New Super Mario Bros. 2

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It was about time I reviewed a Nintendo 3DS game, huh? 2018 was seriously lacking in that department.

The Mario games are bursting with personality. Each platform and RPG title in the series can be accurately described with a short sentence and most gamers will know which is which. The first platformer; the one in Subcon; the one with the first Raccoon Leaf; the one with the first Yoshis; the one with the weapon-based monsters; the one with the Star Spirits; and so on. Today’s game can be accurately be described as such: The one where Mario got greedy.

Oh, and Koopalings. Always the Koopalings.

Perhaps this one’s full title should have been New Super Mario Bros. 2: Wario Called, He Wants In On This.

A Mario game that focuses on collecting coins feels more than a bit bizarre as a concept. Coins have always been a staple of the franchise. A hundred coins mean an extra life, it’s been ingrained into Mario fans over the last 35 years. The coins have always been around, sometimes sparse, sometimes frequent, but always there to give Mario a chance to get another pick-me-up, another chance after his next death. On the opposite side of things, it’s a popular self-imposed challenge to try and beat a Mario game by collecting the least coins possible, perhaps even none (one YouTuber is trying this with many mainline Mario games, by the way).

I don’t think I even need to talk about the story for this one. Like all 2D Mario platform games of recent years, Princess Peach gets kidnapped and the brothers run into action to save her from Bowser and his forces. That’s about it, really. I’m not expecting Shakespeare. The red-clad Italian plumber isn’t one for soliloquies. Some variety would be nice, though.

To think you only really need to beat 6 of these
worlds to get to the end...

This being New Super Mario Bros. 2, it takes a lot of cues from the original New Super Mario Bros. for the Nintendo DS, in that it features eight worlds accessible by a map on the bottom screen, just tap to go to any world that has been unlocked. Once more, two worlds have to be unlocked by finding special cannons and using them. And of course, the worlds themselves are semi-linear with additional paths to find, this means that many levels have secret exits, and you’re encouraged to discover them all in order to reach new areas, new levels.

The game is described on some websites as a more casual experience. The difficulty isn’t toned down from your average Mario game, there are still plenty of ways to die. However, the focus is on collecting coins, so you’re encouraged to replay a level as often as possible to get the highest score in coins for that particular level. The game keeps track of your highest coin score for every level.

Everything becomes gold! Even creatures!
It's an Au-some power!

It struck me pretty early on, after a world or two; the levels are built with the coin-collecting side-quest in mind. Anything that is dangerous has a solution that will let Mario or Luigi collect plenty of coins or lives. The new power-ups are all about gathering as many coins as possible: There’s the block head, which will make the plumber magically produce coins every second, and more while running or swimming, until either a hundred have been produced or the plumber gets hurt. There’s the golden circle that will give a golden color to all nearby enemies, and you will get extra coins for killing them. Tossing a golden Koopa shell will create coins in the shell’s wake, and it will even collect coins it creates if it hits an obstacle and comes back. Then, there’s the Gold Flower, which will turn Mario into a goddamn Midas who tosses blasts of gold that will transform all stricken brick blocks into coins, and knock all the coins off blocks that already contain some. It’s… Holy wow.

466 lives? Yep. Perfectly possible.
A hundred coins a day keeps the Reaper away.

And of course, you keep getting extra lives every time you reach 100 coins. When I finished World 1, I had nearly 70 lives. And it kept rising. It says a lot when you look at the past games, and the counter for lives ends at two digits (you even get a bonus if you reach 99, such as the Mario sprite no longer wearing his trademark cap). Here? Three digits. You can legitimately get to 999 lives if you want. It might not seem like a problem, but look at this another way: I don’t think I’m ever going to see a Game Over screen. For the record, as usual I played through the whole game for the review, and I ended World-6 with more than 300 lives. While collecting Star Coins across all worlds, I came close to 400.

Some of these coins are fiercely protected.

Speaking of, if you want an added challenge, you can look for all the Star Coins. If you’ve played even one recent 2D “New Super Mario” game, you know what those are; three per level, and you can use them to open paths on the overworld and find new areas to explore. Using them on a sign in the overworld also allows you to save your game, even before getting to a Tower or a Castle. As usual, some of these Coins are pretty easy to find, but there’s a handful that either require Mario to use very special abilities or power-ups, or demand some exploration because they’re pretty far off the beaten path. Then some are hidden on the way to secret exits. Many are found by trying every pipe and discovering new areas, but in Mario games, that’s commonplace.

Speaking of secret exits, some of them can take Mario to extra worlds. The main quest only has six, but three more can be unlocked, you only need to find the right exits. And it can be pretty hard to find them. Three exits lead to cannons, which are miniature levels that involve Mario running through the stage, avoiding enemies, and reaching the next world that way.

In their spare time, Reznor practice the art of
barbershop quarter.

Iggy probably has the best set-up of any Koopaling.
Chain Chomps are mighty powerful!

One thing I do like is the return of Reznor as mini-boss. Those rhinos from Super Mario World, back after such a long leave. Their strategy is the same as it ever was: Stand in place on those rotating platforms, spit fire at Mario. Puh-lease, I have three hundred enemies who spit fire at me. I’m kind of used to it. Thankfully, they switch it up at times with larger spinning circles, or having two sets of platforms. Also on the topic of bosses, we fight the good old Koopalings yet again in each world’s Castle, but these battles get pretty creative. In World 2, Iggy Koopa’s platform is carried around by a big Chain Chomp. Speaking of triumphant returns, there’s the Raccoon Leaf, that classic power-up from Super Mario Bros. 3, here to help Mario. And it will help a lot. The Mini Mushroom, not so much, but then again, that one is usually needed to find secrets.

