
When you are about to lose a life (falling into a pit, about to run into an inevitable enemy), press A to save yourself. This is a great tactic to know in multi-player games.
The A button: Put yourself in a bubble.
When in possession of either a fire flower or an ice flower, 1 is used both to dash and to shoot. When combined with pressing 2, your jumps are much longer than they normally would be. Holding it down longer results in a better jump.
The 2 button: This button is used to jump. When climbing on a wire fence (found in castles), all four arrows are used to move around. When in the air, the down arrow does a ground-pound. Directional Arrows: Select the direction to move in (left/right). The controller is held sideways so that your right thumb should be near the 1 and 2 buttons and your left thumb is near the arrow pad and A button. Being a classic side-scroller, the controls are simplistic and easy to learn.