers. The character does not get locked as default - players can choose a different character every time they load the game. After the final boss has been beaten, a star appears next to the Save Game function. When the player has completed all levels, there are two stars next to it. When the player collects/spends all the Star Coins in the game, there will be three stars on the save file.

Within the levels, whenever the music plays a vocal riff "bah" (or in the case of the underwater levels, bell trees), some enemies and power-ups move to the beat. This includes the Overworld, Athletic, Underground, Desert, Beach and Volcano themes. Examples of enemy/object movements include Goombas hopping, Koopa Troopas turn to face the player, Spinies switch direction and power-ups hop. Goombas can actually dodge a Koopa Shell with the hop. This also happens in every other game in the New Super Mario Bros. line.

If the player finishes a level with the last 2 numbers of the time limit the same, the player gets the level complete music from the original Super Mario Bros.. Fireworks also occur, appearing the amount the numbers specify (e.g. 2 blasts for x22, 7 blasts for x77, etc.).

Worlds

 * World 1: The basic field world. Many first worlds have a similar, grassy layout. The boss in this world is Bowser. When Mario or Luigi reach the secret exit of the tower, they unlock the cannon, so they can be warped to World 5.
 * World 2: The desert world, similar to World 2 of Super Mario Bros. 3. The boss in this world is Mummipokey. If Mario or Luigi defeat Mummipokey as Mini Mario or Mini Luigi, they will be able to gain access to World 4. This world's cannon can be unlocked by clearing the secret exit of 2-3, then clearing the secret exit of 2-A. The cannon will lead them to World 5.
 * World 3: The ocean world. It mostly has beach-like levels, but some of the levels are underwater. The boss of this world is Cheepskipper. This world also introduces the first Ghost House. This world's cannon leads to World 6.
 * World 4: The jungle world of New Super Mario Bros., which can only be accessed via defeating Mummipokey as Mini Mario or Mini Luigi. The boss in this world is Mega Goomba. This world's cannon leads to World 7.
 * World 5: The ice world composed of snowy grounds and a frozen lake, with Petey Piranha as the boss. Mario or Luigi can access World 7 if they defeat Petey Piranha as Mini Mario or Mini Luigi. If they access the cannon of this world, they will be able to access World 8. This world is the last one containing a cannon.
 * World 6: The mountain world, with a Monty Tank as the boss. It has two towers and is mainly the home of the Bullet Bills and their sub-species.
 * World 7: The sky world, with Lakithunder as the boss. It can only be accessed via defeating Petey Piranha as Mini Mario or Mini Luigi, or jumping in the cannon in World 4.
 * World 8: The volcanic world, with two towers, a castle, and Bowser's Castle. The bosses for this world are Dry Bowser (the penultimate boss) and a masked Bowser Jr. and his giant-sized father (final bosses).

Story Mode characters

 * Mario - The main playable character.
 * Luigi - Luigi can be played in single player mode by pressing and holding in +  +  on the file selection screen. He also appears in multiplayer.
 * Princess Peach - The damsel in distress.
 * Bowser Jr. - The main antagonist.
 * Toadsworth - An ally who appears in Toad Houses.
 * Bowser/Dry Bowser - The other main antagonist alongside Bowser Jr. and final boss.

Story Mode Bosses

 * Bowser - Boss of World 1
 * Mummipokey - Boss of World 2
 * Cheepskipper - Boss of World 3
 * Mega Goomba - Boss of World 4
 * Petey Piranha - Boss of World 5
 * Monty Tank - Boss of World 6
 * Lakithunder - Boss of World 7
 * Dry Bowser - Boss of World 8

Minigame Characters

 * Yoshi - Yoshi appears in some Minigames.
 * Wario - Wario also appears in some Minigames.
 * Several Toads - Toads appear in the background in some Minigames.
 * Bob-omb Buddy - Bob-omb Buddy appears in a few Minigames.
 * Bowser Jr. - Bowser Jr. appears in the two player mode.

Enemies
*This enemy appears in only one level
 * Note: Blue Shells can defeat almost any land enemy.

Bosses
There are nine different bosses found in New Super Mario Bros., with Bowser and Bowser Jr. encountered multiple times. With the exception of Bowser, Bowser Jr. and Petey Piranha, all the other bosses in the game made their first appearance. To an even greater extent, none of them have appeared in any other games except for Dry Bowser.

