New Super Mario Bros. S is the upcoming fifth installment of the New Super Mario Bros. series, that acts as a direct sequel to New Super Mario Bros. U, released in 2012. The title will be released internationally on November 15, 2019, for the Nintendo Switch.
Storyline[]
Prologue[]
The opening cutscene pictures Mario, Luigi, Peach, Blue Toad, Yellow Toad, and Red Toad sitting at a table eating cake, similarly to New Super Mario Bros. Wii and U, when a noise is heard outside. The six run outside to see Bowser's ship, using a crane to pull a fountain with a statue of Toadsworth out of the ground. Under the statue resides the Reality Diamond. The crane grabs the diamond, and Blue and Yellow Toad run away. Bowser prepares to fly away with the Diamond, but he loses control of it, and it begins to emanate green light. Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Toad try to escape, but the four get sucked into the diamond and the screen goes black. The protagonists wake up on Tangerine Island, and the story begins..
Characters[]
Starting Characters[]
| Image | Description | Stats |
|---|---|---|
|
The hero of the Mushroom Kingdom. Mario is here to stop Bowser yet again. Mario is a balanced
character with no downsides or special abilities. |
Speed: 3/5 Jump: 3/5 |
|
Mario's younger brother. Luigi can flutter in the air and jump higher than any other character, but he has the worst traction. |
Speed: 3/5 Jump: 5/5 |
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The princess of the Mushroom Kingdom. She has the best traction, and can glide using her dress, but moves the slowest out of the default four characters. |
Speed: 2/5 Jump: 5/5 |
|
One of the Toads that was with Mario when the Reality Diamond warped him away. He is the fastest character, but he jumps the second lowest. |
Speed: 3/5 Jump: 4/5 |
Unlockable Characters[]
| Image | Description | How to unlock? | Stats | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Mario's fat yellow-and-purple clad arch rival. His ground pounds destroy anything within ten blocks of him, and all coins collected by him are doubled, but he jumps the lowest and runs the slowest. | Collect 40,000 coins. |
Speed: 2/5 Jump: 1/5 | ||
|
Luigi's tall and skinny rival, and Wario's partner. Waluigi runs slightly faster than Luigi, and jumps a bit lower. Unlike Luigi, he does not possess the flutter ability. |
Get a score of 30,000 or higher on Waluigi Pinball. |
Speed: 4/5 Jump: 4/5 | ||
|
A powerful yet carefree Kong from Donkey Kong Island. He is accompanied by Diddy Kong, who rides on his back. He runs slowly, but can jump high with Diddy Kong's jetpack. He can beat the ground by shaking the joycon, and throws objects with more strength than any other character. DK cannot possess any normal items. Instead, the Super Mushroom is replaced with the DK Barrel. Diddy Kong acts as an extra hit point. Without Diddy, Donkey Kong jumps low and can only take one hit of damage. | Get an SS Rank on Donkey Kong's Challenge. |
Speed: 2/5 Jump: 4/5 |
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|
She is a very powerful figure, as her duty is to watch over and protect the cosmos, while also serving as the adopted mother of the Lumas, and commanding the Comet Observatory. She can glide like Peach, but moves slightly faster, and her spin jump boosts her high in the air. | Collect every Star Coin throughout Worlds 1-10. |
Speed: 4/5 Jump: 5/5 |
DLC Characters[]
| Image | Description | Price | Stats | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
He is an anthropomorphic hedgehog born with the ability to run faster than the speed of sound, hence his name, and possesses lightning fast reflexes to match. Sonic runs the fastest out of any character, and possesses a Homing Attack. |
$0.99 Sonic can also be unlocked by completing the Dimensions mini-series. |
Power: 3/5 Speed: 5/5 Jump: 4/5 | ||
|
Kirby is well known for his ability to inhale objects and creatures to gain their abilities, as well as his ability to float by expanding his body. He uses these abilities to rescue various lands, such as his home world of Pop Star, from evil forces and antagonists, such as Dark Matter or Nightmare. On these adventures he often crosses paths with his rivals, the gluttonous King Dedede and the mysterious Meta Knight. Kirby runs and jumps as fast as Mario, and can inhale all enemies and objects except tiles and bosses. Kirby uses powerups upon inhaling them, and can possess every item. | $0.99 |
