When Mushroom Cuts Were Cool
Considered to be one of the greatest games on the NES—let alone one of the greatest games of all time—Super Mario Bros. 3 threw everything into the mix, including the kitchen sink. Although many Super Mario games have been released since then, they have personally never bested the experience I had with Super Mario Bros. 3. So when Nintendo announced a direct sequel to the ancient NES platforming series, I took notice. Could Nintendo possibly top that crazy year of 1988 with New Super Mario Bros.?
Back to Basics
Despite being on a Nintendo DS and having the ability to use any of the system's unique features in gameplay, NSMB goes ahead and strips out some of the “fluff” found in Super Mario Bros. 3., including flying and a drastic reduction of power-ups. The game focuses mainly on the platforming part of the game. As a result, the game feels more concentrated. The game also picks up elements from almost every game from the series—for example, lifting the butt stomp from Super Mario 64 and the fence-climbing action of Super Mario World. As a result, the game feels like an odd hybrid of all of the Super Mario games shoehorned into a DS cart.
Where the hell is my Tanooki suit?The story behind NSMB is exactly the same as it has been for the past twenty years or so. I'm starting to think that starting up a protection agency in the Mushroom Kingdom could be potentially profitable. You control Mario (or Luigi) through eight worlds in order to rescue Princess Peach from the clutches of Bowser Jr. (who, by the way, is not as intimidating as Bowser).
As mentioned earlier, the game focuses on the platforming elements of the Super Mario series. Learning all of Mario's tricks improves your chances of collecting every single coin and those illusive giant gold coins (3 can be found in each level). Most of the levels have been designed with these abilities in mind, so don't think you can easily go through the game without performing any platforming tricks like wall-jumping. Controlling these tricks is simple with a d-pad and two action button control scheme (dash and jump). With the exception of the use of the touchscreen to activate a stored power-up, the game controls exactly as it did in the earlier SMB games. The 'physics' of the game is remarkably similar to SMB3—meaning that the players will be faced with a fine balance between tight controls and the laws of inertia.
Several of the levels are inspired by classic levels in the earlier games and can often trump them in both difficulty and sheer fun factor. Most of the memorable levels fall towards the latter half of the game—these gems can be so fun that it feels mandatory to replay them (which is easily done once you complete the single-player campaign. Unfortunately, there are also several levels that feel like quickly-designed fillers to bulk up the playing time—these are often forgettable and don't seem to match the quality one expects from Nintendo and their Super Mario Bros. series. The game rarely takes advantage of introducing new and unique elements in level design, which is disappointing. Nevertheless, the gameplay is still fun and accessible, and most of the levels are very playable (and replayable). Those who are easily addicted to the older 2D Mario games will once again fall into the cold spiral of platforming addiction.
One Step Forward, Two Worlds Back
The game is divided into eight worlds (surprising, isn't it) which are inspired by locales previously visited in the Super Mario Bros. series, such as the Desert and Snow/Ice worlds of Super Mario Bros. 3. Each of the worlds consist of a mix of your standard platform levels, warp pipes, miniboss castles, end-level castles and alternate branches with the occasional Mushroom House where you can earn power-ups in several ways. As a whole, NSMB is well-organized in its difficulty progression, with levels becoming more and more difficult the deeper you get into the game. One issue that may annoy gamers is the initial progression through the worlds—while consisting of eight worlds, you initially have access to only six of the worlds (for your first time through). To gain access to these worlds, you'll have to complete certain levels in specific ways. Even though it gives the player a good incentive to replay the game after completing it for the first time, it makes the game feel artificially shorter than it should be.
Another issue with NSMB is the rather easy difficulty level. An average gamer should be able to complete the game in a few hours with very little frustration. The majority of the levels are rather easy to navigate through and offer very little in the ways of trial and error. In addition, the game is rather generous in handing out lives and power-ups. While it's ridiculous (and intolerably cruel) to expect the difficulty found in SMB: The Lost Levels, it's a shame that Nintendo didn't throw any more obstacles in the player's path.
Seriously, I can't find it...
Nintendo has found the perfect blend of 3D and traditional visual elements. Players are treated to a 2D world filled with well-animated and colourful 3D characters. The animation in the central characters is smooth and fantastic, with the player characters sporting a ridiculous amount of animation routines. Certain enemies, however, were not as blessed in the animation department, yet still remain visually function and keep in spirit with the game's atmosphere. The 2D elements are fairly bright and colourful, complementing the 3D models rather well. The game's framerate is fairly stable and smooth, which is vital for a Super Mario Bros. Game.
The audio department is fairly solid as well. The soundtrack features several remixes and reinterpretations of classic SMB songs—some of which can sound really good, while others sound rough and amateurish. The sound effects include a mix of old and new SFX—you may be able to recognize some of the sound efforts from the first Super Mario Bros. Everything sounds fairly clear through the handheld's speakers, but users may want to get a set of headphones just in case.
Minigames and Multiplayer
While dreams of a four-player simultaneous SMB are still far far away, the multiplayer component is still fairly solid. Apart from the single-cart and multi-cart modes which will keep you entertained in the platforming world, you'll find some Super Mario-themed minigames. The minigames can be an entertaining distraction, but they feel misplaced in NSMB. Players will mainly use the stylus (and rarely, the microphone) to control over a dozen minigames, which range from guiding a rolling snowball to a poker-based card game featuring Super Mario characters. While these games can be fun (especially in multiplayer), they remind me of early DS tech demos, for some reason.
Conclusion
New Super Mario Bros. is still a worthy successor to the famed SMB series, despite some of its shortcomings. It continues the fine tradition of making Luigi an irrelevant second character, keeps Princess Peach as the damsel in distress, and Bowser as a stubborn antagonist. With several levels of replayable platforming goodness and the tight controls to back it up, what more can a Super Mario fan ask for?
