New Super Mario Bros. Wii

“A new Mario adventure!”

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Save data description

New Super Mario Bros. Wii is a side-scrolling 2.5D Mario platformer for the Wii and the tenth game in the Super Mario series. The game was released in Oceania on November 12, in North America on November 15, in Europe on November 20, and in Japan on December 3, 2009; it is the first main series game to be released first in the Oceanian regions, and the first and currently the only Mario platformer to be originally released outside Japan or America. It is a follow-up to the 2006 Nintendo DS game New Super Mario Bros.

In addition to the single-player experience, New Super Mario Bros. Wii also features a multiplayer mode for up to four players. This is the first Super Mario game to feature co-op and vs. modes at the same time since Mario Bros. It features more items, new levels, and more enemies than the DS predecessor. It is also the first title to support Nintendo’s new Super Guide mode.[5] The game introduces two new power-ups, the Propeller Mushroom and the Penguin Suit, which turn characters into their propeller and penguin forms, respectively.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii is the first 2D platformer Super Mario title to hit a home console since Super Mario World for the SNES (released 19 years prior). To date, the game has sold over 30 million copies worldwide, making it the fourth best-selling Wii game overall and the second best-selling Mario game on the system, after Mario Kart Wii.[6] New Super Mario Bros. Wii received two follow-ups in 2012: New Super Mario Bros. 2, a direct sequel to New Super Mario Bros. for the Nintendo 3DS, and New Super Mario Bros. U, a direct sequel to this game as a launch title for the Wii U.

This is the first of two games released outside of Japan and South Korea to feature a different colored game box, the second being Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games. The box for New Super Mario Bros. Wii is red, as opposed to most other Wii games with a white box.

Story

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Bowser Jr. and the Koopalings jumping out of the cake

Mario, Luigi, Yellow Toad, and Blue Toad are celebrating Princess Peach’s birthday, when a huge cake slides in. Immediately, Bowser Jr. (who masterminded the plot to infiltrate via the birthday cake[7]) and the Koopalings jump out and throw the cake on top of Peach and the Toads, trapping her inside and leaving the Toads stunned. From there, the villains load her onto their airship while Mario, Luigi, Yellow Toad, and Blue Toad follow closely. The Toads from the castle soon use a cannon to blast away presents containing Propeller Mushrooms and Penguin Suits so Mario and the others can obtain them, but they explode in the air and spread the items in nine worlds.[8]

Throughout the chase, Mario and co. battle the Koopalings in their fortresses, followed by in their castles. Afterward, Bowser Jr. flies in the airship with Peach stuck in it, though during two occasions, the airship leaves without Bowser Jr., allowing the Mario Bros. and Toads to chase after him. When the gang defeats Bowser Jr. for the final time, Magikoopa appears and takes Peach away, taking her to Bowser’s Castle.

When Mario and the gang finally get to the final castle, they find Bowser. One of them has to jump on a ! Switch behind Bowser to defeat him, sending him falling into the lava below. After Mario, Luigi, Yellow Toad, and Blue Toad celebrate their victory, they see the fake Princess Peach crying in a cage. However, she turns out to be Magikoopa in a pink version of his robe. Magikoopa then powers Bowser up, making him giant. After Bowser has been powered up, the four can do nothing but flee from the giant boss. Soon they find a dead end with a huge ! Switch. They push it, and the giant Bowser falls through the floor in final defeat as the real princess is released from her cage. As they venture out, they see Luigi, Blue Toad, and Yellow Toad arrive in their hot air balloons. Luigi lets Mario and Peach into his balloon and is accidentally left behind. Yellow Toad and Blue Toad then offer Luigi a ride in their balloon. As they sail off, Peach asks Mario if she told him about the secret world. If the player beats the level again, Peach asks Mario to tell her about his adventure again.

Bowser, Bowser Jr., and the Koopalings watch as the castle collapses.

In a post-credits scene, Larry Koopa is seen limping toward Bowser’s Castle. As he collapses, Bowser Jr. walks up to him and shows him the rest of the Koopalings trying to push Bowser, who is back to normal, right side up. They finally succeed and celebrate, but the castle begins to fall on top of them before Bowser is heard groaning as the screen cuts to black.

Gameplay features

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The gameplay of the game is mostly based on its DS predecessor. The story mode of the game can be played in either single-player mode or multiplayer cooperative mode. Players can be freely added and removed in between levels on the world map. The camera pans as players move, and it zooms in and out depending on their distance to one another. However, there is a limit, and players who are far behind lose a life.

