| New Super Mario Bros. DX | ||||
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| Developer(s) | Nintendo EAD | |||
| Publisher(s) | Nintendo | |||
| Platform(s) | Wii U | |||
| Genre(s) | Platformer | |||
| Series | New Super Mario Bros. Series | |||
| Predecessor | New Super Mario Bros. U | |||
| Successor | Another Super Mario Bros. DX | |||
| Release Date(s) | November 13th 2015 | |||
| Mode(s) | 1-5 Players | |||
| Age Rating(s) | 
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| Media Included | Wii U Optimal Disk
Digital Download | |||
New Super Mario Bros. DX is a game released for the Nintendo Wii U in 2015. It is the 5th game in the New Super Mario Bros series. The game consists of 8 worlds (along with one extra world) and over 90 stages, and the game can be played with 5 players, 1 of which uses the Wii U gamepad.
Plot[]
The plot of the game starts in a similar fashion to Super Mario 64 and the Super Mario Galaxy games, in that it starts with a letter sent to the Mario Brothers.
"Dear Mario and Luigi,
In celebration of 30 years since you first defeated Bowser, you have both been invited to a celebration at the castle tonight. A majority of the Mushroom Kingdom have also been invited, and we've made sure that Bowser won't try to crash the party this time. I hope you can make it.
Sincerely, Princess Peach Toadstool."
The players then take control of Mario or Luigi (if 4 players have been selected, they can't play until the sequence is over) and they start the first level titled "World 0-1", which involves Mario and Luigi going through Toad Town to Peach's Castle. After a cutscene where Mario and Luigi meet up with Yellow Toad and Blue Toad from the previous games as well, and the cutscene transitions to Bowser's castle. Larry Koopa had been watching what was happening through one of the stain glass windows high up on the castle and informs Bowser about what's going on (in jibberish and sign language, of course). Bowser decides that he's going to kidnap the princess again, but not now because that would be too predictable, so he waits until early next morning to begin a raid on the kingdom. Bowser's Airship Armanda attacks Toad Town, and Bowser uses his evil magic to summon giant castles from the ground in the 7 worlds of the Mushroom Kingdom, kidnaps the princess, and heads back to his castle. Mario, Luigi, Yellow Toad, and Blue Toad find out about what happened later on, and the four of them set off on an adventure to save the princess... again...
Gameplay[]
The gameplay is extremely similar to New Super Mario Bros. U, most likely because it's on the same system, with the return of the 4-player multiplayer functioning identically to the previous 3 games. Other gameplay elements from New Super Mario Bros. U, such as Boost Mode and Challenges, also return.
The game can be played with 3 controllers; the Wii Remote, the Gamepad, or the Wii U Pro Controller. Controllers can be changed on the Pause Menu while on the world map. The game also allows 5 players to play at once. Whoever has the Gamepad can choose whether they want to play as a character or use Boost Mode, which works the same as it did in U, but this time Boost Blocks can be stretched to be longer/wider (to an extent).
After a level has been completed, a replay of the level is saved, and they can be uploaded to Miiverse and even Youtube, in a very similar fashion to Mario Kart 8. Replays can also be edited to have special effects and can be slowed down to emphasise dramatic or epic moments. Replays can be viewed and uploaded at anytime on the main menu.
