New Super Mario Bros./Gameplay

Power-Ups

 * Super Mushroom: This common red mushroom turns regular (Small) Mario to Super Mario. If something hits you as Super Mario, then he turns back into Small Mario.
 * Fire Flower: The Fire Flower turns Mario into Fire Mario enabling him to shoot fireballs. If you are hit as Fire Mario, you turn into Super Mario, as you would in Super Mario Bros. 3.
 * You can use fireballs to turn most enemies into coins (like in Super Mario World) and to attack most bosses. Fireballs make the game much easier, much as they did in other Mario games.
 * Mega Mushroom: This giant orange mushroom turns Mario into "Mega Mario" for a limited amount of time. While Mega Mario, any blocks, enemies, and pipes that you hit will die or break. The more stuff you destroy, the more 1-ups you get when you shrink back to normal size. Mega Mario will always shrink to Super Mario, regardless of what form he had before.
 * If you have a Mega Mushroom in reserve, avoid using it in towers and castles where the moving walls will quickly force Mario to shrink back to Super Mario. Do use a Mega Mushroom at the bosses at the end of towers and castles; this will make it very easy to beat the boss.
 * When using a Mega Mushroom, you are not invincible to everything. If you hit lava, spikes, or a bottomless pit, you will shrink down in size or instantly die.
 * Mini Mushroom: This tiny blue mushroom turns Mario into Mini Mario. As Mini Mario, one hit from anything will kill you, but you also can get into areas a non-Mini Mario can not. Mini Mario can squeeze through spaces that are a half-block tall. Mini Mario also jumps higher and falls slower; he can sometimes wall-kick up shafts that are normally too wide to ascend.
 * Blue Shell: The Blue Shell turns Mario into Shell Mario, which is Mario with a shell on his back, like a Koopa. If you're hit as Shell Mario, you turn into Super Mario. Mario can duck into his shell (and defend against some hazards) if you press down on the D-pad. The special attack as Shell Mario is if you run at a certain speed, you duck into the shell and roll around, destroying nearly everything in your path. If you need to brake, just release the dash button (holding the D-pad down if you need to stay in the shell).
 * Some players make good use of the Blue Shell in the multiplayer Mario vs Luigi. However, in the one-player game, you might choose to avoid Blue Shells, if you prefer Fire Flowers.
 * Starman: Makes Mario invulnerable for a short period of time, allowing him to kill enemies by touch. Mario will be immune to enemies and most hazards and will also run faster and jump higher.
 * While using Starman, Mario is immune to most forms of damage, but note that starman Mario can still experience the following instant deaths: falling down a bottomless pit, touching lava (or something similar) and being squished by moving walls.

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.

Other Items

 * Coins: The most common item in the game, collecting 100 of these earns you an extra life.
 * Red Coins are a subgroup of coins that appear when Mario passes through a ring (see next heading for further information). Other than their special qualities, they are worth the same amount as a normal coin.
 * 1-up Mushroom: A fairly rare item and hard to get item, this green mushroom gives Mario an extra life (1-up).
 * Star Coin:  A special kind of item which, when collected, has no immediate effect. There are 3 Star Coins in every course without exception. Once you find one, if you die before finishing the course, then you will lose it (unless you found it before a checkpoint, in which case you can restart from the checkpoint and try to finish the course). If you find and keep a Star Coin and replay the same course, the coin will be transparent and dark blue instead of gold. You can spend Star Coins on the map to open up paths to other courses and Toad Houses and save your game.
 * You can grab some Star Coins by throwing Koopa shells at them. The game does not let you throw shells upward though, so for those high coins you will need to jump up there yourself.