Mario vs. Luigi
In this two-player mode, Mario and Luigi compete for a number of stars. Those stars will appear at random in the side-scrolling stages. The end of each of those stages is their beginning (basically, the stages are endless). When Mario or Luigi are hit by enemies, fall down or hit each other, they lose a star, which can then be again collected by any of the brothers. The first brother to reach the previously set amount of stars wins the game. When a brother has a certain amount of victories, he wins the match. The following stages can be played:


 * Grass Stage - A stage that is much like World 1-1 of the single-player game, a meadow near Peach's Castle. It also uses many elements of World 1-1 form the classic Super Mario Bros. This stage is a relatively simple stage with only Goombas and not many other enemies to worry about.
 * Underground Stage - An underground stage much like World 1-2 of the single-player game, it has covered with many walls of blocks, and has several holes which may be fallen into. Mario/Luigi should be very careful if they get a Mega Mushroom in this stage, as they can easily crush through the bricks that most of the course is made of.
 * Ice Stage - A slippery stage located in World 5. Bullet Bills are hazards in this stage. There is also a Blue Koopa Troopas in this level; jumping on it will reduce it to being a Blue Shell which can be used.
 * Pipe Stage - A pipe world located in World 7, it contains many Warp Pipes and Piranha Plants.
 * Castle Stage - The most hazardous level, located in World 8. It contains Bob-ombs, and moving walls which can crush a brother to death, among other dangers.

Minigames
In addition to the modes above, this game also features a selection of minigames. Several of the minigames featured in New Super Mario Bros. are the same as the ones from Super Mario 64 DS, but with some new ones. The games are not divided based on the characters that unlock them by catching rabbits, and instead are divided into several categories. This game also features the option to either play several single player minigames, or play several multiplayer minigames, in which multiple players compete against each other in a series of minigames specially designed for multiple players to earn the highest score.

Credits
If the player taps the letters as the credits roll, they will make sound effects heard throughout the game, with each letter of the alphabet making a different sound (except for letters D and E, which share the same sound); however, the letter Q does not appear at all during the credits. Punctuation marks also make sound effects. Tapping the background makes the sound effect of Mario jumping.

References to other games

 * Super Mario Bros. - There are two unlockable skins for the bottom screen that resemble something of that game. One shows an 8-bit Mario from that game, close-up. The other one is a secret unlockable skin and it features Mario, Luigi and some Goombas all as they appear in this game. They are even in an area similar to the areas in this game. The overworld Multiplayer stage is based on World 1-1. Bowser and Dry Bowser are defeated the exact same way as in the SMB castles - by hitting the Ax/Skull Switch which makes the bridge he's standing on fall into the lava or a bottomless pit, respectively. The latter also applies to the final battle against Bowser and Bowser Jr. The color scheme of the Mega Mushroom in New Super Mario Bros. is similar to that of its Super counterpart in this game. If the player finishes a level with the last 2 numbers of the time limit the same, the player gets the level complete soundtrack from the original Super Mario Bros.. When the Player loses a life the same music appears from when this happens also happens in this game. It later happens in New Super Mario Bros. Wii. Also, the first four levels of the game are very similar to the original game, the first level takes place in a grassy field,the second underground, the third takes place up high on giant mushrooms, and the fourth is a tower/castle level with a boss waiting for Mario at the end. The music in the Toad Houses is a remix of the main theme. Also, if the player presses L R L R X X Y Y while in the pause menu on the map, then the player can no longer move back if they, say, missed something, like in this game.
 * Super Mario Bros. 2 - Just like in this game, Small Mario can crouch.
 * Super Mario Bros. 3 - One of the hazards of the Castle multiplayer stage is the moving roof that will crush players upon contact. This seems to be based on the fact that there were moving roofs in some of the Super Mario Bros. 3 fortresses/castles. Also, in Boss Battles, the Super Mario Bros. 3 boss music lintens. Also, the Bowser theme from here is heavily remixed into this game. The two games' worlds are relatively similar. Toad Houses make a return, as well as the various minigames from Super Mario Bros. 3. When taking on a castle boss, the music is a remix of the boss music in this game.
 * Super Mario World - an item is stored on the touchscreen, and can be summoned at any time during each level. This derives directly from Super Mario World. A Monty Mole, which first appeared in this game, appears as a boss called Monty Tank. Wigglers also appeared. Grinders don't appear in New Super Mario Bros., but spiked balls appear in the game, having the same function. Items can be held in a level, just like in the aforementioned game. Also this game features Warp Pipes that can shoot the player into the air like Cannons.
 * Super Mario 64 - There are several characters from this game reappearing here, such as Dorrie and Sushi. Many of the Mario Bros.' techniques, such as the Triple Jump, are also borrowed from this game. The theme used for Invincible Mario/Luigi is the same as the theme for Wing Mario and Vanish Mario.
 * Super Mario Sunshine - Bowser Jr. reappears as the main antagonist in this game. The instruction booklet even says, "Didn't Bowser Jr. once think Peach was his mother?" referencing this game. When the player enters Petey Piranha's room, (for the first time, from the beginning), who first appeared in this game, the cutscene that plays mirrors the beginning of his second battle in Bianco Hills. He is found sleeping peacefully only to be disturbed by something (in this case, Bowser Jr. jumping on him) and, enraged, starts to fly.
 * Mario Kart: Double Dash!! - Some character voices come from this game.
 * Super Mario 64 DS - The characters reappearing from Super Mario 64 are as they appear in this game. Wario and Yoshi are only playable in the Minigame Section while Mario and Luigi are playable in the other sections along with Minigames. Luigi also appears as the dealer of the table games and a casino player while Toad is a waiter. Additionally, the effect of grabbing a Super Mushroom in Super Mario 64 DS is much similar to the effect of the Mega Mushroom in other Mario games. Many (if not all) of the minigames in New Super Mario Bros. are the same or very similar to those in this game.