After players clear World 1-3 for the first time, a Toad runs up and tells the heroes that Bowser Jr. ordered his minions to stuff Toads they capture into ? Blocks. If the level was cleared in single-player mode, a Goomba then appears and carries the Toad to a ? Block in World 1-1, where the player must carry him to the goal. Toads can be rescued only in single-player mode.

When a player loses a life in multiplayer, they reappear inside a bubble. The player inside the bubble can shake the Wii Remote to bring themselves closer to the other players that are currently not in a bubble. Bubbles can burst only when a player not in a bubble comes in contact with the bubble or throws a fireball, ice ball, shell, or frozen enemy at the bubble. A player can place themselves in a bubble purposefully without losing a life by pressing the button on the Wii Remote or the button on the Nunchuk if it is connected. The player inside the bubble cannot be harmed by anything and retains their previous form. However, if everyone has lost all their lives, or if someone loses a life and everyone else is in a bubble, then all players have to restart the level from the beginning or the midway point if the players touched it on a prior attempt. The players in bubbles return to their normal forms but do not lose any lives.

When one player grabs the pole at the end of the level, the timer stops and the other players would have three seconds to grab the pole before the level ends. If they do not make it in time, the level still ends; however, there is no penalty to the players left behind other than the lost opportunity for points or a 1-Up by grabbing the pole.

The light on the boat’s direction being changed by tilting the Wii Remote

Players play the game by holding the Wii Remote sideways or by using the Wii Remote and Nunchuk combination. If a player tilts the Wii Remote, certain actions can be performed, such as changing the direction of a light or tilting special platforms when they have been activated. Players can activate these by standing on them; the color and the symbol of the character on the platform determine who is controlling them.

Shaking the Wii Remote activates the Spin Jump, as seen in Super Mario World. Players can carry objects such as frozen enemies and barrels by ( with the Nunchuk) and shaking the Wii Remote near the object.

It is possible to ride on Yoshi as well. In addition to his usual ability to consume most enemies, he can retain many different objects in the game in his mouth, including hammers, fireballs, ice balls, shells, Toads, power-ups, and other players. Yoshi can also use his Flutter Jump, a move first introduced in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island. Similar to in Super Mario World, Yoshi can eat five apples in a course to produce an egg with a power-up or 1-Up. Yoshi cannot be harmed by sharp objects and enemies such as Spinies and Piranha Plants as long as he lands on them. Yoshi(s) brought to the end of the course must be abandoned, and therefore there are only certain levels in which players can ride Yoshis.

Mario can swim in these moving, floating bubbles

Enemy Courses return from Super Mario Bros. 3, as well as Toad Houses; items obtained are stored in an inventory that can be accessed with the button ( button with the Nunchuk) on the map screen. Unlike in New Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario World, there is no spare item box, so players cannot activate items during levels. Pressing on the map allows the player to go to any previously visited world.

Up to five stars can appear on a player’s profile. The first appears after the player has beaten Bowser for the first time (using any method), the second appears when all levels in the first eight worlds (except Warp Cannons/Pipes and Toad Houses) have been beaten, the third appears if all Star Coins from Worlds 1 to 8 are obtained, the fourth appears when all Star Coins in World 9 have been obtained, and the fifth appears once the player has beaten every level (including Warp Cannons, etc.) and has collected every Star Coin. The stars shine if the Super Guide block did not appear at all during the game, even if it is not used when it appears.

Super Guide

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Main article: Super Guide

Debuting in this game, the Super Guide provides players assistance to clear levels. When the player has failed to pass a level at least eight times in single player, a green box appears at the start of the level or at the checkpoint. When the player hits the green box, the level restarts in autopilot mode: A computer-controlled Luigi plays the level on his own. The Super Guide shows the player how to beat the level, but it does not use shortcuts, take damage, or reveal secrets. While the Super Guide is running, the player can press the button on the Wii Remote at any time to take control back; the game starts exactly where the Super Guide left off. Once the player has taken control back, they cannot turn it back on in the middle of the level. Even when the Super Guide assistance is used, the level is still considered complete, though it is now marked red, and any stars on the profile do not shine. If the player takes over, they continue to play as Luigi rather than Mario. Losing a life as Luigi allows the player to control Mario again, without losing a life.

