The videogame equivalent of Beatles-on-Ed Sullivan, the original Super Mario Bros. for the Nintendo Entertainment System hit pop culture like an atomic bomb. It wasn’t the first videogame, and it didn’t launch the videogame industry, but it sure as Hell reshaped both. The unforgettable music, the level design, the sound effects, the pacing, the tight controls, the loveable lead character, and the fully realized world became the standard by which all subsequent games would be judged. Finally, after 15 years since the last 2-D, side scrolling Super Mario Bros. game — perhaps Nintendo’s greatest masterpiece, Super Nintendo’s Super Mario World — the Italian plumber has returned in New Super Mario Bros. for Nintendo DS. While it could never have the impact of the first game in the series, and is a bit too easy, New Super Mario Bros. is a spectacularly inventive game in its own right. It successfully returns the franchise to its roots with a colorful and vibrant world, masterful controls, and a never-ending sense of fun and wonder.

New Super Mario Bros. isn’t so much a sequel as it is a re-imagining of the original Super Mario Bros. The music isn’t exactly the same, but it’s familiar; the levels, divided into eight “worlds” like the original, feel almost like you’ve played them before, but are different enough to be filled with surprises; the graphics are no longer made up of sprites, but polygons, updating the game’s look for a new audience. Mario controls just like you remember: he moves with the directional pad, jumps with the press of one button, and runs fast if you hold down another (Luigi is only playable in the 2-player Versus mode). Playing just one level is a breath of fresh air from today’s games that demand complex combos, menu screens, and multiple weapons. Here, all you do is jump — and it’s just as satisfying as ever. It’s clear that New Super Mario Bros. is a love letter to fans who fondly remember the original Super Mario Bros. games (indeed, it incorporates elements of all entries in the series), but it’s strong enough to bring in a new generation of gamers.

There are several new wrinkles thrown into the mix as well. In addition to the classic mushroom and fire-flower power-ups, Nintendo’s added the giant mushroom, giving Mario the ability to grow to the size of the screen and destroy everything in his path as he literally runs over the level. There’s also a new mini-mushroom, allowing Mario to shrink and get to otherwise impossible-to-reach places. Both power-ups fit seamlessly, never encroaching on the game’s balance, and up the fun-factor considerably. Mario can also wall-jump, be shot from pipes, and butt-stomp. The game is filled with moments of awe, as these new maneuvers and abilities all come in handy at completing jaw-dropping jumps and stunts. It looks and feels just like the best moments in any Super Mario Bros. game. But it’s not entirely perfect.

New Super Mario Bros. has one real flaw: difficulty, or lack thereof. Without question, many of the levels and bosses are the easiest in the entire series, and the game only becomes truly challenging in the last world. It’s not that it’s dumbed down in any way — if you take your time to fully explore the levels, and find all the secrets, you’ll be busy for a long time — but Nintendo went a bit too far to make the main game accessible to everyone. It’s not a deal breaker, because the level design is top-notch and it’s oodles of fun, but the sequels need to be tougher.

Despite the problem of difficulty, New Super Mario Bros. fully lives up to the hype. It controls like you want it to, the levels have several twists and turns to surprise even the most jaded gamer, and the graphics honorably bring the look of the series into the present day. Most importantly, it’s the most fun videogame, plain and simple, released in a long, long time. It doesn’t reach the depths of the brilliant Super Mario Bros. 3 or Super Mario World, but it stands with them proudly.
KFR Rating: A-

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