New Super Mario Bros for Nintendo DS was released in 2006, a side-scrolling platformer labeled as a “Comic Mischief” game at GameStop. As the title suggests, the game is a “new,” modernized version of the original Super Mario Bros game. The game opens with a picture-perfect cartoon scene: Mario and Princess Peach are taking a stroll on a grassy platform in the foreground; at first, the background is just clear blue sky. The DS screen being small, the graphic quality is difficult to discern, but it the graphics are clear and not pixelated. The images are colorful, and the figures in the game - characters and inanimate objects alike - have a rounded, 3-dimensional quality. The music is light and cheerful; the tune is a classic Mario theme, recognizable to anyone who has played a Mario game. Mario and Peach reach a castle in the background (presumably Peach’s castle), when suddenly gray clouds appear, and lightning strikes the castle. Mario runs to the castle to help, but soon discovers that this was a trap - Peach, left alone in the foreground, is kidnapped by Baby Bowser, who sneaks up on her and pulls her out of the frame. Mario runs back up the hill and out of the frame to the left, after them. The player hears a crash noise and a descending tone from offscreen, but doesn’t realize what has happened until Bowser runs back across the frame, Peach slung over his shoulder, with Mario in pursuit. Only now, Mario is half the size he used to be. This is the first mechanic the game introduces: when Mario runs into an enemy, he decreases in size, indicated by a descending tone. After this introduction sequence, gameplay begins.
The game makes use of the DS’s two screens. The game’s home screen shows the player whatever “world” Mario is attempting to conquer. The top home screen is the world: a pathway formed by level icons (blue circles represent completed levels, a red circle represents the most recently unlocked, unfinished level). The bottom home screen is a map of all of the “worlds.” These tiny “world” graphics start out as gray silhouettes and become colorized when they are unlocked. For example, when Mario beats the boss in the final castle in World 1, he “lands” in World 2 on the top screen, and the World 2 icon on the bottom screen becomes colorized.
Players can scroll left and right within the world maps by using the L and R buttons on the DS. Mario enters a level when the player walks him to a level icon and presses A or B. Movement is controlled by the directional pad: the left and right buttons on the pad move Mario left or right (in almost every level the screen moves with him). The up and down arrows allow Mario to enter pipes. Both the A and B buttons make Mario jump, or swim during underwater levels. Holding down either the X or Y button while moving left or right makes Mario run. X and Y also allow Mario to pick up objects, and shoot fireballs when Mario has the flower power-up. The flexibility of controls (being able to choose between A and B and between X and Y), allows for fast, natural gameplay, as the player can opt for whichever combination of controls feels the most comfortable.
Furthermore, the mechanics of the game never change, save for a few underwater levels in which players must continually press and release either A or B while holding down the left or right arrow to swim. The unchanging mechanics make the game incredibly easy to learn. The player need only play a few levels in World 1 to get a feel for the mechanics of the game.
Mario starts in World 1, a lush green “world.” There are eight worlds in total, each with a unique theme. World 1 is grassy and whimsical, World 2 is a desert, World 3 is a beach, World 4 is a jungle, World 5 is snowy, World 6 is rocky, World 7 is in the clouds, and World 8 is dark and menacing, full of volcanoes. All of the graphics, enemies, and music in each world correspond to the world’s theme. For example, in World 2, the music has a stereotypical Egyptian twist to match the pyramids scattered in the background of the levels. Worlds 4 and 7 are not necessary to complete the game and can be unlocked if Mario defeats the bosses at the ends of World 2 and 5 respectively, while using a specific power-up that makes him “Mini Mario.” Each world comprises several levels, with one small castle in the middle of each level where Mario must defeat Baby Bowser, and one large castle at the end, where Mario fights a different boss themed to each world. These bosses provide a variety of gameplay. They take place in a single, static frame, so the player no longer moves from left to right during boss battles. Furthermore, the player must react to each boss’s different characteristics and attacks. Every time Mario beats Baby Bowser or a boss, a cartoon scene plays where Mario runs to the next room to find Peach, only to have Baby Bowser drag her away once more, to the next world. At the end of the game, Mario must complete a large, maze-like castle and defeat both Baby Bowser and a resurrected Big Bowser to reunite with Peach.
For completionists, players have the option of collecting large gold coins -- three hidden in every level. With the coins, the player can purchase new wallpapers for the home screen.
Mario games have been the preeminent platform videogames since the release of Donkey Kong in 1981. The 1983 Mario Bros arcade game did not feature a storyline, nor was it a huge success in the U.S., initially. However, its successor, the 1985 Super Mario Bros platformer for the NES featured an objective: rescuing Princess Toadstool from Bowser. Narratively, New Super Mario Bros serves as a sort of sequel to the 1985 Super Mario Bros., as Mario and the princess have already formed a relationship, and Baby Bowser, who we can assume is Bowser’s successor or child, is the primary antagonist.
Like its predecessor, New Super Mario Bros does not have a particularly complex story. The narrative contains little depth; few underlying themes or motifs exist, and the characters rely on players’ previous knowledge of the Mario universe for backstory. Gameplay elicits little to no emotion, save perhaps nostalgia for original Super Mario Bros players. Furthermore, players have no choice but to play as Mario (or Luigi if you hold down L and R while entering the game). The primary theme of the game, rescuing a damsel in distress, while a distinct reference to the original game, is a cliched narrative asserting heteronormative stereotypes of male machismo and female helplessness.
However, I would argue that the commercial success of New Super Mario Bros is warranted, despite its propagating gender norms and accomplishing nothing in the way of social commentary. Gameplay does not elicit deep thought, but it does provide a joyous escape. Indeed, the game is an enacted story: the player acts as Mario with the goal of saving the princess. The game is self-aware; it is not trying and failing to have a “thoughtful” narrative.
Moreover, other aspects of the game shine. New Super Mario Bros utilizes sound particularly well to enhance gameplay. The soundtrack comprises classic Mario tunes, remixed. The music is lighthearted, true to the game’s style, but as I stated earlier, it is tailored to each level to match both the theme of world and the vibe of the level. Thus, each level becomes its own affective experience. Underground levels, for example, have lower pitched songs, with more percussion - they elicit a feeling of creepiness, matched by insect-like underground enemies. In World 8, the familiar tunes are in a minor key, exuding spookiness. Music serves not only to differentiate worlds and levels, but also to evoke distinct feelings that substantiate the world themes.
Effectively, what New Super Mario Bros lacks in terms of a strong narrative, it makes up for with its solid sound, bright visuals, and simple mechanics. The colors are bright; the music is fresh; the controls are simple and comfortable. Variety is achieved through differing themes and levels; the game lacks puzzle components or varying, unclear mechanics that the player must decipher, like in a platformer such as Braid. As a result, New Super Mario Bros players will feel challenged, but rarely frustrated while overcoming levels. Overall, New Super Mario Bros is effective as a cathartic, nostalgic gaming experience.
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