Free-for-all is a multiplayer-only mode that is selectable from the game’s main menu. Every course from the main game is selectable in this mode, although the worlds have to be beaten once in the main game in order to play them in Free-for-all. This mode is very similar to the main game, but there are no midway points, and on the end of a level, the number of points each character got is seen. However, unlike in Coin Battle, the character does not say a “happy” phrase after winning, and the number of times each player won is also not seen. Additionally, if all of the players manage to get to the pole, the level is marked on the level-selection menu with a gold frame, and the words “TEAM FINISH!” is seen for about a second. If not all players manage to reach the pole, it is marked with a silver frame and the word “CLEAR!” is seen instead.

Names in other languages

Language

Name

Meaning

French (NOA)
Pagaille
Mayhem

French (NOE)
Mode libre
Free mode

German
Freier Modus
Free Mode

Italian
Modalità libera
Free Mode

Spanish (NOA)
Modo Conquista
Conquest Mode

Spanish (NOE)
Modo Libre
Free Mode

Controls

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Controller

Levels

World Map

Wii Remote

fireball/Ice Ball; carry shell

Wii Remote and Nunchuk

Move
Move
Move

Levels

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Players being added into the game are allowed to choose their own characters. Mario lacks a cap because he has 99 lives, the maximum amount of lives in the game; this is an Easter egg

The world-selection map with all worlds unlocked

The game has nine worlds with a world map similar to the one in New Super Mario Bros. There still are Toad Houses, towers, castles, Warp Cannons, Warp Pipes (in World 2 and World 6), vines (in World 7), and horizontal “platform” Pipes (in World 6). Enemies also patrol the map screen. If the enemies come in contact with players, they must play an Enemy Course. Players must collect eight Toad balloons to make a chest with a Toad trapped in it appear. If the Toad is saved, three Super Mushrooms are rewarded. Each Enemy Course is different in each world. The layout of the worlds (either horizontally or vertically) alternates among the worlds, with the odd-numbered worlds, Worlds 1, 3, 5, and 7, all going in a horizontal left-to-right direction, and the even-numbered worlds, Worlds 2, 4, 6, and 8, all going in a vertical down-to-up direction.

There are 77 courses in the main game, 14 of which have secret exits, bringing the total number of exits to 91. Kidnapped Toads are sometimes hidden in previously beaten levels in single-player mode. If the Toad is carried to the level exit without being damaged, Mario is rewarded with three 1-Ups. However, only one 1-Up is rewarded to Mario if the Toad took damage before reaching the goal. Additionally, when Toad is saved, the “Course Clear” theme from Super Mario Bros. is played instead of the normal one, fireworks go off, and a Toad House opens at the starting point of the world. The type of house that appears depends on the last digit in the level timer when Toad and/or Mario touch(es) the pole. If the Toad is damaged twice, it is defeated, and Mario cannot bring it to the goal anymore.

Captured Toads appear only in the following levels:

Other than the game’s main campaign, which can be played with up to four players, New Super Mario Bros. Wii offers special multiplayer challenges. Those challenges have some levels taken from the campaign and some newly created levels. There is a Free for All mode and a Coin Battle mode. The Free for All mode has players competing for a high score, while the Coin Battle mode has them competing for the most collected coins in the level.

World 9 is unlocked after completing the game. There are eight stages in that world, and each stage is unlocked by collecting all the Star Coins in each of the preceding eight worlds.

Worlds

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The world names originate from the game’s Prima guide.

Characters

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The four playable characters (left to right): Blue Toad, Yellow Toad, Luigi, and Mario

Playable

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Supporting

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Enemies

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Bosses

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This game is the first game to feature the Koopalings in their new 3D models. This is also the only 2D Mario game to have both tower and castle bosses be a Koopaling.

Enemy Courses

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New enemies

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Returning enemies

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Minigames

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Transformations

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Blocks

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Items and objects

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It has been requested that more images be uploaded for this section. Remove this notice only after the additional image(s) have been added. Specifics: Flower

Staff

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Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development developed the game, with the director being Shigeyuki Asuke and the producers being Takashi Tezuka and Hiroyuki Kimura.

