List of New Super Mario Bros. glitches

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This is a list of glitches found in New Super Mario Bros.

NOTE: Unless otherwise noted, all names are conjectural.

Graphical

Behind the Flagpole

To perform this glitch, the player must go to World 1-1 and go to the end of the level. Mario/Luigi must go up to the flagpole, but run to the wall on the other side and wall jump. This causes him to land on the flagpole, but as soon as he touches it he is flung to the other side of the flagpole. The flag goes down, but then flips over to Mario.

Corrupt Pipe sprite

The corrupted pipe

In World 8-5 upon reaching the flagpole, it is possible to corrupt the red exit Pipe using a stored Mega Mushroom. The player must use the power-up to push the pipe until it is flush with the wall, then stand against the base of the flagpole and scroll the camera to the right. When the pipe is put back on screen, the bottom half will have become yellow and oriented downwards rather than towards the right.

Disappearing Bandana

When fighting Bowser Jr. with his bandana over his mouth, the player should intercept a Green Shell and grab it. If the player throws this shell while Jr. protects himself, Bowser Jr. will flip over without his bandana.

Falling Skull

In World 1-Tower near the first Star Coin, the player should jump on the Dry Bones such that its skull tumbles onto the one-way platform. As the stone platform descends, the skull will fall through the floor.

Pastel Banzai Bills

The player must have a Blue Shell and needs to go to World 8-1, then keep shell dashing until he gets on top of the Banzai Bill Cannon near the Flagpole without grabbing it, jumping over the cannon and the two Hard Blocks, bumping into the post instead, then jumping back and forth precisely against one of the Hard Blocks. The player will sometimes see several Banzai Bills spawning very close together out of the cannon. The player must Shell Dash on top of the cannon first so the first Banzai Bill loads in.

Shell Mario Slide Glitch

With a Blue Shell in storage, the player must place the stored Blue Shell on a slope and then slide into the shell. Mario or Luigi will continue sliding despite the transformation, with both legs positioned too high and going through the shell's plastron.

A similar slide glitch is possible with the Hammer Suit from Super Mario Bros. 3.

Starman Jump Effect

After collecting a Starman, the player should enter a pipe as the power-up wears off. If the player immediately jumps at the other end of the pipe, then Mario or Luigi will perform flips despite no longer being under the effect of a Starman.

Walking Backwards on the Map

In the World 4 map, if the player walks down the path to the first green Toad House, the player will walk backwards until they turn. This glitch can be triggered when going to and from the Toad House.

Wall Jump on an Invisible Platform

When under the effects of a Mini Mushroom, Mario or Luigi will sometimes jump from an invisible platform the size of a pixel after wall-jumping.

Audio

Continuous Boss Music

In World 8-Bowser's Castle, if the player defeats Bowser first, then defeats Bowser Jr., the final boss music continues to play.

Level Music Glitch

If the Starman effect ends just as Mario or Luigi reach a level goal, the level music plays while Mario/Luigi slide down the pole. The song stops when the Course Clear fanfare starts. This glitch is easy to do in World 1-1 via a Starman from the secret block in the middle of the level.

Muted Boss Music

To perform this glitch, the player must have a Mega Mushroom in their inventory. During the World 4-Castle fight against Mega Goomba, the player should use the Mega Mushroom to become Mega Mario, but not kill Mega Goomba. When the power-up expires, the boss music will not play.

Softlocks

Bowser Jr. Death by Falling

In World 5-Tower, the player should get to the boss. Then, they must walk to the edge while Bowser Jr. charges at them. If done correctly, Bowser Jr. charges off the platform. Then the screen zooms out to show an empty area. The only way to escape is to fall off the platform. Once the player loses a life, the screen shakes and teleports them to the map.

Stuck above Bubble

Mario or Luigi must need a Blue Shell for this glitch to work. In World 8-3 the player must go into the pipe to get underwater. Then, they must go above the center of the bubble to the right. If done correctly, Mario or Luigi will be stuck bouncing on the bubble and hitting the ceiling.

