This year, Mario turned 35, and to celebrate, Nintendo launched the free-to-play Super Mario 35. The game brings nostalgic Mario games back into the forefront but with an added twist. By making the old school Mario games competitive, players have a new way to look at defeating classic Super Mario levels.
Like any other competitive game, planning to win is the key to success. The game has a similar feel to Tetris 99, but the primary difference is that with Super Mario 35, players have a chance to purchase advantages over other competitors. There are a handful of items that players can buy with coins that are earned through competing in levels. These items will provide players with different advantages against the competition.
Items in Super Mario 35
Super Mario 35 holds some of the classic items of Super Mario. These items can help Mario plow through levels and enemies, giving players a running start over the other 34 competitors. At the start of the game, players will have the option to purchase three items: a Mushroom, Fire Flower, or a Star.
These items will give players an advantage right from the start. For 20 coins, players can purchase the Mushroom. This will make Mario bigger right from the start. For 50 coins, players can move up a notch by purchasing the Fire Flower. This gives Mario the ability to defend himself against waves of enemies, which is extremely helpful in the competitive game. Finally, players can purchase a Star for 30 coins. This will let Mario be invincible for a short period of time, where he can run through enemies quickly.
However, these are only the items that can be purchased at the start of the game. There's also a chance for players to get their hands on awesome items as the competition progresses. At the start of every challenge, players will start with zero coins. It's important that players gather whatever coins they can because, once players have collected 20 coins, a roulette will activate. To active the roulette, simply press X after collecting at least 20 coins. There is no limit to how many coins you can hold or when you have to active the roulette, so feel free to hoard coins until Mario is in a tight spot!
This gives players a chance to gain an item to give them a boost. These items range from Mushrooms, Fire Flowers, Stars, or even a POW block. The first three items do exactly the same thing as the beginning items do. The Mushroom will make Mario large, the Fire Flower will give Mario extra firepower (pun intended), and the Star will make Mario invincible for a moment in time. The POW block is a little different but it is one of the better items players can get. When activated, the POW block will knock out all on-screen enemies. It's a great item to use if players are being targeted by their competitors.
Remember, this game is free for players who already have Nintendo Online access. If you have this, definitely check out Super Mario 35! It's a great game.
Super Mario 35 is now available on Nintendo Switch.