Speed: 3/5 Jump: 3/5 | ||
|
Pikachu is an Electric-Type Pokemon, and the mascot of the Pokemon series. Pikachu can run fast and jump far. Pikachu can shock enemies by pressing X. It can only use one item: the Super Mushroom. | $0.99 |
Speed: 4/5 Jump: 5/5 |
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They are chosen by the Goddesses to protect the land from evil whenever deemed necessary. Link can jump as high as Mario, and can run faster than Mario, but slower than Luigi. Link has the ability to shoot arrows that deal damage to enemies, which refill over time. Link has 5 arrows that can be shot before a refill is required. There is a 3 second cooldown between arrow shots. |
$0.99 |
Speed: 3/5 Jump: 2/5 |
Mini-Series Exclusive Characters[]
| Image | Description | How to unlock? | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|
|
The Captain of the Toad Brigade. He is unable to jump, but he has a jetpack. The jetpack has a fuel meter, and when it runs out, Captain Toad must refill it manually. | Complete the Islands mini-series. |
Power: 5/5 Speed: 3/5 Jump: 0/5 |
|
This lady made her debut in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! Since then, she's shown up to help in several other games. She loves animals and listening to music, and she's quite good at sports. She's also shown herself to be helpful in explaining Mario's weapons. There is definitely more to Toadette than there seems to be. Toadette has similar statistics to Toad. | Complete the islands mini-series. |
Speed: 4/5 Jump: 4/5 |
|
This gentle-hearted little fox used to get bullied because of his two tails. Then one day he saw Sonic on West Side Island and decided to join him on his adventures. Now he's an expert mechanic and a partner Sonic can really rely on—he's come a long way since his timid, quiet beginnings! Tails has a flying ability identical to his ability in the Sega Genesis Sonic games. |
Complete the Dimensions mini-series. |
Speed: 5/5 Jump: 4/5 |
Worlds[]
World 1: Tangerine Island[]
1-1: Huckit Crab Shores
1-2: Palmtree Forest
1-3: Yoshi Waterfall
1-
: Seaweed Lighthouse
1-4: Deepsea Labyrinth
1-5: Peaceful Pier
1-6: Tidal Terror
1-
: Stormy Shipwreck
World 2: Mango Fields[]
2-1: Land Ho!
2-2: Tallgrass Treachery
2-3: Murky Marsh
2-: Wind Temple
2-4: Gusty Grassland
2-5: Chiroptera Cave
2-6: Cliff Chaos
2-: Tornado Tower of Terror
World 3: Cherry Chasm[]
3-1: Minecart Madness
3-2: Grip and Trip
3-3: Bombs Away!!
3-: Monty Mole Monarch
3-4: Crowded Cavern
3-5: Jagged Jewels
3-6: Gear Getaway
3-: Subway of Dismay
World 4: Persimmon City[]
4-1: Neon Studio
4-2: City Lights
4-3: Mario's Big Movie
4-: Party Plaza
4-4: Rainbow Highway
4-5: Music Park
4-6: Mall Maelstrom
4-: Turbo Tower
World 5: Blueberry Tundra[]
5-1: Skiing Shambles
5-2: Snowy Starfield
5-3: Icicle Chasm
5-: Coldstone Fortress
5-4: Madness on the Mountainside
5-5: Spiky Surprise
5-6: Ice-Cold Lake
5-: Frozen Volcano
World 6: Banana Jungle[]
6-1: Jungle Jive
6-2: Poisonwater Peril
6-3: Mushroom Mayhem
6-: Lost Temple of Secrets
6-4: Termite Turmoil
6-5: Sunset Shore
6-6: Canopy Cannons
6-: Treetop Castle
World 7: Avocado Asteroid[]
7-1: Otherworldly Ship
7-2: Radioactive Boating
7-3: Crystalline Cavern
7-: Glamorous Generator
7-4: Crazy Crater
7-5: Perilous Passage
7-6: Acidic Atrium
7-: Super Space Race
World 8: Bowser's Monarch[]
8-1: Magma Moat
8-2: The Skelecoaster
8-3: Tar Ball Fall
8-4: Furious Fire
8-5: Roasting Rails
8-6: Bobbing Basalt
8-7: Red Red Rising
8-8: Launch Base
World 9: The Core[]
9-1: Zero-Gravity Fortress
9-2: Temporal Terror
9-3: Cosmic Chaos
9-4: Metal Madness
9-5: Black Hole Bedlam
9-6: Portal Pandemonium
9-7: Reality-Bending Elevator
9-8: The End of Time
World 10: Star League[]
10-1: Revenge of the Octopus
10-2: The Supercell
10-3: Rollercoaster of Chaos
10-4: Mario's Big Encore
10-5: Blizzard Battle
10-6: Donkey Kong's Challenge
10-7: Back to the Otherworld
10-8: Fly for Your Life!
10-9: A Reality-Bending Rematch!