Physics

Above the Ceiling

In the several towers of the game, the player must fight Bowser Jr.. Like most enemies, the player can jump off of him at great height while holding . This can be exploited, as most of the arenas where Bowser Jr. is fought do not have walls going past the upper boundary. With a well-timed jump, the player can reach this out-of-bounds ceiling area. This glitch can be further exploited if Mario or Luigi jump off of Bowser Jr.'s head at the final hit. Bowser Jr. will play his usual animation, but the silhouette of Mario or Luigi's head closes into the corner Mario or Luigi are in.

Caged

This glitch can be done on multiplayer mode. The host must choose the underground level, and Player 1 must go to the pile of Brick Blocks to the right of the red Koopa Troopa. Player 1 should ground pound the third vertical row of brick blocks, without pounding the last brick that makes Mario fall in the bottomless pit. Player 2 should grab the star while Player 1 ducks inside the vertical row of brick blocks they previously pounded. If done correctly, Player 1 ends up inside the pile of brick blocks.

Challenge Mode Out of Bounds

The player should have the Challenge mode active. In any level where there is a wall down from the ceiling, if there is the right amount of space between the edge of the screen and the ceiling, the player should jump into it. The player will be standing on nothing. If they keep jumping up to the ceiling, they will be pushed through to the right until the wall ends. This is easiest achieved in World 1-2 at the start of the level.

Floating P Switch

A floating P Switch.

If the player finds a P Switch atop a breakable Brick Block and breaks the block, the P Switch will not fall and remain floating in midair. This glitch must be performed in a form other than Small Mario or Mini Mario in World 4-A. This does not work in World 5-C strangely enough.

Jump on Switch

The player should jump on a switch and immediately jump again. If done correctly, the player will not activate the switch, or the switch is activated while the player jumps off it.

Mega Mushroom Storing Trick

When the player finds a Mega Mushroom in a level (1-1, 1-2, 4-4 and 7-5), they must let the Mega Mushroom run to any unbreakable Block (empty ? Block, empty Brick Block, etc.). The player must jump into the Mega Mushroom and in the Block on the same frame. If done correctly, the character will not transform, and the Mega Mushroom appears in the player's Item Storage.

Power-Ups Through Stairs Glitch

The player should go to World 3-Ghost House with any power-up in storage. Then, they should activate the first set of stairs, stand under them and release the power-up. The power-up will fall down slowly through the stairs.

Reusable Mega Mushroom

The player must bring a Mega Mushroom to World 3-Castle. Upon reaching a Whomp, the player should allow it to fall, and the player should stand on top of the enemy without defeating it. Next, the player should drop the Mega Mushroom and grab it while standing on the Whomp. Mario becomes Mega Mario, destroying the Whomp, but there is not enough space to fully transform and the player re-obtains the Mega Mushroom. This allows it to be re-used to defeat enemies without using up the Mega Mushroom, but the ceiling must be low enough so the Mega Mushroom can be stored again.

Rope swing detachment

Within World 7-1 is a section with ropes on tracks and the second Star Coin. If the player builds momentum on the top rope, Mario or Luigi will eventually detach by getting stuck swinging in place on a cloud platform. Throwing a fireball, walking, jumping, or climbing down will end the glitch.

Stomp while Giant

In multiplayer mode, there is a slight possibility that a player under the effect of the Mega Mushroom stomps the other (like normal) when they jump on them instead of just hurting it. This seem to happen random and the causes are unknown.

"Stuck" Between Blocks

This glitch can only be performed in World 1-4. The player must have a Mini Mushroom in their backup, then must play the level normally up to point where the Koopa Troopa is needed to break the formation of blocks. They must wait until the Koopa Troopa kills itself and drops down to the lower two blocks left. On the right block, they must Ground Pound and Jump, and should hit a hidden block (the player might go through the wall if they time it right). Then, they must use the Mini Mushroom and jump above the left block. The player becomes be "stuck" inside the two blocks.

Through the Ground

The top of the ? Block at one pixel above the floor

In World 1-Tower, if there is a flying ? Block, the player has to hit the block so that its top is one pixel above the blue platform. Then they must jump on the empty block and walk towards the center of the platform, possibly going through the platform. If not, the player can try again by jumping at the block and walking to the middle again.

