Overview

New Super Mario Bros. 2 is a two-dimensional platform game released for the Nintendo 3DS in 2012. Presented in the long-running Mario side‑scroller tradition, it emphasizes classic jump-and-run gameplay while placing an unusual focus on gathering coins as a central objective. The game is commonly referenced by its Japanese title New スーパーマリオブラザーズ 2 and its romanized form Nyū Sūpā Mario Burazāzu Tsū. It belongs to the family of 2D platformers and related design conventions (platformer).

Series context and release

This entry follows earlier series installments, including the 2006 New Super Mario Bros. on the Nintendo DS (previous DS entry) and the 2009 New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii installment). New Super Mario Bros. 2 shipped for the Nintendo 3DS (3DS) in mid‑2012, with releases staggered worldwide: Japan (Japan), Europe (Europe) and North America (North America). The series continued on home consoles shortly afterward with New Super Mario Bros. U for the Wii U (Wii U), which itself received an expansion pack (New Super Luigi U).

Gameplay and mechanics

While the basic structure—running, jumping, stomping enemies and finding secret exits—remains familiar, this title adds mechanics intended to reward aggressive coin collection. Players encounter new coin‑themed power‑ups and transformations that convert enemies or blocks into stacks of coins. A dedicated challenge mode focuses on maximizing coin totals across short stage sequences. The dev team highlighted the coin objective publicly: company leadership noted a design aim that encouraged players to chase large coin totals (Satoru Iwata discussed the goal of amassing many coins, including a stated target of a million coins as a long‑term play novelty).

Features and content

  • Traditional side‑scroll levels with multiple worlds and boss encounters.
  • Unique coin-focused items and effects that change how players approach exploration and risk.
  • Short, repeatable challenge modes that encourage speed and coin optimization.
  • Visual style that blends classic Mario sprites with modern 3D-rendered assets for depth on the 3DS hardware.

Reception and legacy

Critics and players generally praised the game's tight platforming and how the coin emphasis offered a fresh angle on familiar level designs. Common critiques centered on the reuse of assets from earlier series entries and a perception that some content was brief. Still, the coin‑centric design influenced how subsequent Mario titles balanced collectible goals with core platforming, and the game is often mentioned as part of the modern revival of 2D Mario experiences that trace back to the 2006 handheld release (Nintendo DS) and the 2009 console follow‑up (Wii, New Super Mario Bros. Wii).

Notable facts and distinctions

  1. The game places coins in the foreground as both a scoring mechanism and a secondary gameplay goal, more so than most other titles in the Mario franchise.
  2. It arrived on handheld hardware during a period when the franchise was producing parallel 2D and 3D titles across Nintendo systems, linking portable and console releases (New Super Mario Bros. U and related content).
  3. Public statements by Nintendo executives framed the coin-collection challenge as a deliberate design highlight (Iwata, million‑coin goal).

For players seeking straightforward, polished side‑scrolling with an added emphasis on collectible strategy, New Super Mario Bros. 2 offers a familiar Mario experience with a focused twist: collecting coins becomes both a practical resource and the central pursuit that shapes many level choices. Additional details and region‑specific information are available from publisher materials and regional releases (JP, EU, NA).