Objects

 * Pipe: A common sight throughout all the courses, these pipes can do many things:
 * Normal Pipes: These pipes do nothing. Nothing at all. In fact, the only difference between these and normal terrain is that these can be destroyed by a rampaging Mega Mario.
 * Warp Pipes: These pipes are much more useful. They can warp Mario from one end of the pipe to the other (though not always back). Mario, after going through one of these can end up anywhere from underground with a giant man-eating plant to up in the sky with a moving platform. Because Warp Pipes look exactly like other pipes, sometimes you can benefit from trying to enter every pipe you encounter, in case you discover one that warps you to a bonus, Star Coin, or alternate exit.
 * Mini Warp Pipes are exactly like normal Warp Pipes, only they are small. In fact, they are so small that only Mini Mario can fit through them. Usually, on the other side there is a place tailor-made for Mini Mario.
 * A few courses have decorative Mini Pipes that do not warp; typically a lone Mini Pipe will warp, but if there are two or more Mini Pipes near each other, then they will not warp.
 * Cannon Pipes: These pipes act like Warp Pipes only instead of going to somewhere else, they shoot you out with a direction and speed that depends on the pipe.
 * Waterjet Pipes: Only found underwater, these pipes jet out a constant stream of water, signified by bubbles pouring out of the pipe. This jetstream will push Mario away from the pipe. This can either help or harm Mario, depending on the circumstances.
 * You cannot enter Waterjet Pipes, but do look for pipes without waterjets; they might be Warp Pipes.
 * Red Coin Ring: This "object" disappears when moved through and spawns 8 red coins for a limited amount of time. If all 8 are collected then you will receive an item. Which item? Well......
 * If you are Small Mario then you will receive a Super Mushroom.
 * If you are Super Mario then you will receive a Fire Flower.
 * And finally, if you are Fire Mario the you will receive a 1-up mushroom.
 * Spring: This small object bounces Mario when he bounces on it. Press the jump button as you land to bounce much higher. Press and hold the dash button to pick this thing up.
 * Block: The most common object in the game. You WILL see a lot of these. Super Mario or higher (but not normal Mario nor Mini Mario) will break most of the blocks on hit, although some blocks contain coins.
 * Some blocks contain multiple coins. To take the most coins, try to hit the block as rapidly as possible. If you hit such a block very rapidly, a Super Mushroom will come out after the coins. If you have room above such a block, have Super Mario or higher ground pound on the block and hold the D-pad down to always obtain the most coins and get the Super Mushroom!
 * ? Block: Almost exactly the same as normal blocks, the only difference is these have either a coin, a 1-up mushroom or a power-up inside. Some of these blocks have Fire Flowers inside, except that if you hit it while you are Small or Mini Mario, the block will only contain a Super Mushroom. A few levels have a ? Block that always contains a Mini Mushroom or Mega Mushroom.
 * Hidden Block: Like a ? Block, only you can't see them or stand on them until you hit them from beneath. A few courses use Hidden Blocks as obstacles to block Mario from going up that way. In some courses, Mario can reveal hidden blocks near the flagpole and stand on them to jump higher to the flagpole.

Hazards

 * Moving Walls: Just as the name implies, some walls move. Be careful, as being squished can instantly kill ANYTHING.
 * Yes, it can kill ANYTHING. Even if Mario grabbed a Starman or is flashing after hitting an enemy, a moving wall can kill him instantly.
 * Moving walls can even destroy power-ups such as mushrooms and fire flowers. This can annoy if you are in a tower, you touch your reserve item, but it lands on a higher platform and then a moving wall destroys it.
 * Spikes: Spikes will damage you on contact, stay away from them.
 * Lava and Toxic Sludge:  Touching either one of these will kill you instantly. Keep off!

Enemies
Enemies will hurt Mario when they hit him. The standard way to attack enemies is to stomp on them, but do not jump on anything with spikes! You can also throw shells at them or become Fire Mario and throw fireballs, though fireballs will not hurt some enemies.

Though there are too many to list here, some common enemies are:


