New Super Mario Bros. 2's plot is similar to its predecessors, focusing on Mario and Luigi's efforts to rescue Princess Peach from Bowser and the Koopalings. It 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 features a specialized mode called "Coin Rush", which focuses exclusively on quickly completing a series of stages while collecting as many coins as possible. Additional Coin Rush stages were made available for purchase as downloadable content shortly after the game's release.
New Super Mario Bros. 2 features nine worlds that consist of six main worlds and three special worlds. Those worlds total 81 complete levels,[1] many of which have multiple exits to unlock more areas in the game to play and explore.
New Super Mario Bros. 2 received generally positive reviews, with critics praising its level design, gameplay, and graphics, but criticizing its low difficulty, lack of innovation, and strong similarity to the earlier New Super Mario Bros. games due to its reuse of various assets from prior games and recycled soundtrack from New Super Mario Bros. Wii. New Super Mario Bros. 2 is the fifth best-selling game for the Nintendo 3DS, with 13.41 million copies sold worldwide as of September 30, 2022.
A follow-up to the game and a sequel to New Super Mario Bros. Wii, titled New Super Mario Bros. U, was released as a launch title for the Wii U on November 18, 2012.