Like the previous games, players can collect Star Coins hidden throughout each level, which can be spent to unlock new areas on the overworld map. The game's story has both single-player and multiplayer options: two players, each with his or her own Nintendo 3DS and copy of the game, play together simultaneously as Mario and Luigi. The Invincibility Leaf grants both raccoon abilities and invincibility until the end of the stage. Similarly to Super Mario 3D Land, an Invincibility Leaf will appear if the player loses at least five lives during any non-cannon levels. 3, allowing the player to tail-whip enemies or fly up into the air. Along with returning power-ups from the first game, such as the Mini Mushroom and Mega Mushroom, the game also sees the return of the Super Leaf from Super Mario Bros. 2 continues the style of gameplay from New Super Mario Bros., featuring side-scrolling platform action as Mario or Luigi attempt to rescue Princess Peach from Bowser and his Koopalings. 2 is a 2D platformer, some of the characters and objects are 3D polygonal renderings on 2D backgrounds, resulting in a 2.5D effect (also seen in New Super Mario Bros.) that visually simulates 3D computer graphics. Like its previous installments in the New Super Mario Bros.
2 is the fifth best-selling game for the Nintendo 3DS, selling 13.16 million copies worldwide as of March 31, 2019. 2 received generally positive reviews critics generally praised the game's level design, but criticized the game for being too similar to earlier New Super Mario Bros. Those worlds total 85 complete levels, many of which have multiple exits to unlock more areas of the game to play and explore.
2 spans 9 worlds consisting of 6 main worlds and 3 special worlds. Additional Coin Rush stages were made available for purchase as downloadable content shortly after the game's release.
The game features a specialized mode called 'Coin Rush' that focuses exclusively on quickly completing a series of stages while collecting as many coins as possible. 2 has a heavier emphasis on coin-collecting than other Super Mario games, with multiple unique items dedicated to producing large numbers of coins. The game's plot is similar to its predecessors, focusing on Mario and Luigi's efforts to rescue Princess Peach from Bowser and the Koopalings. and is the first Nintendo-published game to be released simultaneously in both digital and physical forms. While being the third game in the series, it is a direct sequel to the 2006 Nintendo DS game New Super Mario Bros. series developed by Nintendo for their Nintendo 3DS handheld video game console. 2 is a 2D side-scrollingplatform video game in the New Super Mario Bros.