new super mario bros

Mario must be one of the biggest gaming icons, ever. Ever since his appearance in the first Donkey Kong game, he's been ever present in Nintendo's marketing. His first actual game got shipped with the NES, proved a big hit and so one of the biggest franchises was born. Since then, Mario games have evolved a lot, but since the DS is the "new retrogaming" machine, Nintendo decided to revamp the original Mario. New Super Mario Bros was born

New Super Mario Bros artwork

Those who grew up with the original Mario games will feel right at home with this game, as the basic gameplay has changed very little. It goes right back to Mario gaming on the NES and SNES, but brought to modern standard. It will be a feast of recognition to fans of the early games, but with enough twists and novelties to keep you occupied and happy, elevating it above a simple remake.

Visually the game looks like a Mario game should look. The levels and enemies are all very colorful, the graphics are pretty crisp and clear and the game makes very smart use of 3D to give the graphics some extra depth. Even though the gameplay is at all times purely 2D and the look is very much old-style, the slick 3D graphics allow for smoother animation. In the end though, the game does lack a little detail in comparison to a game like Yoshi's Island (SNES). and it would've been nice if there had been a few more visual touches.

The music is cute and old-timers will surely recognize some of the tunes used. Sadly, I always end up muting my DS sound since I mostly play at home and prefer to listen to some of my own music. Somehow I can't really get used to the idea of handhelds combined with game music, and the tunes never quite stick enough to keep them from being muted.

screen cap from New Super Mario Bros

The gameplay is basic and to the point, although the game contains several new features. Most notable there are three new power-ups which allow you to reach otherwise impossible sections of the game. Mario can also do a wall jump to reach higher places. All nice features which makes the levels more fun to tackle. But all things considered, the potential of the new power-ups remains a little underused.

The game itself is pretty easy (most Mario games are), especially if you're simply aiming to rescue the princess. Luckily there are plenty of hidden levels and even two hidden worlds to discover. Each level contains three star coins which can be collected and some levels have alternative exits. This will keep you occupied for a while, even after finishing the game. Still, I guess most seasoned gamers will run through the game without much trouble.

New Super Mario Bros is a pretty fun game, but lacks that extra little extra attention to detail to make it truly splendid. There's enough to do and plenty of things to discover, but the potential isn't fully used and towards the end it can become a little repetitive. Still, people craving for some good old-style Mario fun will probably love this game to bits. At the least, it's a very enjoyable platform game.