Characters[]
Playable Characters[]
| Picture | Description |
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The main character and star of the show. Mario is an all-around character with average attributes, and is the most balanced of the four. Unlike the other NSMB games, the first player is given a choice and doesn't have to play as him. He's unlocked from the start. |
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Mario's younger brother and second in command. Luigi is faster and can jump higher than Mario, but it takes longer for him to stop, making platforming a bit trickier. He also has his scuttle jump from New Super Luigi U. He's unlocked from the start. |
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Blue Toad's younger brother and ironically the strongest of the four. Yellow Toad deals can defeat bosses or strong enemies quicker, but in turn is the slowest character. Ideal for newcomers to the series. He's unlocked from the start. |
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Yellow Toad's older brother and the fastest of the four. Blue Toad is useful for speedruns since he runs the fastest, and when he uses the Cape Feather, he floats the slowest. He's unlocked from the start. |
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Nabbit makes his playable return from New Super Luigi U. He can be played as the same way as before, and he has the same physics and attributes as Mario. His origins are finally revealed in this game. He's unlocked by beating World 1. |
Allies[]
| Picture | Description |
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Mario's best friend returns once again to help him and his friends on their adventure. Yoshi comes in green, red, yellow, blue, and black, and they all have their own special abilities. Green does nothing, red spits out fire, yellow spits out acid, blue spits out water, and black spits out ink. They are all able to use the flutter jump as usual. |
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Green Toad runs the shops and Toad Houses in the game. He roams around the kingdom looking for items and powerups to sell at his shops, but he's a vulnerable target for Nabbit, who constantly robs things from him. He does what he can to help Mario and company successfully finish their quest. |
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Toadette is the cousin of Yellow Toad and Blue Toad, and replaces Luigi as the Super Guide of the game. She's mostly brave, but has a fear of lava, so she won't appear to help the heroes in castles, towers with lava, or any level in World 8. During Super Guide mode, she has the same physics and traction as Blue Toad. She skips all collectibles and does not collect powerups. She can be unlocked as a playable character by completing worlds 1 to 4 without Super Guide. |
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Koopa the Quick is an old friend/rival of Mario that he first met in Bob-omb Battlefield. He occasionally appears in levels to challenge Mario and company to a race. At the end of the level there's a flag with a Koopa Shell on it. If Mario and company beat Koopa the Quick, he will give them an item, usually rare ones. |
Modes[]
New Super Mario Bros. DX has 5 modes:
- Adventure Mode - Adventure Mode is the main story mode of the game. It can be played with up to 5 people. Pretty self-explanatory.
- Multiplayer Mode - Multiplayer Mode is a mode that can be played with 2 players or more. There are 3 gametypes; Race, Battle, and Coin Rush. Race and Battle are self-explanatory and have special exclusive levels not seen in Adventure Mode. Coin Rush works the same as it does in New Super Mario Bros. 2, but was edited slightly for multiplayer. Each player takes turns playing a randomly selected level while trying to get the most coins. This is the only place where Gold Flowers make an appearance. There were rumours that Nintendo were planning to release DLC for levels for multiplayer, but these rumours were debunked.
- Challenge Mode - Challenge Mode is the same as how it was in New Super Mario Bros. U. The player is given 5 types of challenge genres and 1 more that can be unlocked by completing them all. The 6 challenges are Time Attack, Coin Hoard (works the same as Coin Rush in NSMB2, but with only one level each time instead of 3), Boost Rush, Character-specific challenges, and Boss Gauntlet.
- Sound Test Mode - Unlocked after beating World 8. In this mode, you can listen to any song in the game, including level music, cutscene music, and sound effects. After beating World 9, music from that world appears here too. Cutscenes can also be rewatched here.
- Replay Mode - Replay Mode works like Mario Kart TV in Mario Kart 8. When a level is completed, a replay of the level is saved and sent here, where players can edit their replays and upload them to Miiverse, and even Youtube. Replays can be sped up and slowed down, and unlike Mario Kart 8, you can keep playing the game while the replay uploads to Youtube.
