New Super Mario Bros. 2

Did You Know?

• A stage based on New Super Mario Bros. 2, called Golden Plains, appears in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
• Mario's Gold Flower transformation, Gold Mario, appears as an unlockable character in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Mario Kart Tour.
• An Amiibo figure was released based on the Gold Mario transformation.

Development

In 2010, Shigeru Miyamoto confirmed that both 2D and 3D Mario games were being made for the Nintendo 3DS. After Super Mario 3D Land came out, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata told investors in late January 2012 about an unnamed 2D Super Mario game, calling it a completely new side-scrolling action title that would be a key release for the 3DS. Nintendo aimed to launch it during the fiscal year that began in April 2012 and ended in March 2013. The game was officially named New Super Mario Bros. 2, a direct follow-up to the 2006 original, during a Nintendo Direct on April 21, 2012, with planned August 2012 releases in Japan, North America, Europe, and Australia.

Nintendo said it was designed as a pick-up-and-play experience suitable for players of any skill level. It was the first retail 3DS game available both in stores and as a day-one download from the Nintendo eShop. The development team was not the same one that made the first two New Super Mario Bros. games, as that group was working on New Super Mario Bros. U. Instead, a new team of mostly newer employees handled the project, with veteran Mario developer Takashi Tezuka serving as producer, intended to train fresh staff in making Mario games.

Downloadable content for the Coin Rush mode arrived in several packs. The first three packs launched in Japan and Europe on October 2, 2012, and in North America on October 4, 2012. Two more packs followed on October 25, 2012, another two on December 5, 2012, and the final two on December 20, 2012 in North America and Europe, and December 21, 2012 in Japan. A free Gold Classics Pack, celebrating 300 billion coins collected, was released on November 27, 2012 and available for download until the end of January 2013.

In 2014, an updated version called New Super Mario Bros. 2: Gold Edition came out, containing all the DLC pre-installed. It was sold exclusively at Walmart for Black Friday 2014 as a digital copy on a limited-edition New Super Mario Bros. 2: Gold Edition Nintendo 3DS XL bundle priced at $399.

Reception

New Super Mario Bros. 2 received generally positive reviews, holding an aggregated score of 78.40% on GameRankings and 78/100 on Metacritic, making it the lowest-rated mainline Mario game. Famitsu gave it a 36/40 with a 9 from each of four reviewers. Electronic Gaming Monthly awarded a 9/10, praising the platforming perfection and the game's secrets, collectibles, and branching pathways. Nintendo Life gave it 9 out of 10 stars, calling it immense fun with brilliant level design and repeat play appeal.

Official Nintendo Magazine gave 90% but heavily criticized the 3D effects and lack of progression in the New Super Mario Bros. subseries, noting that in six years of sequels they had expected more than a 3D effect and Coin Rush mode. Tom Sykes of Nintendo Gamer gave 80 out of 100, praising new features but criticizing the game for being too similar to its predecessors, stating it lacked the creative spark to turn a great 2D platformer into a classic one.

As of September 30, 2022, 13.41 million copies had been sold worldwide, making it the fifth best-selling game for the Nintendo 3DS. The game was nominated for Best Handheld Game at Spike's 10th Annual Video Game Awards.