New Super Mario Bros. Wii/Items

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Wii Remote, Wii Remote & Nunchuk

Power-Ups

Super Mushroom

In the red spotted variety, Super Mushrooms will upsize Mario to Super Mario in the blink of an eye. Just make sure it doesn't get away.

Fire Flower

If you hit a ? Block as Super Mario, one of these might pop out. Grab it to get yourself the power to shoot fireballs. These come in handy when there are a lot of enemies nearby, and can also light up your path in the darkness.

Ice Flower

Returning from Super Mario Galaxy is the Ice Flower. It gives you the ability to shoot balls of ice at your opponents, much like a fireball. But instead, the enemy will freeze solid and be at your mercy. Once frozen, the block of ice can usually be picked up (by holding and ) and then thrown (by releasing ) to make it slide along the ground and even into other enemies. Not all enemies can be frozen, though, but you'll find ice balls to be of particular use against normally-fireproof enemies like Dry Bones and Buzzy Beetle.

Propeller Mushroom

Getting one of these flying mushrooms will give Mario a Propeller Cap. If you Spin Jump while wearing one of these (), you will shoot up into the sky, higher than usual. You will also return to the ground quite slower than usual. Press to make Mario drill straight down - a handy attack to take out enemies or break through blocks.

Mini Mushroom

These tiny blue mushrooms make Mario shrink to mini size. As Mini Mario, he can run on water and float through the air with ease. He can also enter tiny pipes and normal pipes that are half-blocked. Because of his reduced size, he can't squish enemies by just jumping on them; he must Ground Pound to have any effect. Warning: He can die from a single hit and is tiny enough that Micro Goombas are actually dangerous to him. Be careful!

Penguin Suit

The Penguin Suit comes in very handy during icy levels, as Penguin Mario does not slip on ice. Mario can shoot ice with this power-up, just like with an Ice Flower, but he can dash and then slide along by pressing . He will bowl over most enemies in his path and keep on sliding as long as he remains on ice. He can also slide straight over gaps that are two blocks wide, or over water. He can also swim better: you don't have to press , but you move with the D-Pad. Pressing underwater will just swim faster.

Super Star

This bouncing bundle of joy makes Mario completely invincible, meaning he can take no damage and he can kill every enemy, with the exception of King Bills and bosses. They will often be cleverly hidden, but will help tremendously throughout many levels. However, you can still die from falling down chasms or falling into lava.

Blocks

Brick Block

A simple block made from bricks. They contain Coins, 1-Up Mushrooms, beanstalks, and other goodies. Hit them from underneath or Ground Pound them from above to "activate" them. If they are empty and you are at least Super Mario, they will just break leaving a nice empty space.

? Block

These yellow/blue blocks with "?"s printed on the front hold an item. You have no idea what the item is until you hit it. It could be a Coin, a Mushroom, a Star, anything. You can hit them from underneath to defeat enemies standing on top of them. There are also Flying ? Blocks, which are just normal ? Blocks with wings that fly around.

Coin Block

Looking just like Brick Blocks, they will give you a Coin but still look the same after. So hit it again. And again. You can get more than 10 Coins, then a bonus 5 at the end if you hit it enough. It's possible to get 24 from one. The easiest way to get 15 coins from a Coin Block is to Ground Pound it from above.

Item Block

Item Blocks are slightly bigger than regular blocks, and have a roulette-type effect to them. On the front will be four item pictures constantly changing. When you hit the block, whichever item is on the front will pop out.

Super Guide Block

The green block with a ! on the front will activate the Super Guide. Basically, if you fail a stage 8 times in a row, you'll have the option of turning on the Super Guide. At the start of the stage on your ninth try, there will be a green ! Block. Hit it to call on Luigi and restart the level. Luigi will automatically run through the stage and show you where to go. You can take control back at any time, but once you do, you can't go back to the Super Guide without restarting the level. If you finish the level using the Super Guide, it will still count as Finished, but on the world map the circle will be solid red instead of blue. In order to fully complete the game, you will have to come back and redo this level by yourself. It will ask you at the end if you wish to try again as Mario or just skip the level.

Bounce Block

There are two types of bounce blocks: One has a green and white checkered pattern, the other features a dancing musical note. These blocks give you an extra bounce whenever you jump from them. And that's about it, really.

POW Block

These earth-shattering blocks cause a rough vibration when thrown. This rattle will defeat all enemies touching the ground, and cause all Coins to drop to the floor. Hold and to pick them up, but be warned; they're heavy and will affect your movement. Release to heave the block to the ground and activate its effect.

Glow Block

Luminescent blocks that light up the dark. They can be carried to help improve your sight in the darkness, but you can't shoot fireballs etc. while it is being held.

Red Block

Not at all related to Red Coins, these Blocks appear only in World 3. After activating the Red Switch, all of the Red Blocks become solid, compared to the red dotted outlines they used to be. They can then be used as platforms and help Mario find other ways of completing the level.

Cloud Block

Still cubular in shape, Cloud Blocks release a Lakitu when hit. But this Lakitu is different. Instead of throwing Spinies, they throw Coins. They also come in handy if you need to steal its cloud for a while.

Propeller Block

Small and blue, these blocks allow Mario to jump through the air as if he had a Propeller Cap on. This allows you to reach high places without losing your current power-up. Throw them at enemies to damage some, too.

Grey ! Block

Hitting one of these gives you total control over the Tilt Rail Ledges in the area. It will change color depending on who hit it, and this shows who gets to move them around.