 * Goomba: One of the most common enemies in the game, the Goomba is also the easiest enemy to defeat. One bounce will dispatch this foe, in fact, one of just about anything will dispatch it. The Goomba attack plan is simple: Walk forward, and hope you hit someone. Goombas are completely unaware of cliffs and will normally walk to their doom.
 * Paragoombas are an offshoot from normal Goombas and are only found in one course. These special Goombas have wings, although they don't work very well, and will hop everywhere instead of walking. They are also more durable than the average Goomba, with the first bounce removing their wings and the second bounce actually killing them.
 * Koopa: The most common enemy in the game, these shelled warriors can be found just about everywhere. When stomped on they will retreat into their shell, in which they will be immune to any further stomping. When the Koopas are in their shells, Mario is free to kick and chuck them around as much as he wants. There are 3 colors of Koopa, which are:
 * Green: These Koopas are the standard lot, with and attack pattern identical to a Goomba: Walk forward no matter what the cost.
 * Red: These Koopas are almost as common as the green ones. They behave identically to the Green Koopas with one difference; they don't walk off cliffs, they turn around, just like the Red Koopas in the original Super Mario Bros. game.
 * Blue: This special Koopa is only found in the ice stage in Mario vs. Luigi, and it behaves exactly like a Red Koopa. When stomped, however, this Koopa drops a Blue Shell power-up to help the players navigate the vast ice levels.
 * Paratroopas are an offshoot from normal Koopas and are almost as common. They will typically fly in a fixed pattern and turn into normal Koopas when stomped. Red Paratroopers always fly in a fixed pattern but some Green Paratroopas instead choose to hop around on the ground like mad, hoping to hit Mario.
 * Piranha Plant: Most of these live in pipes and will come in and go out at regular intervals, exactly as they did in older Mario games. They have sharp teeth; do not jump on them, but Fire Mario can kill them with fireballs. If you are aside or on the pipe, the Piranha Plant will not come out, and you can even enter safely if it is a Warp Pipe.
 * Some of these will spit fireballs at you; the fireball will move slowly in a straight line (and can travel through obstacles) so just dodge it. This type of Piranha Plant is rarer than in Super Mario Bros. 3, and also easier because in New Super Mario Bros. it only spits on fireball in a line, not two or three.
 * A few of these plants live outside of pipes; there are even a few giant ones! They will not move anywhere unless they are on moving platforms. The giant one makes a pile of coins if Fire Mario fireballs it.
 * Boos: They mostly appear in ghost houses, and exactly like their counterparts in Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World, they will stay still if you face them (left or right) but chase you if you face the other way. Do not jump on or touch them. Fireballs will not harm them, and they can pass through walls and other objects. The only way to kill them is by picking up a Starman and jumping at them, or by using Shell Mario's shell attack.
 * Hammer Brothers: See the Moving Elements section.
 * Money Bags: These return from Super Mario 64 and only appear in a few courses. A Money Bag initially appears as a coin. As you approach it, it will become a bag and hop away from you. Chase it, then repeatedly jump on or fireball it to shake some coins loose, then kill it, at which point it will drop a 1-Up Mushroom.

Both Goombas and Koopas change their walking pattern based on the change in the beat of the music, at every beat a Goomba will jump slightly in the air, while a Koopa will turn around for a brief second. (Some power-ups will also bounce.)

Bosses
The easiest way to fight most bosses is for Fire Mario to shoot fireballs at them. You could also have a Mega Mushroom in reserve and let Mega Mario charge the boss. Otherwise, you may need to wait for opportunities to jump on the boss. Do not jump on Bowser Jr. while he his hiding under his spikes!


 * Bowser Jr.: The boss of all towers. If you lack fireballs, then you can jump on them, but in the more difficult towers he will not let you. In those cases, you might need to attack him another way, for example by jumping on shells that he tosses and throwing them back.
 * Bowser: The boss of the World 1-Castle, World 8-Castle, and World 8-Bowser's Castle; Bowser returns from the original Super Mario Bros.. Easy; simply step on the floating platform, then either fireball him to death or jump over him and hit the switch that dumps him into the lava.
 * Dry Pokey: The boss of World 2-Castle. He'll pop up from the ground then start attacking by shooting at you. He'll go under the ground after you avoid his attacks. When he pops up, he'll pop up at various heights. It's best to attack him with a flower flower or ground-pound on him when you can.
 * Petey Piranha: The boss of the castle of World 5. Run away from him so that he does not land on you. When he crashes into the ground, jump on him. If he is bouncing up and down, then run under him.
 * Monty Mole: The boss of World 7. He doesn't sound tough, put him in a bullet bill shooting tank, then he does. He'll first start by shooting only one out. When he pops out ground-pound on him. After this, he'll start going on a rampage, spinning and shooting wildly, just duck. Then two more cannons will appear, then another rampage, just duck again. Now when he pops out, he'll be too high up to just jump on him. You have to use a Bullet Bill to bounce on, best if you use the middle one. You have to be quick, or he'll just pop back into his tank.

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, Mega, and Blue. Most of the houses are behind Star Signs. 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 mega 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 the game and you go to a Toad House, it will not disappear


 * 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.
 * Mega house: This house gives you a Mega Mushroom in reserve.
 * Mega houses appear as Mega Mushrooms on the world map.
 * Blue house:  Lets you buy backgrounds for the touch screen for 20 star coins a piece. Only appears when you beat the game.

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.