As is the case with all recent 2D Mario titles, this trip goes through various themed worlds; grassy lands, deserts, islands, snow, clouds, and Bowser’s fiery pits of Hell. In each world, if you hit the flag pole at a multiple of 11, an extra level will open at the start of that world, and it’s really mostly there to collect coins. Think of it as a nice little bonus… if you feel like you need it, anyway.

Oh Bowser, you certainly like to grow huge.

And like all recent 2D Mario titles, it culminates in a fight against Bowser himself… and this game literally grabs a concept from New Super Mario Bros. Wii. After Mario beats Bowser, Peach gets pulled away and the Koopalings use a spell that turns Bowser into a giant. The final stage isn’t so much a battle as it is Mario attempting to survive as he jumps around floating platforms. Bowser, in the background, claws at the platforms the plumber is standing on. Yet again, it ends with Mario activating a switch that sends Bowser tumbling down. Feels a bit too similar, if you ask me. But hey, Mario gets the Princess, and collects more coins as he runs with her in his arms, back to her Castle.

At the end of World-Star, Bowser is back... in bone form.

This unlocks an additional area, World-Star, which follows World-Mushroom and World-Flower. Those were unlocked by finding secret exits and using cannons on the overworld maps. The very first level of World-Star can only be opened by paying 90 Star Coins. You’d better be ready to hunt them down across the previous eight worlds. Of note, World-Star features Moon Coins rather than Star Coins, so you can’t use the special coins collected here to unlock paths in the other worlds.

Haven’t had enough? Grab a friend who also has NSMB2 and play the game together in Co-Op Mode. Or try Coin Rush Mode, in which you play through three levels selected randomly among the ones in the main game and you must try to gather as many coins as possible. This mode can connect with StreetPass, so you can challenge the best scores of other players.

It’s really all about money today, huh? I really wonder why they need that much money. Is it to buy Peach a new alarm system for her castle? Wait, no. They bought one, it failed, so now they’re trying to pay for a lawyer to sue the company. And attorneys in the Mushroom Kingdom charge out the ass. 

What's it with all the big monsters lately?

I won’t lie, there have been many levels here that have given me a tough time, at least when I first played them. One of the things that felt most interesting to me was the use of platforming elements that appeared in only one level – I felt NSMB2 was filled to the brim with these gimmicks. Every level, there was something new that you had to learn to deal with – mostly new types of platforms and platforming hazards – and you had to learn to use them quickly. You would be introduced to that element early on into the level, and would face much more difficult versions of that same element later on. (For the record, I think NSMBWii did something similar.) It’s some pretty decent game design there. Also keeps things fresh.

Who builds castles with so few... walls??

I was particularly impressed by a section in Bowser’s Castle, at the end of World 6. The Koopalings are riding a Koopa Clown Car with eyes that flash a spell that can turn Mario to stone. Our hero can escape it by hiding behind brick walls. Simple at first, but that same section later involves running on treadmills over lava, and Mario must frantically run from one brick wall to the next. Or else, when Mario gets paralyzed, he'll be stuck long enough for the treadmill to carry and drop him directly into the lava.

Anyhow, that’s about it for the review. On one hand, I don’t think it’s that bad, but on the other, it feels ridiculously easy.

Boney monsters, boney monsters everywhere!

Oh, don’t misinterpret what I’m saying. The difficulty is pretty much the same as you’d expect from a New Super Mario 2D game. If I were to compare, I would argue it’s harder than the original NSMB for the Nintendo DS, but easier than NSMBWii, which are two games that I’ve also reviewed. I obviously can’t compare it to the games I haven’t played from this series, New Super Mario Bros. U and its “sister” (or should I say “brother”?) title, New Super Luigi U.

Sure, the game is difficult in moments, but that’s a moot point; by the time NSMB2 drops the kid gloves, you’ll have accumulated so many lives that there might as well not be a system of collectible lives. You’re, by all accounts, incapable of getting a Game Over. And even if the later areas prove difficult for you,

1. You can always go back to the early levels to rack in a lot of money and lives,
2. You can barely go anywhere without hitting a secret block containing another 1-Up Mushroom, and
3. If you die too often in a level, a block containing the White Raccoon Leaf will appear, and if you use it, you'll be invincible for the duration of the level! Sure, there are still ways to die, but it becomes ridiculously easy.

There’s an achievement, a Star on your profile, for reaching 999 lives! You’re not exactly indestructible, but you might as well be. What’s the point of lives in that situation? Speaking of, I think there’s another achievement encompassing the entire game (not only one save file) where you’re rewarded for reaching a million coins collected in total.

When I say each level has a gimmick: Circular saws, here!

The focus is on an arcade feel, and it shows. The game seems to care more about its challenge of collecting as much money as possible in every level than proposing a challenge with any sort of stakes. Sure, some Star Coins will be hard to find, and you’ll die a lot looking for those, but after that? There’s very little you can do. Maxing your coin score in every level is the only challenge you’ve got here. The bonus content, namely the Coin Rush Mode, is all about that too. There isn't much else, which is sad.

That's a lot of Big Fuzzies.

The graphics are nice and the music’s fine, there are some great moments in many levels here (I do like some of the one-time gimmicks added), but the easy difficulty brought by the ridiculous ease at which lives can be collected really brings the game down. It’s not bad, just… a little bit on the Meh side. If you want your fill of Mario platforming goodness on a portable console, it’ll do the work just fine. You might feel more rewarded if you choose to play it for the arcade feel of gathering as many coins as possible. However, I do know I’ve had more fun and thrill from other Mario games, if only because in most of those, dying too often and seeing the Game Over screen as a result is a definitive possibility…

Man, get too rich, and death becomes cheap.