Through the Wall

For this glitch, Mario/Luigi must go to World 5-B. He should be at least Super Mario/Luigi and duck and jump at the very beginning. The player will become slightly trapped in the Ice Blocks. If he quickly jumps again, the player will go through the wall. This can used to get the secret exit without a Blue Shell.

Under the Flagpole

The player should use the Challenge mode and go to the end of World 2-5. The player should have any power-up (excluding the Mini Mushroom). The player should take the alternative exit via the quicksand. Next, the player should go on a Blockhopper. The player must jump when they are near the ceiling near a Star Coin. The player must keep jumping until they're stuck in a rock. The player will now be stuck under the flagpole. if the player jumps when they are not moving, they will go past the flagpole.

Walk On the Ceiling

If the player has the Challenge mode enabled, then go to World 6-1. In the beginning of the level, the player notices that the mountain ceiling does not start for a few blocks. Mario should inch forward until the amount of free space shown on screen is just a bit too small for Mario or Luigi to jump into. After that, Mario should go to the far left of the screen and wait for the Bill Blaster to shoot. The player must on the Bullet Bill and enter the thin gap of space that they have created. If it worked, Mario stands in mid-air in the gap. Once Mario is there, the only thing he can do is jump again, and keep jumping until he has gone far off the top of the screen. Once Mario has jumped enough, he is be able to move again, above the level. Mario can then run to the end of the level, and he does not even fall back when there is open sky. Mario cannot run backwards since the Challenge mode has to be on. In the end, the player has to wait for time to run out, since there is no way to get back, or the player has to return to the map.

Scripting

Die while Invincible

This glitch requires very precise timing and is best done in multiplayer. One player must be without any power-up and the other must carry a Bob-omb. The first must collect eight Coins to get a Star, and the second must throw the Bob-omb at them when they are about to collect the Star. If done correctly, the first player dies while having the effect of the Star, even if the animation is stopped.

Frozen Ghost House

In World 4-Ghost House, the player should land on the very edge of a spin dial platform and immediately jump off. If done correctly, the transition will fail and the whole room will freeze apart from Mario or Luigi. Blocks broken in this state will be stuck in the first frame of their animation, power-ups found in these blocks will not appear, fireballs created will freeze, and attempting to use a stored item will leave it suspended in midair and intangible.

If the player uses the spin dial properly or touches an enemy, the level returns to normal and all entities will complete whatever action they were frozen in.

Frozen Lakithunder

In World 7-Castle, the player should have a Blue Shell while fighting Lakithunder. In his first phase, they must hit Lakithunder two times with the blue shell before he flies up. If done correctly, Lakithunder should be frozen in place, though he can still damage the player on contact, and can be defeated by conventional means.

Goomba in midair

The player must have a Mega Mushroom stored and reach the end of World 4-Castle to face off against Mega Goomba. While entering the arena in Mega Mario form, the Goomba will walk in mid-air, its height varying based on how much height the player initiates the cutscene with. Only after the cutscene will the Goomba fall back to the ground.

NOTE: This glitch will be harder to trigger after the first time it is performed unless the camera is scrolled to the right.

Jump resistant Bowser Jr.

With a Mega Mushroom in stock, the player should enter a Bowser Jr. battle where he does not wear his bandana and use the power-up. Bowser Jr. will be flipped over repeatedly when he touches Mega Mario or Luigi. After the transformation expires, jumping on Bowser Jr. will no longer cause damage. Other means of defeating him such as a ground pound will still work.

Walking in Midair

In World 4-6, the player should go up to where there are three green pipes on a rock above, each with a Piranha Plant. The player should stay there and wait for Dorrie to leave. The player should wait until the time has reached in the 140 mark. Mario or Luigi should go to the far left, but not on the ledge. The player should run and jump, and, if the player is far enough, Mario or Luigi should be walking in the air. However, when the player gets to the pipe, Mario or Luigi are teleported to somewhere, become invisible and unable to move.