✅78%

It was so cool being able to beat this on Mario day. I really had a good time with this game and it was the best way this franchise could've started. It was able to pay tribute and have easter eggs to the past games while also being its own game in its visual style and gameplay. While some of the level design can lean on the generic side, there are some really cool mechanics at play here like the blue shell suit, gigantic mushroom, and the mountain ledges. Each world has a lot of variety with world 1 being a nice tutorial-ish entry to the game and then you get world 6 which is a bunch of mountains. The worlds all have excellent pacing as it's able to have a good short entry in 1 and an epic, longer world 8 for a finale. It also makes sure each world doesn't overstay its welcome in ice physics and desert scenery. I really don't have much else to say not because it's forgettable but because it checks off all the boxes for a good game and doesn't really have anything bad about it. New Super Mario Bros. is a solid platformer and entry in the Mario series, but really a perfect way to start off this reboot series in the Mario franchise.