Development

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It has been requested that this section be rewritten and expanded to include more information. Reason: July 31, 2019

As demonstrated by development information for various games, Shigeru Miyamoto had been struggling to add multiplayer to Mario games for a long time. He tried to experiment with multiplayer aspects at the start of most of his Mario projects, as can be seen in prerelease screenshots of games such as Super Mario 64 DS and New Super Mario Bros.: different multiplayer aspects were evidently intended for both of those games during early stages of development. When the experiments with multiplayer failed to come to fruition, in part due to technical limitations, the developers refocused on what they were used to, single-player; for both of the aforementioned games, multiplayer was put on the back-burner and was only used in in-engine side modes and unrelated minigames. The Wii’s hardware allowed Miyamoto to ensure that the game could process all loaded items and enemies at once, and have the camera focus on all players.[9]

New Super Mario Bros. Wii was developed as the flagship title for Super Guide. This feature first surfaced as a June 30, 2008 patent for a “Kind Code” with three demo play modes: Game, in which, when the player gets stuck during standard gameplay, they can view a walkthrough video that appears in the screen’s top right corner; Digest, in which the player watches developer gameplay and can join the game at a particular point, but cannot save; and Scene Menu, in which players go directly to specific parts of the game without loading their games or watching the digest.[10] Super Guide uses the Digest mode, and Hint Movies appear to use the Scene Menu mode.

Reception

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The current Mario and Luigi voice actor, Charles Martinet originally stated that this game is his favorite Mario game of all time. His new favorite Mario game is Super Mario Maker.

Reviews

Release

Reviewer, Publication

Score

Comment

Wii

Ryan Scott, Gamespy

4.5/5

“If you have friends who enjoy videogames, this is one to play together. It’s made specifically for that — and yeah, it’s got all the painstaking collectibles and supplemental multiplayer challenges you already assumed it did, so you’re going to play it for quite a while. And if you just want a serious challenge, play alone and revel in the pure joy of death. Either way, it’s a damn fine Mario game. But I bet you already knew that.”

Wii

Nick Chester, Destructoid

9/10

“Despite being feeling and looking somewhat familiar (which is definitely a positive in this case), New Super Mario Bros. Wii is one of your safest and best bet on the Wii this year.”

Wii

Oli Welsh, Eurogamer

9/10

“Who knew that, locked in the time-honoured traditions of Super Mario Bros., one of the greatest co-op games ever was waiting to get out? Well, Shigeru Miyamoto did. In unleashing it, Nintendo hasn’t moved its classic series forward one jot; it hasn’t had to. But it has given it a riotous new lease of life.”

Aggregators

Compiler

Platform / Score

Metacritic

GameRankings

88.18%

Sales

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New Super Mario Bros. Wii is the 4th best-selling game on the Wii, having sold 30.32 million copies worldwide as of September 30, 2021.[11]

Promotion

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A box set of the trading cards

Trading cards were released to promote the game’s release. They feature various characters, enemies, items, and levels from the game. Each booster pack contains four regular cards and one each of Tips & Tricks, Standee, Foil, and FunTats. A book published by Alfred Music Publishing titled New Super Mario Bros. Wii Intermediate / Advanced Piano Solos was released, containing sheet music for seventeen songs from the game.

Arcade adaptation

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A Japan only arcade game developed by Capcom was released in 2011 called New Super Mario Bros. Wii Coin World.

Glitches

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The frozen Climbing Koopa dropping coins

Infinite coins

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The player needs an Ice Flower in World 4- and get to the place with the large flip panel with a Climbing Koopa on it. Mario must stand on the front side, then jump to throw an Ice Ball at the Climbing Koopa. The player must hold the fence again and spin the flip panel as fast as possible. The Climbing Koopa freezes, falls to the ground and drops infinite coins.

Pre-release and unused content

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An early version of World 7-4

During development, Princess Peach was planned to be a playable character. This idea was scrapped because the Toads better suited Mario’s stature and the need for special programming to handle the physics of the dress. The development team wanted the game opening sequence to be more dramatic, causing a dispute between them and Shigeru Miyamoto.

In the game’s E3 2009 trailer, it shows an early design of the motion-controlled platforms in World 7-4. They lack they indicator which shows the player in control of the platforms and do not make a sound when they travel on the tracks. The bottom of the platforms are also less round compared to the final design. The tracks feature a simpler design, being completely black with red endpoints instead.

Gallery

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For this subject’s image gallery, see Gallery:New Super Mario Bros. Wii.

Media

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For a complete list of media for this subject, see List of New Super Mario Bros. Wii media.

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