# New Super Mario Bros. Wii
**New Super Mario Bros. Wii** (New スーパーマリオブラザーズ Wii) is a 2D side-scrolling action game developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii console, released in Japan on December 3, 2009 at a suggested retail price of 5,524 yen before tax, and playable by one to four players.[1](https://www.nintendo.co.jp/wii/smnj/index.html) It was the first traditional 2D Mario platformer released on a home console since [Super Mario World](https://www.edgepedia.org/super-mario-world) in 1991, and it introduced four-player cooperative play to the series.[2](https://www.gamesradar.com/new-super-mario-bros-wii-review/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | December 3, 2009 in Japan; 5,524 yen suggested retail price (tax excluded)[1](https://www.nintendo.co.jp/wii/smnj/index.html) |
| Genre and players | 2D action platformer for 1–4 players[1](https://www.nintendo.co.jp/wii/smnj/index.html) |
| Series position | First traditional Mario platformer on a home console since Super Mario World (1991)[2](https://www.gamesradar.com/new-super-mario-bros-wii-review/) |
| Multiplayer | Player 1 controls Mario; players 2–4 select Luigi, Yellow Toad, or Blue Toad with their Wii Remotes[3](https://csassets.nintendo.com/noaext/image/private/t_KA_PDF/Wii_NSMBW?_a=DATAg1AAZAA0) |
| Assist features | Super Guide and purchasable Hint Movies, bought with collected Star Coins[4](https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/wii/960544-new-super-mario-bros-wii/reviews/138660) |
| New power-up | The Penguin Suit, which grants a distinct play experience[5](https://www.lemonde.fr/jeux-video/article/2009/12/14/new-super-mario-bros-wii-le-jeu-de-plateforme-devenu-party-game_5978850_1616924.html) |
| Critical reception | GameSpot rated it 8.5/10 ("Great"), citing level design, challenge, and multiplayer[6](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/new-super-mario-bros-wii-review/1900-6239677/) |
## Gameplay and controls
The game is played with the [Wii Remote](https://www.edgepedia.org/wii-remote) held horizontally, with optional Nunchuk support. Shaking the remote performs a spin jump, and shaking it while pressing a button lets a player lift and carry other characters or objects; tilting the remote moves tilt-controlled lifts.[3](https://csassets.nintendo.com/noaext/image/private/t_KA_PDF/Wii_NSMBW?_a=DATAg1AAZAA0) Mario retains wall slides and other abilities carried over from [New Super Mario Bros.](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-super-mario-bros) on the [Nintendo DS](https://www.edgepedia.org/nintendo-ds).[7](https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2009/11/new-super-mario-bros-wii-review-impressive-and-then-some/)
Progression follows the classic structure: courses have midway point flags and a pole at the goal, with points awarded for how high Mario grabs the pole, and bosses in fortresses and castles must be defeated to advance to the next world.[3](https://csassets.nintendo.com/noaext/image/private/t_KA_PDF/Wii_NSMBW?_a=DATAg1AAZAA0) The Koopalings appear as boss characters, marking their return to the series.[8](https://shapes.inc/fandom/new-super-mario-bros-wii/deep-dive)
## Multiplayer
The defining feature is simultaneous four-player cooperative play. Player 1 controls Mario, and players 2 through 4 press a button on their Wii Remotes to select characters; each player needs a Wii Remote.[3](https://csassets.nintendo.com/noaext/image/private/t_KA_PDF/Wii_NSMBW?_a=DATAg1AAZAA0) Beyond the co-op campaign, the game offers Free-for-All and Coin Battle competitive modes for two to four players on courses of the player's choice.[3](https://csassets.nintendo.com/noaext/image/private/t_KA_PDF/Wii_NSMBW?_a=DATAg1AAZAA0)
Reviewers noted that multiplayer changes the character of the game. A French review in *Le Monde* described the presence of other players as more dangerous than Bowser himself, since the platforming becomes chaotic when players collide, bump, and compete for items.[5](https://www.lemonde.fr/jeux-video/article/2009/12/14/new-super-mario-bros-wii-le-jeu-de-plateforme-devenu-party-game_5978850_1616924.html) GameSpot found multiplayer fun when not taken seriously but frustrating when it is, and noted that motion-control moves could cause control lapses.[6](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/new-super-mario-bros-wii-review/1900-6239677/)