Worlds[]
| Name | Description |
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Mushroom Plains |
A green field filled with colourful hills and flowers... and Bowser's minions! Mushroom Plains is where Mario and company begin their adventure, and introduces the player(s) to the game's controls and gameplay mechanics. Mushroom Plains also marks the grand return of a fan-favourite power-up, the Cape Feather! The world's tower boss is Boom Boom and the castle boss is Iggy Koopa. |
| Deserted Dunes | A desolate land that's extremely prone to sandstorms. Nearby is a gargantuan pyramid that holds the ancient tomb of Tutankoopa, but it's anything but a cakewalk to get there, as there are deathtraps all over the pyramid! The world's tower boss is Giant Pokey and the "castle" (it's actually the previously mentioned pyramid) boss is Ludwig Von Koopa. |
| Winter Wonderland | A snowy paradise where it's always winter. This world is one of the more populated places in the kingdom, as there is a village nearby. This is the only world where Penguin Suits can be found in the levels themselves. The world's tower boss is a possessed ice sculpture of Bowser and the castle boss is Morton Koopa Jr. |
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Sparkling Shores |
A beautiful, Summery beach that's absolutely scorching hot during the Summer. This world has a few more underwater levels than the rest of the worlds in the game. There's also a level that involves using a surfboard! The world's tower boss is Big Bertha and the castle boss is Lemmy Koopa. |
| Jingle Jungle | The least populated world in the entire kingdom... Or at least it was until Bowser's minions invaded. Now it's full of Piranha Plants, Wigglers, and Bramballs. The world's tower boss is Flutter and the castle boss is Wendy O Koopa. |
| Crumble Caverns | A rocky, mountainous area that has a puzzle mechanic on its world map, in that the player goes from mountain to mountain via cannons. Buzzy Beetles, Monty Moles, Lakitus and Spinies are everywhere in this world. The world's tower boss is an army of Reznors and the castle boss is Larry. There is also an airship level at the end of the world and the boss is Bowser Jr. |
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Paratroopa Skies |
Up in the clouds of the Mushroom Kingdom is a city made by an army of Paratroopas. This world is full of autoscrolling sections and even more Lakitus than Crumble Caverns. The levels contain a lot of levels where one slip-up can mean one life lost. The world's tower boss is King Lakitu and the castle boss is Roy Koopa. |
| Bowser's Lava Lair | The final world isn't actually part of the Mushroom Kingdom; When you come here, you're stepping into Bowser's territory, the Koopa Kingdom. This world is full of dangerous volcanoes and castles, and the final level has a boss rush, where you face all of the Koopalings in order of appearance. The world's tower boss is Kamek and the final level's boss is the previously mentioned boss rush, followed by a final showdown with Bowser, which also ends with a Giant Bowser fight as per usual. |
| Rainbow Road | A legendary world that has the hardest 9 stages in the entire game. The world is unlocked after beating Bowser's Lava Lair, and the levels are unlocked by collecting all the Star Coins in each world (Example: Getting all the Star Coins in Mushroom Plains unlocks the first level, getting all the Star Coins in Deserted Dunes unlocks the second level, so on and so forth). The world doesn't have a tower or a boss and the final level's boss is Dry Bowser. |
Enemies[]
Main Article: New Super Mario Bros. DX/Enemies
Power-Ups[]
Main Article: New Super Mario Bros. DX/Power-Ups
Beta Elements[]
Main Article: New Super Mario Bros. DX/Beta Elements
Reception[]
New Super Mario Bros. DX was given generally positive reviews. Reviewers praised the game for being a big step-up from the previous 4 games content-wise and music-wise (since the soundtrack wasn't synthicized like the other games), and for improving the multiplayer aspect, but it was criticized for not really doing anything special. It was also criticized for a lack of online multiplayer. Other than that the game was considered a good sequel to New Super Mario Bros. U.
Trivia[]
- About a year after the game was released, a sequel titled Another Super Mario Bros. DX was revealed in a Nintendo Direct. The sequel is said to improve things that the first game did wrong, such as online multiplayer, DLC, and more playable characters. It will also include more power-ups.
- This is the first time a New Super Mario Bros. game has been on the same console as a predecessor, not counting New Super Luigi U.
- This is the second Mario game in the entire franchise where the player is able to save and edit replays of themselves playing the game, and the first to do so in the platforming series.