It isn’t often that nostalgia and ingenuity come in the same package in the gaming world, but today we’ve seen something with a big helping of both and a full side of fun.  New Super Mario Bros. Wii is the latest Mario title from industry powerhouse Nintendo.

NSMBW at its heart, is both a very simple and complex game, the kind that anyone can pick up with ease and enjoy—but few will master.  Nintendo reinforces this by using a very simple two button control scheme favored in classic Mario titles, with the addition of the Wiimote motion functionality for a myriad of tasks.  The integration of the Wiimote motion functionality is seamless during gameplay, and serves to further enhance the experience by allowing the players to adjust the angle of platforms, light beams, cannons, and vehicle speed—while still allowing them normal movement and interaction with surrounding objects and enemies.

The patented triple jump has been added to the 2D moveset—with wall jump and ground pound also carried over (though they were first introduced into the 2D Mario scene in New Super Mario Bros. for the DS).  The spin jump has also been carried over from prior games (first seen in Super Mario World).

The character lineup in NSMBW includes Mario and Luigi, of course, but also Blue Toad and Yellow Toad from Super Mario Sunshine (though Luigi, Blue Toad, and Yellow Toad can only be played by players 2, 3, or 4 through one of the multiplayer modes).  Each player’s character can be seen following Mario on the world map during co-operative play, moving as a team through the world stages.

Propeller-hat Mario carries his brother through a tough spot

When experienced single player, NSMBW definitely holds its own as both an engaging and challenging 2D platformer.  However, to get the full effect and see just how brilliant the design really is, we strongly recommend the multiplayer experience.  Multiplayer provides a wholly unique experience that you will not find in many other games, and reveals a level of complexity not seen before in a typical Mario game.  This complexity stems from a very simple concept: each player takes up space.

Because each player takes up space, navigating different worlds in NSMBW becomes a communication and logistics challenge in addition to the fast-paced problem-solving found in classic Mario titles.  Players can shove, knock down, leap-off-of, pick up, and even throw each other.  If so inclined, players can perform a special simlutaneous ground pound attack that damages everything on the screen.  Of course, this layer of complexity becomes a source of constant amusement during the three multi-player game modes:

• Co-operative: 1-4 players working together to complete each world.
• Free-for-all: 1-4 players competing for the highest score while navigating any world previously completed in single player or co-op mode.
• Coin Battle: 1-4 players competing to collect the most coins while navigating any world previously completed in single player or co-op mode, in addition to five special Coin Battle levels.

On top of the aforementioned multiplayer mechanics, both Free-for-all and Coin Battle feature win tracking from the menu screen (until exiting to the title screen) and end-of-world rankings that allow players to see how they stack up when they complete a world, or until everyone “suffers a blunder” to quote the game manual.

To keep the game pace active, “suffering a blunder” or losing a life while in any multiplayer mode doesn’t end the game—the player simply respawns shortly after in a bubble, which they must navigate towards the remaining player(s) by shaking the Wii Remote.  Popping the bubble releases the recently deceased player, allowing them to return to the action.  A player can only be permanently removed from a world by losing all of their remaining lives.  Players can also enter a bubble without dying by pressing the A button, allowing for some interesting manipulation of the game when danger or bad circumstances present themselves.

Penguin Suit Mario

When playing a multiplayer mode, power-up blocks produce a number of power-ups corresponding to the number of players currently playing.  When using a warp pipe or flagpole in multiplayer, the players who have not yet activated these objects will have only a few seconds to activate them before the game forces things forward and brings them along for the ride.

Mario and pals are equipped with the standard arrangement of power-ups (Mushroom, Fire Flower, Star) in addition to some newer favorites (Mini Mushroom, Ice Flower).  Of course, no new installment of Mario would be complete without some new power-ups, and the new Penguin Suit and Propeller Hat power-ups do not fail to deliver a new and interesting way to interact with the game world.

The Penguin Suit allows for power sliding from a running start, removes the effect of slipping on icy terrain, and allows the wearer to swim in any direction quickly underwater.  The Propeller Hat, by shaking the Wii Remote, allows the wearer to launch themselves high into the air and drift slowly down, or use a spinning down attack to defeat enemies in place of the traditional ground pound.  Yoshi also makes an appearance in a few worlds throughout the game, playing very similarly to the Yoshi in Super Mario World—with a few exceptions: he can grab and spit a variety of different projectiles—from hammers to fireballs—and he can now perform his Flutter Jump to catch some extra hang time while in the air.

Related posts:

1. Nintendo announces White DSi + Bowser’s Inside Story bundle

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