References in later games

 * Mario Kart Wii - The Mega Mushroom appears as an item. Also, Dry Bowser is a playable character.
 * Super Smash Bros. Brawl - The Mega Mushroom appears as a sticker. Plus, the main theme is one of the many songs in this game.
 * Mario Super Sluggers - The Castle BGM is used for the Bowser Castle baseball stadium. It is remixed during the process.
 * New Super Mario Bros. Wii - A follow-up to New Super Mario Bros..
 * Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story - The Blue Shell reappears. The Mega Mushroom also appears in one of Broque Monsieur's attacks.
 * Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games - In the Wii Version Dream Figure Skating, Bowser Castle, World 1-1, and Peach Castle appears in the Mario Medley. The World 1-1 Theme can be bought in the Music Store. During Mario World in Dream Figure Skating, three backgrounds from New Super Mario Bros. appear. They are World 1, Bowser's Castle and Peach's Castle. Also, in the Wii version of the game the same Star-theme plays.
 * New Super Mario Bros. 2 - The direct sequel to New Super Mario Bros..
 * New Super Mario Bros. U - A sequel to the follow-up, New Super Mario Bros. Wii. Bowser and Bowser Jr. are fought at the same time in the final level again.

Reception
New Super Mario Bros. received, overall, very favorable reviews. IGN gave it a 9.5/10, saying the game "marked a brilliant return to Mario's side-scrolling environments, with elements that reintroduced the classic touch". It was also given a high rating by GameSpot, who rated it 9/10. New Super Mario Bros. is also the best-selling game of the Nintendo DS.

Beta elements
During early stages of production, Mega Goombas were going to be a generic species (the result of a Goomba colliding with a Super Mushroom and powering up), rather than an individual boss. There was also supposed to be a Mario and Luigi co-op mode at one time, which is now available in the direct sequel of the game. An illustration of early map icons still exists as a screenshot on page twelve of the final game's manual. There were originally three item reserve spots rather than one. There also was an underwater stage which also featured Manta Ray in VS. Mode. Spindrift was also supposed to be in the game, but got replaced by the blue spinning platforms in World 1-3 and other levels.

In World 2, 3, and 5-Tower, the player must go to the top of the tower. Then, they fight Bowser Jr., and must stomp on him twice. Then, he will go his usual routine trying to jump on the player. The player must time it right so when he jumps to the highest point, he or she can jump on him. Also, the player must use the technique where they can jump higher off an enemy. The player has to aim towards the ceiling, and, if done correctly, Mario or Luigi should be on top of the roof. The usual animation of Bowser Jr. running away will show and the Mario or Luigi face signal turns halfway because the player can't see Mario.

In World 5-Castle, the player should get to the boss. Then walk to the edge while Bowser Jr. charges at the player. If done correctly, Bowser Jr. will charge off the platform. Then the screen will zoom out to show an empty area. The only way to escape is to fall off the platform. Once the player lose a life, the screen will shake and teleport them to the map.

General Producer

 * Takashi Tezuka

Producer

 * Hiroyuki Kimura

Director

 * Shigeyuki Asuke

Assistant Directors

 * Masahiro Imaizumi
 * Taku Matoba

Map & Level Design

 * Masataka Takemoto
 * Yasuhisa Yamamura
 * Kosono Okina
 * Haruka Kakinuma
 * Shinya Hiratake

Trivia

 * If the player defeats the final boss after collecting the Star Coins in every world, none of the pictures shown in the end credits will say "NEW".
 * The game's main theme sounds slightly different when compressed, as shown here.
 * This is the only New Super Mario Bros. game to not feature a ninth world.
 * This is the only New Super Mario Bros. games where Kenny James does not voice Bowser. Instead, Bowser's roars are from computer effects.