Don’t eat the mushroom Mario
3D Brothers saving a 2D world? It can only be Super Mario Bros
Hot on the soaraway heels of Nintendo’s first proper Mario game on DS (check out our Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time review for the full joy) comes more news about Mario's next DS outing.
It’s still not got a UK release date or even a proper name, but plot details and Super Mario Bros. for DS screenshots have been forthcoming.
To be honest though, you probably could have guessed the storyline without too much difficulty. It’s Valentine’s Day in the Mushroom Kingdom, but there’s little love in the air. Princess Peach has been taken prisoner by Bowser and Bowser Jr (doh!) and only the Mario brothers can rescue her. So expect plenty of platforming action as Mario and Luigi set forth to battle Goombas and Koopas and get Peach back.
Graphically, the key aspect of the game is the combination of 3D and 2D. Harking back to the classic Mario platformers of the past, all the levels will be flat 2D affairs, so you’ll have to be pixel perfect when jumping around. But Mario and Luigi will be proper 3D characters, which will make their animation and movement much more fluid.
As for what you’ll find on themed-levels such as field, desert and fortress, expect plenty of pickup boxes to unlock, lots of enemies to bounce on and gold coins to collect as you try to speed through in the fastest possible time. New power-ups include the BlueShell, in which Mario can ride, and a growth mushroom that will make him enormous (as you can see in the screenshots). Super Mario Bros. for DS will also make use of the DS touchscreen, enabling you to quickly select items to use in the game.
