Honestly, if you go back and look at the library for the handheld, New Super Mario Bros. 2 for Nintendo 3DS sticks out like a sore thumb. It’s a game obsessed with one thing: gold. Not just a few coins here and there, but a literal, shimmering flood of gold that coats every single pixel of the Mushroom Kingdom. It came out in 2012, right when Nintendo was trying to prove that the 3DS wasn’t a flop after that rocky launch year.
People often confuse it with the Wii U version or the original DS game. Don't do that. This one is its own strange beast. It was actually the first Nintendo-published game to be sold as a digital download and a physical cartridge simultaneously. That's a fun bit of trivia for the collectors out there. But the real story is how the game basically turns Mario into a greedy treasure hunter.
The Obsession with One Million Coins
The core hook of New Super Mario Bros. 2 is the "Million Coin Challenge." Nintendo didn't just want you to finish the levels; they wanted you to hoard wealth like a dragon. At the time, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata and the development team, led by Yusuke Amano, wanted to give players a reason to keep coming back. They figured a massive, seemingly impossible number would do the trick.
It changed the way you played. Normally, in a Mario game, 100 coins gives you a 1-up. Here, you’ll find yourself with 300 lives before you even hit the third world. The 1-up mushroom became almost a joke. You stop caring about dying because you’re so rich. It’s a weirdly capitalist take on a platformer. You aren't just saving Peach; you're building a financial empire.
The "Gold Flower" is the mascot of this madness. It turns Mario into a solid gold statue that shoots fireballs that turn enemies into—you guessed it—more coins. Hit a Koopa Troopa? Coin. Hit a brick? Explosion of coins. Even the Golden Hoop helps out. You jump through it, and suddenly every enemy leaves a trail of money behind them as they move. It’s chaotic. It’s loud. It’s kind of stressful if you’re the type of person who hates leaving money on the table.
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Why the Level Design Feels a Bit Different
There’s a rumor that often floats around that this game was designed by "students" or "juniors." That’s actually mostly true. Nintendo used New Super Mario Bros. 2 as a training ground for their newer developers to learn the "Mario logic" under the supervision of Takashi Tezuka. You can feel it in the levels. They aren't bad—far from it—but they feel like a "Greatest Hits" remix rather than a brand-new invention.
The game relies heavily on nostalgia. You've got the Reznor bosses from Super Mario World making a comeback. You've got the leaf from Mario 3. It feels cozy. It feels safe. But then you hit Coin Rush mode.
Coin Rush and the StreetPass Glory Days
Coin Rush was the secret sauce. You get three random levels and one life. The goal isn't just to finish; it's to grab every single coin possible while the timer ticks down. This was back when StreetPass was a huge deal. You’d walk around a mall or a convention, and your 3DS would buzz. You’d traded "records" with a stranger.
I remember the frustration of seeing someone beat my record by two coins. Two! It turned a relaxing platformer into a high-stakes competitive sport. This mode also birthed the DLC. Nintendo actually sold extra level packs for Coin Rush, which was a pretty new concept for them at the time. Some of those packs, like the "Nerve-Wrack Pack," were actually incredibly difficult, way harder than the base game.
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The Reward That Everyone Hated
We have to talk about the ending. The million-coin goal.
If you actually spent the dozens of hours required to hit 1,000,000 coins, what did you get? A new title screen. A small gold statue of Mario on your save file. That’s it. No secret world. No playable Luigi (well, he's in the game, but he's not the "reward").
A lot of fans felt betrayed. They expected a massive secret. Instead, they got a "thanks for playing" and a shiny icon. It’s a perfect example of Nintendo’s philosophy: the journey is the reward. Or maybe they just ran out of time. Either way, it remains one of the most controversial "100% completion" rewards in gaming history.
Is New Super Mario Bros. 2 Still Worth Playing?
If you find an old 3DS in a drawer, should you pop this in? Yeah. Honestly, it’s the perfect "podcast game." It doesn’t demand the intense focus of Super Mario Odyssey or the precision of the Lost Levels. It’s bouncy. The music (which features those "bah-bah" vocal samples people either love or loathe) is catchy as heck.
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The stereoscopic 3D effect on the 3DS is actually used pretty well here, too. It blurs the background to create a sense of depth, making the foreground pop. It’s one of the few games where the 3D doesn't feel like a total gimmick, even if it’s just for aesthetics.
Technical Realities and the eShop Closure
Since the 3DS eShop closed down, getting the DLC is a nightmare now. If you didn't buy those Coin Rush packs years ago, you're basically out of luck unless you’re into the modding scene. It’s a shame because those levels were where the real creativity was hidden.
The physical cartridge is still easy to find. It’s one of the best-selling games on the system, with over 13 million copies moved. You can usually find it for twenty bucks at a used game store. Compared to the price of modern Switch games, that's a steal.
Practical Steps for New Players
If you’re diving in for the first time, don't play it like a standard Mario game. You’ll get bored.
- Ignore the 1-up sound. You will hear it constantly. Let it become white noise.
- Focus on the Gold Flower. Whenever you see one, don't save it. Use it. The joy of this game is the "destruction" of the level's economy.
- Look for the hidden Rainbow Worlds. If you finish a level when the last two digits of the timer match the world number (like 11 in World 1), you trigger a special cannon to a coin-filled sky.
- Try Local Co-op. If you have a friend with a 3DS and another copy, you can play the whole game together. It’s messy because the screen struggles to keep up with two Marios, but it’s hilarious.
New Super Mario Bros. 2 is a weird relic of a time when Nintendo was experimenting with digital sales and "new" talent. It’s the "Gold Version" of Mario. It’s flashy, a little shallow, but undeniably satisfying to hear that constant cling-cling-cling of coins filling up your bank.
To maximize your experience today, aim for the 9,999,999 coin cap if you really want to see everything the game tracks, but don't expect a parade when you get there. The satisfaction comes from the hoard itself. Check your local retro shops for a physical copy, as the digital era for this specific title has largely passed. Focus on the Coin Rush records; even without StreetPass, beating your own ghost is the most "hardcore" way to experience what this 3DS title actually has to offer.