A red carpet unrolls under my feet, stretching straight ahead into the distance like an endless ribbon. It’s laid out across a smooth white floor, with colorful signs every few steps declaring “New Super Mario Bros. U” in big block letters. Musicians play cheerful tunes from behind a set of drums and maracas. A line forms down the carpet, each player donning a red cap with their name stitched on it.

I stand at the end of the carpet, ready to start the race. My hand holds the DS Lite, its screen lit up with Mario and Luigi walking side by side in front of a sky filled with clouds that look like they could float away any moment. The sound of Mario’s footsteps echoing down the hall draws me closer. I place my thumb on the A button and press it just as he reaches the goal line.

The screen splits into two halves, each showing one of the players. I see myself in one half, Mario in the other. We both start running towards a platform high above us. The camera zooms out to show a castle in the background, its spires reaching up into a clear blue sky. A timer starts counting down from three.

I run as fast as I can, jumping over pits and avoiding pitfalls. Mario does exactly the same thing on his side. We both reach the goal at the exact same time, causing the screen to vibrate and the words “Equal Time” to flash across it. The crowd cheers, clapping loudly with their hands that wave back and forth in unison.

The game continues, each level filled with new challenges like koopa shells that shoot fire or moving platforms that turn into bricks when hit. I keep running, Mario and me side by side until the final castle where Bowser has set up a massive throne surrounded by his minions. The music swells as we face off against him in his final battle.

With one last jump, Mario grabs a star from the sky, turning red to gain invincibility. He smashes it into Bowser’s helmet, causing him to float away and disappear. The screen fades to black as the credits begin rolling, ending with the words “Made for Nintendo DS”.