10-10: The Ultimate Gift
Items[]
Powerups[]
| Image | Name | Description | First Ingame Appearance |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Super Mushroom | The user doubles in size and can take an extra hit. | 1-1 |
|
Fire Flower | The user can shoot fireballs that kill enemies. | 1-1 |
|
Ice Flower | The user can shoot iceballs that freeze enemies. | 1-
|
|
Mini Mushroom | The user shrinks in size. This allows him to fit in small places to find secrets, gives him a floatier jump, and allows him to walk on water. | 2-1 |
|
Propeller Mushroom | The user can spin to higher places. | 4-1 |
|
Penguin Suit | The user can slide on icy surfaces, swim better in water, and shoot iceballs. | 5-3 |
|
Super Star | The user is invincible for a short time. | 1-2 |
|
Bomb Flower | The user can throw active Bob-ombs at objects that explode on contact. The powerup lasts for a short time before the hat explodes and the user is back to their previous state. | 3-3 |
|
Super Leaf | The user can fly, and bat with their tail. | 1-3 |
|
Acorn Mushroom | The user can fly, flutter in the air, and cling onto walls. | 2-1 |
|
Spike Mushroom | If the user ducks while running with this powerup, they turn into a controllable spikeball that breaks through certain objects and decimates enemies. The user can destroy objects with their head and they are invincible when they duck. The spikeball changes direction very slowly and is slightly hard to control. | 1-4 |
|
Lightning Flower | The user can shoot balls of lightning that electrocute enemies. However, they are only stunned and the user has to manually kill them. | 1-
|
|
Metal Mushroom |
Attracts objects such as coins and items. When obtained, the user has immunity to lava, which behaves like quicksand in this state. The user also cannot be crushed by Thwomps and is immune to falling objects. |
7-3 |
|
Frog Suit | Returns from Super Mario Bros. 3. This power up allows the user to further control and speed up their swimming, however, their speed on ground is decreased, although the height they achieve by jumping has been increased noticeably. | 1-3 |
Shops[]
Each of the nine maingame worlds have a shop on the map. They are run by Lakitus, and the currency is both normal Coins and Star Coins collected in levels. Coins can be collected in the same level an infinite amount of times, but Star Coins can only be collected once.
300 Star Coins can be collected throughout the main levels, though more can be purchased at the shop.
Coins and Star Coins cannot be externally purchased via microtransactions, and can only be collected ingame.
World 1[]
Super Mushroom - 50 
Fire Flower - 65
Super Leaf - 85
Frog Suit - 85
1-Up Mushroom - 100
Propeller Mushroom - 100
Super Star - 150
1x Star Coin - 500
3x Star Coins - 1200
Yellow ? Block - 200
Orange ? Block - 400
3-Up Moon - 5 
5000 Coins - 8
Rent-A-Yoshi - 3
New Mechanics[]
Inventory Menu[]
The items menu has been replaced with an inventory menu, which contains stackable powerups, items, and ? Boxes. 99 of an item can go to one slot. There are 12 available slots at the start of the game, though more can be bought at the shop.
? Blocks[]
A fundamental item that can be purchased in shops is the ? Block. Upon being selected in the Inventory, they can be opened and you will receive a random assortment of items. There are four colors of the block: Yellow, Orange, Red, and Black. Yellow ? Blocks give you the least valuable items, while Black ? Blocks give you the most. There are different contents that appear in the boxes for each color.
Koopaling Races[]
The 7 Koopalings reappear for New Super Mario Bros. S., but not as bosses. Instead, any of the 7 can confront you on the World Map, asking you to compete in a race against them to the end of a stage. If you win the race, you get a Gift Box with items inside. If you lose, however, the Koopaling takes 1/8 of your Coins.
Each Koopaling runs at a speed relative to Mario, has a unique throwable object, and can spin their shell to get ahead. They can be jumped on an infinite amount of times, and upon jumping on them, they are stunned for a few seconds.
Game Modes[]
Normal Mode[]
In-Game Description: Your average Mario romp, at normal difficulty.
Normal Mode is the standard difficulty of New Super Mario Bros. S. It plays like every other Mario game. Most bosses take 3 hits to defeat.
Easy Mode[]
In-Game Description: An easier version of the game for younger, less skilled players.
In Easy Mode, costs of items at the shop are lessened, and each boss has one hitpoint taken off. Enemies move slower. The player does not receive any rewards upon completion of Easy Mode.
Hard Mode[]
In-Game Description: A more difficult spin on Mario's adventure for more experienced players.
Upon completion of the main game in Normal Mode, Hard Mode will be unlocked. In Hard Mode, there are multiple modifiers to deter Mario's success:
- Enemies and bosses move slightly faster.
- Most enemies that were otherwise easy to defeat have been replaced with harder enemies.
- All bosses have two extra hitpoints.
- Only 150 seconds are given to the player to complete levels.
- Shop items cost twice as much than in Normal Mode.
- Excluding the Super Star, despite which powerup Mario has on hand, he only has one hitpoint.
Superhard Mode[]
In-Game Description: The ultimate challenge! Recommended for only the most elite Mario players out there.
Completion of Hard Mode will unlock Superhard Mode, which is an amplified and much more difficult version of Hard Mode.
- Enemies and bosses move fast.
- Most enemies that were otherwise easy to defeat have been replaced with harder enemies.
- All bosses have four extra hitpoints.
- Only 100 seconds are given to the player to complete levels.
- Shops do not appear on the World Map.
- Excluding the Super Star, despite which powerup Mario has on hand, he only has one hitpoint.
- There is a cloud of Poison Gas behind Mario in every single level, which requires Mario to move even faster than usual.
- In boss battles, the space in which Mario and the boss fight progressively gets smaller.
The HUD.
All twelve playable charactersGallery[]
