New Super Mario Bros./Gameplay

New Super Mario Bros. is a throwback to the classic 2D Mario sidescrolling platformers of the 8-bit and 16-bit era. Every level basically involves jumping over obstacles and defeating enemies to reach the goal at the end of the course. Your dash and jump are practically the only two maneuvers necessary to beat the game, but you can gain new abilities via power-ups that will help you kill enemies safely or collect power-ups.

Mario
Mario is the hero of this game, and the character you will control for its majority. This humble plumber is known for his jump, which he must use to cross gaps, reach high places and defeat or incapacitate his foes. Hitting a block from below either breaks or activates it, while stomping on most enemies from above damages if not outright kills them. The longer the jump button is held down, the higher the jump.

A technique brought over from Mario's 3D adventures is his wall jump. Whenever the is held against a wall, Mario will cling on to it and slide down slowly. Pressing either jump button will cause Mario to jump off the wall. Using this ability when two walls are close together will help Mario ascend up tall shafts.

In addition to jumping, another one of Mario's fundamental moves is dashing. Dashing obviously lets Mario travel faster than running. Mario can run over one-tile gaps during a dash. Dashing also gives Mario forward momentum during a jump, letting him jump further out of a dash. However, too much momentum will make Mario hard to control in midair, so it is not advisable to overuse this ability. Last but not least, Mario can also perform a ground pound by pressing while in the air. Mario can break brick blocks or activate question mark blocks below him with this maneuver. It also functions as a stronger stomp against enemies.

Additionally, Mario's dash is also tied to various other actions. When powered up with a Fire Flower, the dash buttons are used to make Mario throw fireballs. Mario can also pick up various items and hold on to them as long as the dash button is held. You'll most commonly carry around Koopa shells to find places to let them loose, but you may also need to carry around springs to reach new places.

In spite of his range of techniques, Mario is rather fragile. At the start of the game, Mario will be quite short, about as tall as the common Goomba. If Mario touches any enemy or course hazard, he will lose a life. Getting power-ups like the Super Mushroom and Fire Flower not only causes Mario to gain new abilities, but also increases his chances of survival. Getting hit while in a powered-up state will cause Mario to revert into a weaker state. For instance, Fire Mario will lose his fireballs when he is hit, turning into Super Mario, which turns into small Mario if he is struck again. No matter what state Mario is in, falling into pits, lava or poison water, or getting crushed between two solid surfaces will always result in an instant kill.

Mario has a set amount of lives. Every time he dies, one life is taken from his total life counter. Mario can get more lives by collecting 100 coins, getting elusive 1-Up Mushrooms, stomping enough enemies without touching the ground or touching the very top of the flagpole. In the event that Mario runs out of lives, the game is over and you will lose any progress beyond your most recent save point.

Reserve items
If Mario grabs a power-up that he does not need, then he will put it in reserve, but only if the current reserve does not already outrank it. Touch the reserve and the item will drop on Mario; be careful not to let it fall on a higher platform out of reach. In some underground areas, the action moves to the bottom screen and you cannot touch your reserve.

From least to most, the rank is Super Mushroom, Fire Flower, Blue Shell, Mini Mushroom, Mega Mushroom. So if you already have a Mega Mushroom in reserve, you cannot lose it, and if you already have a Fire Flower, a Super Mushroom will not displace it.

Super Mario will never put anything into reserve except for other Super Mushrooms. Fire Mario will put Super Mushrooms and Fire Flowers into reserve. Shell Mario will put Super Mushrooms, Fire Flowers, and Blue Shells into reserve. Mini Mario can only put other Mini Mushrooms into reserve, because he needs the other items to grow big again. Mega Mario can put anything into reserve if he manages to touch the item instead of destroying the block that contains it!

Mario cannot put an item into reserve if he was already using it. In this respect, the game is unlike Super Mario World. For example, if you are Super Mario and you grab a Fire Flower, thus becoming Fire Mario, then you do not obtain a Super Mushroom in reserve unless you already had one there. So the reserve should not be used for switching between a pair of items; instead you should use it to save a power-up for when you need it.

