Brutal Gamer

New Super Mario Bros (DS) Review

By Barry - May 6, 2009 - 22:10 UTC

New Super Mario Bros marks the first original Mario platformer for a Nintendo handheld since Super Mario Land 2. It’s also the first original ‘classic’ Mario game since Super Mario World, which launched with the SNES. However in many ways this return is firmly rooted in the very first Mario Bros game for the NES. But does this back to basics approach a welcome return to his pre-64 days, or does its cheerful rejection of the 3^rd dimension leave the Italian Stallion feeling stale?

The first thing to note is that, though Mario is now back to his side-scrolling ways, the characters, and many of the environmental elements, are rendered with polygons. This allows the game to play with all of the different elements in fun and surprising ways, the most obvious example is the new giant mushroom, which causes Mario to grow to the height of the screen and stomp across the stage, destroying everything in his path. It also means that platforms can warp their shape in ways that were previously not possible. The game is filled with these little touches resulting in what is easily the prettiest Mario seen yet on a handheld console. Much of the audio has been revamped also, with Mario whooping with joy every time he springs form a spinning launcher (a sound that should grow old but somehow……doesn’t). Fans of the older games will recognise music tracks from previous adventures while the newer offerings blend seamlessly around them.

However, while the audio and visuals have been given an overhaul, the gameplay is still old school precision platforming. You’ll travel across deserts, seas, mountain stages and more in an effort to retrieve the princess and it’s a testament to the games design that not once while playing did a death feel cheap. With a knowing nod to the first title, the flags and castles are back at the end of each stage and if you don’t crack a smile when you meet the first end world boss then maybe having fun isn’t for you. Mario has also carried over some of his latest tricks from his 3D endeavours, including the butt stomp and the wall jump, both of which sit nicely alongside the other mechanics. However if you have played the older titles, NSMB will pose no challenge in beating the castles. It’s possible to do it in around 5 hours, though to do so means skipping 2 whole worlds and several levels along the way. You see, the true value in this title is not in getting to the credits. Here, you are encouraged to experiment, to probe the world and reveal its secrets and in this way, its longevity is greatly enhanced. For example, though you may have finished a particular stage, have you found all three star coins? Or maybe there is a secret exit that leads to yet another stage or sneaky shortcut. Stages with multiple exits are colour coded so you’re never going to waste your time searching a level for a secret that doesn’t exist. One standout moment comes in the very first stage when, in a move that pushes the fourth wall, you realise the enemies are moving and dancing in time to the music. This plays into timing your jumps as you have to know when the Koopas are going to pause with the beat.

Considering that this title was built from the ground up for the DS, you’d expect it to make full use of its unique capabilities, right? Well in this case, no. While the touch screen is used to activate your reserve power up and display your progress through a level, I’d be lying if I said this was a game that couldn’t be done on any other platform. This is not a bad thing however, as some games simply don’t need to have the features shoe horned into them. It’s clear the designers were aiming for tight, straight up Mario game and wanted as few distractions as possible to distract from the core gameplay. There is a sense of cohesion throughout the game, whether it be the controls, the nods back to elements from the first game or the simple thrill of trying to pass a level without letting go of the run button, it’s all there, and there’s very little I would change.

So it’s good, hell it’s great, but the game does indeed have some flaws. One of the areas Nintendo should have moved the title forward on is in power ups. The mushroom and fire flower are there, along with three new additions; the giant mushroom, tiny mushroom and the shell. However the P wing is absent, as is the cape, the frog suit and my personal favourite, the racoon suit. The problem is that the new additions, while fun, just don’t match the power of the fire flower or the thrill of swooping flight with the cape. In fact it feels like the mushrooms are there for the purpose of showing of Mario’s 3D modelling, instead of encouraging gameplay experimentation in the way the cape or racoon suits did, and the shell power up is just too awkward to really be fun. I found myself avoiding the new power ups altogether once I got the flower which is definitely not how it should be. It seems like Iron Mario would have been perfect for this game. Or even a giant fire flower power up that results in massive fireballs rolling across the screen engulfing everything in their path. Without doubt, the power ups are the weakest aspect in this title and the one area I felt Nintendo should have looked forward instead of sticking to the older titles.

Beyond the single player mode, the minigames from Mario 64DS return and though there are no new games among them, it’s nice that they’re there. The one upgrade that they have been given however is that they now support single card wireless download play so now only one person needs a copy for up to four people to get in on the action. Also a new multiplayer only game mode has been added, where two players (one playing as Luigi) battle across looping platform stages collecting stars and while it is simple, I have found myself sinking hours into this one mode as the collecting became more aggressive (you can bounce on the other players head to make them drop stars) and rivalries more heated.

New Super Mario Bros is one of the best titles on the Nintendo DS and one every DS owner should have. While it may be a little easy at times (it practically throws green mushrooms at you) it will take many hours of investment to fully complete. Be it in the art style, music, level themes or power ups I get the feeling it is to be considered the real Super Mario Bros 2 (replacing Doki Doki Panic which inherited the title in the West) and, for me at least, it’s a welcome addition to Mario canon. The lacklustre additions to Mario’s arsenal don’t detract from an otherwise stellar title. New Super Mario Bros is many things, but above all it is sheer, undiluted fun and for that alone, I highly recommend it.

Find more New Super Mario Bros reviews over at FreakTest!

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