It's a cute, little game. Has the most soul in the NEW series both because it's the first, but also because it's on the DS, it had to work with limitations, and it has a bunch of wacky effects which never came back, such as droopy mushrooms and inflatable boo. It was pretty basic, though. This game has a new powerup which it is willing to not have entire levels dedicated to: the blue shell. It's barely an upgrade, because it's hard to use, but perhaps there's a skill ceiling with it, like the rail mail in Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment. I want to praise how brief and somewhat understated the game is, but I also want to question how necessary it was to be constantly just behind Bowser Jr, and having to stop playing to watch him walk forward and jump into the next castle. Is this a game with urgency? Anyway, it's fine.