Use the reserve spot to store a Fire Flower or Blue Shell to power-up Mario again if he is hurt. Or carry around a Mini Mushroom or Mega Mushroom in case you find a situation that requires it. If you become Small Mario, you might want to take your Super Mushroom, Fire Flower, or Blue Shell out of reserve so that the next block will contain a Fire Flower, not a Super Mushroom.

World map elements
Remember, you can use and  to scroll around maps. Use to preview maps. You will be able to see all paths, courses, Toad Houses, and Star Signs except for secret paths.

You can also replay any course; do this to find Star Coins, or replay easy courses to collect lives and power-ups.

Star Signs
Star Signs are things that look like a sign with a Star Coin and the number 5 on them. Before passing through, you must pay 5 Star Coins. After spending them, you can save your game and pass through. The path beyond a Star Sign typically leads to a Toad House or an alternate course.

Toad Houses
There are 4 different kinds of Toad Houses in the game: Red, Green, Orange, and Blue. Most of the houses are behind Star Signs. The blue houses do not appear until you beat the game.

After entering a house (except for the blue houses) they disappear. If you accidentally enter a red or orange house, you can choose to walk out of the door instead of grabbing the item, in which case the house will not disappear. If you have beaten all 80 levels, and you go to a Toad House, it will not disappear

You can also get on by ending a level at X11, X22, or X33. You can also get one by ending a level at X44, X55, or X66. You can also get one by ending a level at X77, X88, or X99.
 * Red house: Lets you randomly get either a Super Mushroom, Fire Flower, Blue Shell, or a Mini Mushroom in reserve. If you time your jump carefully, you might be able to receive what you want.
 * Red houses appear as Super Mushrooms on the world map.
 * Green house:  This house has 6 "?" blocks in it. 3 contain 1-ups, 1 contains three 1-ups, 1 contains a card that doubles all the 1-ups you have currently found, and the last contains a Bowser card, which ends the game, giving you all the 1-Ups you have revealed. Some players stay out of these houses unless they are low on lives, but other players do not bother to save these houses, since they can just replay 1-1 if they need more lives.
 * Green houses appear as 1-up Mushrooms on the world map.
 * Orange house: This house gives you a Mega Mushroom in reserve.
 * Orange houses appear as Mega Mushrooms on the world map.
 * Blue house:  Lets you buy backgrounds for the touch screen for 20 Star Coins apiece. Only appears when you beat the game. The first one, the current backround, is unlocked, the next three need to be purchased, and the last one, which is special, appears only if you open all the Toad Houses and get 20 Star Coins to buy it.
 * Blue Houses appear as Mini Mushrooms on the world map.

Note that your strategy for clearing Toad Houses can be different from the strategy that you would use in Super Mario Bros. 3. Players of that NES game would often clear any Toad House that they could reach. New Super Mario Bros. allows Mario to revisit older worlds, so players will often keep most of the Toad Houses and Star Signs intact. (They may have to if they are saving Star Coins.) You can visit older worlds and go to their Toad Houses when Mario needs them.

Moving elements
Moving world map elements affect the course they are standing on/flying over.


 * Flying Item Block:  These look like, as the name implies, flying item blocks. If you enter a course with one, you will find the block soon after the start of the course (or the checkpoint). The exact location varies with the course. Hit this block to obtain a power-up. The block typically contains a Fire Flower (even if you are Small Mario) or a Blue Shell or Mini Mushroom. You might need it to unlock a secret path or get a Star Coin.
 * Hammer Bro.: Hammer Bros. are one of Mario's toughest enemies, and can be very hard to defeat if they aren't standing on blocks in the course. You may have to dodge the hammers or boomerangs that it throws, then jump on it. If you a Fire Mario then you can just fireball it. If defeated, it will give out a power-up or 1-up Mushroom.
 * You may on occasion find other Hammer Brothers within a course; those will not drop an item.

If you do not hit the Flying Item Block or defeat the Hammer Brother, then it will remain on the world map and move to another course. If you do hit or defeat it, then it will disappear from the world map, but eventually a new Flying Item Block or Hammer Brother will appear to replace it.