Star Coin Block

Only one of these is in the entire game, and it's in Princess Toadstool's castle. When hitting it, you can watch videos you've used star coins to unlock. These videos show this game's hints and secrets. The block itself is blue with a picture of a Star Coin.

Helpful Features

Coin

Found practically everywhere, collecting 100 of these will earn you an extra life. And who doesn't want more lives?

Star Coin

There are 3 of these in every level. They're used for buy Hint Videos at Princess Toadstool's Castle. They are also used to open levels in World 9.

Red Ring and Red Coin

You may see a floating Red Ring in the sky during a level. Make contact with it to make 8 Red Coins appear and a timer start. If you can collect all of the Red Coins before time runs out, you win a prize.

P-Switch and Blue Coin

It looks like a switch with a "P" on the front. Jump on it to have all of the Brick Blocks change into Coins and vice versa (to help reach secret areas) or have a trail or group of Blue Coins appear. Both affects last for a limited time. Blue Coins are just like regular Coins.

1-Up Mushroom

The green spotted counterparts of regular Mushrooms provide a better service in that they instantly give you an extra life, no questions asked.

Apples

Also called berries, these will just hang around on a bush with no purpose at all, until you find a Yoshi. If you can get Yoshi to eat five apples, you will get a power-up. This is very handy when you get stuck as regular Mario.

Beanstalk

Found in hard to reach Brick Blocks and ? Blocks, these helpful items often allow you to enter otherwise inaccessible areas. Look everywhere for these as they will always lead to something good.

Barrel

Pick these up and throw them so they roll along the ground continuously until they smash into a wall. They can bowl over numerous amounts of enemies, and are a good way of dealing with enemies from afar. But watch out! If another enemy (like a Broozer) knocks the barrel over, they can do the same thing to you!

Springboard

Jump on these trampoline-like platforms to get some extra bounce in your jumps. They help reach high areas that can't be reached with a normal jump.

Donut Lift

These platforms will change color from orange to red when you stand on them, then will drop quite quickly soon after. Make sure you don't spend to much time on a single Lift, unless of course you want to drop.

Checkpoint Flag

Found midway through MOST levels, the Checkpoint Flag records your progress so far and turns you into Super Mario if you are small. If you die after passing this Flag, you will be able to start from the Flag instead of the beginning of the level.

Finish Flag

At the end of every level is a massive Flag. Jumping on this finishes the current level and allows you to progress to the next stage. The higher you jump on to the Flag, the more points you will earn. If you manage to land on the very top of the Flag, you will win an extra life. There is also a special Red Finish Flag, which is found at the end of a secret exit. These are paths that lead off from the normal linear course. If you can find one of these Red Flags, you will open a secret path on the World Map.

Red ! Switch

Found on the World Map in World 3, moving to the north switch will make Mario jump on it and make all Red Blocks solid. Jumping on the south switch makes all Red Blocks transparent again.

Giant Bubble

These bubbles hover in mid-air and are full of water. Jump in one and swim through it to the other side. Just don't fall out the bottom.

Toad Balloon

Little blue balloons with Toad faces on them, these are found only in Map Enemy battles. 8 will appear, and you need to collect them all in order to free a Toad, who will in turn give you 3 Mushrooms.

Hero Car

Much like Bowser Jr.'s Koopa Clown Car, this white bowl-type thing with a propeller on the bottom allows you to take him on. It will change so it has an "M" emblem on the front when you get in, and you can use the D-Pad to move around as if you were on a Lakitu cloud. Shaking the Wii Remote like a Spin Jump makes it spin and charge in whichever direction you are moving. You'll use it on Bowser Jr's Airship in World 6.

? Switch

When hit, these "?"-marked-orange switches change or add an area of a level, anything from adding moving platforms and raising water to turning on lights and making platforms fall. The effects of these switches can be temporary or permanent, varying from switch to switch.

Interactive Platforms

Tilt Lift

This looks like a long steel girder until you stand on it. It will change color depending on who landed on it first (red with an "M" in the middle for Mario, green and "L" for Luigi, etc.). The color indicates who has control of the Tilt Lift. By then tilting the Wii Remote side to side, you can control how much the Lift tilts in-game. If whoever has control jumps off and doesn't return within about one second, it will switch control (or become neutral, if no one is standing on it). Use this to reach objects floating high in the air, or ones hiding underneath. It's used a few times in World 1-2 and World 2-4.

Tilt Fence

Much like the Tilt Lift, grabbing one of these will change it to your color. Tilting the Wii Remote left and right will cause it to swing back and forth, allowing you to grab anything it passes by. It's found only in the World 2 Fortress.

Tilt Elevator

This is pretty much a Tilt Lift on a string. When you stand on one, it will begin to move upward, and tilting left and right makes it move side to side as well. Use this movement to avoid enemies you would otherwise run into. It's found only in the World 7 Fortress.

Tilt Raft

Although tilting the Wii Remote doesn't directly affect the way the raft moves, it changes the direction the giant light on the back is facing. Which is handy when you are floating through darkness. Even if you aren't on board you can still control the light. Hit the ?-Switch to gain control when you first get on. It is found only in World 6-6.

Tilt Rail Ledge

Hitting a strange Grey ! Block changes all Tilt Rail Ledges nearby so they are under your control. Tilting the Remote left and right makes them shoot across their rail to the other end. Jump on one and tilt for a fast ride to wherever it is you need to go. They're only found in World 7-4.

Tilt Rail Glider

Found only in World 8-5, these ledges are just like Tilt Lifts except when you tilt they glide across the rail on which they sit. They don't just automatically fly from one side to the other like the Rail Ledge, they move similar to the Elevator in that they only move when you tilt.