The main game is pretty decent. There's more of a willingness to try out weirder ideas compared to later NSMB games. Stuff like the blue shell, secret worlds locked behind boss challenges, and level design concepts like ground deformation and swinging ? blocks and giant wiggler rides. Like Wonder, this game has a refreshing quality to it after playing NSMB Wii/2/U and 3D Land. Most of the levels are very easy though, and the core level design outside of the aforementioned gimmicks isn't as strong as 3 or World. The eight world themes here were bland even before they were reused three times. But, nonetheless, a pretty great set of levels.

The star of the show however is the multiplayer stuff, which is the best of all the main Mario games. The Mario vs. Luigi mode is excellent, with 4 really great maps to choose. Not a fan of the castle one, though, there's a lot of waiting around. You can customize this mode a bit too by setting lives or different win conditions. The minigames make a return from SM64DS. There aren't as many as before, but there are several new ones and this time they can be played with up to 4 players. The new games like Bob-omb Reverse, Danger Bob-omb Danger, and Bob-omb Trampoline are highlights.

So, overall, a pretty great 2D Mario. Get some friends together and try out the multiplayer modes.