## Difficulty and assist features
Nintendo's developers stated in an Iwata Asks interview that they wanted not only first-time players to enjoy the game but also players looking for a stiffer challenge, and that players can raise the difficulty themselves by choosing the wrong route.[9](https://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/wii/nsmb/0/4/) GameSpot called it by far the most challenging game in the series in many years, more so than New Super Mario Bros. on DS or [Super Mario Galaxy](https://www.edgepedia.org/super-mario-galaxy), while crediting the level design with keeping the difficulty from feeling cheap.[6](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/new-super-mario-bros-wii-review/1900-6239677/)
**Super Guide.** The game includes the Super Guide and Hint Movies, its most controversial additions among reviewers. Super Guide demonstrates a level after repeated failures, and completing a level without its help earns a small graphical reward on the file-selection screen.[4](https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/wii/960544-new-super-mario-bros-wii/reviews/138660)
## Reception
GameSpot scored the game 8.5/10, praising its level design, challenging difficulty, replay value, and multiplayer, while criticizing motion-control lapses and the lack of Classic Controller support.[6](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/new-super-mario-bros-wii-review/1900-6239677/) GamesRadar ranked it among the best Wii games, noting that it blended nostalgic classic Mario gameplay with four-player cooperative play, though it observed that the level design is not the best in the series and that four characters on screen at once can get hectic.[2](https://www.gamesradar.com/new-super-mario-bros-wii-review/)
## Legacy
The game established the template its successors followed: [New Super Mario Bros. U](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-super-mario-bros-u), released for the [Wii U](https://www.edgepedia.org/wii-u) in 2012, is described by Nintendo as the successor to the Wii version.[10](https://www.nintendo.co.jp/wiiu/interview/hardware/vol7/index.html) The series also attracted formal study: a 2024 computer-science paper proved that the New Super Mario Bros. series, including the Wii game, is RE-complete and therefore undecidable when generalized, meaning no algorithm can determine solvability of every possible level.[11](https://arxiv.org/abs/2405.10546)
## References
1. [New スーパーマリオブラザーズ Wii, Nintendo](https://www.nintendo.co.jp/wii/smnj/index.html)
2. [New Super Mario Bros Wii review, GamesRadar+](https://www.gamesradar.com/new-super-mario-bros-wii-review/)
3. [New Super Mario Bros. Wii instruction booklet, Nintendo](https://csassets.nintendo.com/noaext/image/private/t_KA_PDF/Wii_NSMBW?_a=DATAg1AAZAA0)
4. [New Super Mario Bros. Wii review, GameFAQs (Super Guide)](https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/wii/960544-new-super-mario-bros-wii/reviews/138660)
5. [New Super Mario Bros. Wii : le jeu de plateforme devenu party game, Le Monde](https://www.lemonde.fr/jeux-video/article/2009/12/14/new-super-mario-bros-wii-le-jeu-de-plateforme-devenu-party-game_5978850_1616924.html)
6. [New Super Mario Bros. Wii Review, GameSpot](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/new-super-mario-bros-wii-review/1900-6239677/)
7. [New Super Mario Bros. Wii review: impressive, and then some, Ars Technica](https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2009/11/new-super-mario-bros-wii-review-impressive-and-then-some/)
8. [New Super Mario Bros. Wii Deep Dives, Shapes](https://shapes.inc/fandom/new-super-mario-bros-wii/deep-dive)
9. [Iwata Asks – New Super Mario Bros., Volume 1, Nintendo](https://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/wii/nsmb/0/4/)
10. [社長が訊く『Wii U』 New スーパーマリオブラザーズ U篇, Nintendo](https://www.nintendo.co.jp/wiiu/interview/hardware/vol7/index.html)
11. [You Can't Solve These Super Mario Bros. Levels: Undecidable Mario Games, arXiv](https://arxiv.org/abs/2405.10546)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Video games and digital play › Games and gameplay › Individual game titles › Individual Nintendo-platform game titles › Nintendo 64, GameCube, and Wii titles*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license