New Super Mario Bros.

New Super Mario Bros. is a side-scrolling platformer game exclusive to the Nintendo DS, starring Mario and Luigi. The game features a solo story mode with Mario, a two-player wireless game Mario vs. Luigi, as well as a mini-game mode for up to four players. The multiplayer games support both single - and multi-card play. The mini-games are mostly the same as those featured in Super Mario 64 DS, with the difference that they do not need to be unlocked here.

Controls
New Super Mario Bros. is very much like Super Mario Bros. in terms of gameplay, but new features have been added. One of two control options can be selected in the Options menu: Jumping with A/B and Running with X/Y, or Jumping with A/Y and Running with B/X. Mario is controlled with the D-Pad, and the Touch Screen is only required to active 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 with Super Mario 64. In contrast to the 3D games, Mario has to slide down a wall for a considerable 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 hole. Mario has the ability to Ground Pound by pressing down when in the air, allowing him to smash blocks downward. There are different power-ups, like the Blue Koopa Shell that lets Mario travel like a kicked Koopa Troopa shell, the Mega Mushroom that makes the player grow about three to five times Mario's size (also seen in Super Mario 64 DS), and the Mini Mushroom which causes Mario to grow about half of Small Mario's size. However, some items remain unchanged, such as the Super Mushroom, and the Fire Flower.

Levels
The game also features a world map, with different 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 just reaching the goal. Some are in clear sight while others are hidden in warp pipes, up Beanstalks, and 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 Gates have been opened.

Mario or Luigi only has to go through six of the eight worlds &mdash; the game jumps the player from World 3 to World 5 or World 6 to World 8 automatically. Mario or Luigi must defeat the World 2 and/or World 5 bosses in Mini mode 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, go to the map screen (any world) and press START, L, R, L, R, X, X, Y, Y. 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 castles), 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 L+R when selecting a file. There is no gameplay difference between the brothers.

Story
Mario and Princess Peach were walking together around Peach's Castle, when a mysterious thundercloud (possibly Lakithunder) appeared, and struck the castle with lightning. Mario went to investigate, and while he was there, Bowser Jr. snuck up behind a bush and kidnapped Peach! Mario followed, and Bowser Jr. dragged her behind him through eight different worlds.

The end of the first world has Bowser as its boss, unusually. Even more surprising, after Mario presses a switch that destroys the floor and Bowser falls into the pit of lava, the king's flesh is burned off and he becomes a Dry Bones-like version of himself (Known as Dry Bowser). Later, at World 8, Mario has to face this undead version of Bowser as the penultimate boss in the game. Bowser Bones falls into a pit, but Bowser Jr. somehow finds his father's bones, and he revives him by tossing his remains into a bubbling cauldron of some magic potion, which results in not only Bowser returning from the dead, but growing roughly three times his size.

At the end, Bowser and his son fight Mario together, but Mario defeats them (again), sending the two into yet another pit. After the ending sequence, Bowser Jr. is shown dragging his unconscious father across the castle floor. When he notices the player watching him, he shouts something and then continues on with his task.

Worlds

 * World 1: A peaceful meadow next to Princess Peach's castle.
 * World 2: Sandy, desert plains.
 * World 3: Tropical waters and beaches, similar to a tropical island.
 * World 4: Tropical rain forest with toxic waters.
 * World 5: Icy, slippery slopes and caverns.
 * World 6: Rocky mountains sometimes inhabited by Bullet Bills.
 * World 7: Set on clouds high in the sky.
 * World 8: Barren wasteland, first near and then in a volcano.

Story Mode

 * Mario - The main playable character.
 * Luigi - Luigi can be unlocked by pressing L + R + A on the file selection screen. Also appears in multiplayer.
 * Peach - The damsel in distress.
 * Toadsworth - An ally who appears in Toad Houses.

Mini-games

 * Yoshi - Yoshi appears in some Mini-Games.
 * Wario - Wario also appears in some Mini-Games.
 * Several Toads - Toads appear in the backround in some Mini-Games.
 * Bob-omb Buddy - Bob-omb Buddy appears in some Mini-Games.

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 never-ending). 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 uses also 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.
 * Ice Stage - a slippery stage located in World 5. Bullet Bills are hazards in this stage. There are also Blue Koopa Troopas in this level; jumping on one 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, among other dangers.

Action

 * Snowball Slalom
 * Lakitu Launch
 * Danger, Bob-omb! Danger!
 * Whack-a-Monty
 * Balloon Racing

Puzzle

 * Wanted!
 * Which Wiggler?
 * Hide and Boo Seek
 * Puzzle Panel
 * Coincentration

Table

 * Memory Match
 * Picture Poker
 * Pair-a-Gone

Variety

 * Mario's Slides
 * Sort or 'Splode
 * Bounce and Trounce
 * Bob-omb Squad
 * Trampoline Time

Voice Cast

 * Charles Martinet as Mario, Luigi, Wario (mini-games only)
 * Jen Taylor as Princess Peach, Toad (mini-games only)
 * Scott Burns as Bowser
 * Dolores Rogers as Bowser Jr.
 * Kazumi Totaka as Yoshi (mini-games only)

Trivia

 * The seven original Koopalings were said to appear in this game, however it was later said it was a mistake. The people conducting the interview may have simply confused Bowser Jr. with the Koopalings.
 * The "Grass Fields" Battle stage is made up of many parts of 1-1 in the original Super Mario Bros.
 * When Mario loses a life, the Bowser emblem covers the screen, just like in Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Galaxy.
 * The Mini Mushroom in this game has practically the same purpose as in its second appearance in Mario Party 4: the player uses it to enter small pipes.
 * In some levels Mario can ride Dorrie, like in Super Mario 64 DS.