Jump up, jump up, and get down on that mushroom. Mario platform gaming at it's best!!!
This is a great platforming game like most Mario games and is a great update of the same old successful formula. This game reminds me a lot of Super Mario Brothers 3 with 8 worlds you have to complete and fun transformations for Mario to use to complete his adventure. The greatest transformation is the giant mushroom that makes Mario giant and you can smash through the level quickly and powerfully. On the opposite side you have the mini mushroom that makes Mario tiny in order to walk on water, jump higher, jump off walls, or go down tiny pipes. The other costumes are similar to previous games, but no racoon cape.
The gameplay is where Mario games really shine and this game is no different. The gameplay is well balanced like most Mario games with the first few levels easy and a steady learning curve the further into the game you get. The gold stars in the levels add challenges to completing levels and there are hidden level exits throughout. There are three gold stars on each level spaced evenly throughout the level. The gold stars allow access to the mushroom houses that provide costumes and extra lives. It is a normal platform game with jumping on enemies, jumping over obstacles, and dodging obstacles as you collect coins on your way to the end of the level. There are bosses in intermediate castles until you fight Bowser in the main castle at the end of the level.
The visual presentation is great with the hand drawn backgrounds that extend forever and forever. All the characters are well animated and look great on the Nintendo DS screen.
The background music is typical Mario fashion, but can get old after awhile. There is no voice acting for the characters, but they do make their signature noises. The sound effects work well through the game's environments.
The story is the same as every other Mario game with you saving the Princess from Bowser, but you don't play Mario games for the great story.
I beat the game a couple weeks ago after getting all the gold stars from all 8 levels and getting a final score of 09149900. I played it a long time in order to get all the gold stars complete. You can beat the game in less time by skipping worlds, hidden levels, and not getting all the gold stars.