New Super Mario Bros. U

Players can use the Wii U GamePad's stylus to add platforms and stun enemies on the main screen.

New Super Mario Bros. U iterates on the gameplay featured in New Super Mario Bros. Wii. The objective of each level is to reach the goal flag at the end of each level while avoiding enemies and hazards.

The game can be controlled either using Wii Remotes or the Wii U GamePad, the latter of which allows for Off-TV Play, where the game can be played solely on the GamePad's screen, without the use of a television.[4] Wii U Pro Controller support was added in the 1.3.0 patch.[5]

Up to five players can play simultaneously. In multiplayer, the player using the Wii U GamePad cannot control a character, but instead can interact with the environment, such as putting blocks down that can aid Mario or stunning enemies. As such, in multiplayer, there must be an equal number of controllers, excluding the GamePad, to the desired number of on-screen characters.

Certain game modes also allow players to play Mii characters saved on their console. New to this release is an asymmetric multiplayer experience called Boost Mode. In this mode, the player with the GamePad can aid other players by using the touchscreen to place blocks on the screen or stun enemies. This can be used to assist amateur players and to allow expert players to perform speed runs.[6] [7] The Koopalings, Bowser, Kamek, Boom Boom, and Bowser Jr. appear as the game's main villains.

Along with returning elements, such as Ice Flowers and Yoshis, New Super Mario Bros. U introduces new power-ups, such as a flying squirrel suit that allows players to glide across long distances or slowly descend down vertical paths[6] and cling to the side of the walls.[8] Baby Yoshis can be carried by the individual players. Each baby Yoshi has a special ability based on its color, such as inflating in midair, blowing bubbles to attack enemies and illuminating dark areas.[7] Some older power-ups also have new abilities; for example, the Mini Mushroom now allows players to run up walls.[9] Unlike the previous New Super Mario Bros. games, which have separate maps for each of the games' worlds, New Super Mario Bros. U features one large map containing all the game's worlds and levels, similar to that of Super Mario World. Some levels have multiple exits that lead to the different areas on the map.[10] The Super Guide, which takes control of the player's character and moves it automatically through a level, is available in case the player has failed a level many times.

The game features a new antagonist named Nabbit, who is chased after stealing a power-up from Toad. Once Nabbit is caught, Toad rewards the item to the player.

The game features two new modes of play, Challenge Mode and Boost Rush. Challenge Mode adds unique challenges, such as clearing levels quickly or earning as many 1-UPs in a row as possible without touching the ground. The Coin Battles from New Super Mario Bros. Wii also return and this time, the player can customize the battles with the GamePad to place the coins and Star Coins on the course.

Boost Rush takes place on an automatically scrolling level which increases in speed as players collect coins, with the goal to clear the stage as quickly as possible.[9] The game originally utilized the now defunct Miiverse, which allowed players to share comments about particular levels with one another.[8] [11]

Princess Peach is held captive in her castle by Bowser, Bowser Jr., and the Koopalings who invade and use a giant mechanical arm to throw Mario, Luigi, and two Toads far away. Mario and friends must now travel across this new land returning to Peach's castle in order to save her. On the way, they encounter seven Koopalings each controlling their own worlds, plus Kamek, Nabbit, Bowser Jr., and many minor monsters like Goomba. By conquering them, they get closer to Peach's castle, which has been transformed into an evil reflection of Bowser. By defeating Bowser, the castle returns to normal. As the heroes celebrate, Bowser Jr. and the Koopalings attempt to escape, almost leaving Bowser behind. He manages to jump up onto the airship, but his weight causes it to crash, and they are forced to flee on Bowser Jr.'s Koopa Clown Car.

New Super Mario Bros. U started development shortly after the release of New Super Mario Bros. Wii and took three years to develop.[12] The game's soundtrack was written by Shiho Fujii and Mahito Yokota, with series regular Koji Kondo serving as the sound advisor.

The game, initially titled New Super Mario Bros. Mii, was first revealed at E3 2011 as one of several tech demos demonstrating the capabilities of Wii U. The demo's visual style duplicated New Super Mario Bros. Wii, but featured high-definition graphics, and Mii characters were notably featured as playable characters alongside Mario and Luigi.[13] Shigeru Miyamoto later announced that the Mario demo was going to be released as a full game for the system, and would be demonstrated in its revised form at E3 2012.[14] The new game, titled New Super Mario Bros. U, was revealed at the event and was announced to be released alongside the Wii U console.[1][15]

Reception
Aggregate score Aggregator Score Metacritic (Wii U) 84/100[18] (NS) 80/100[19] Review scores Publication Score 1Up.com B+[20] AllGame [21] Famitsu 36/40[22] G4 3.5/5[23] Game Informer 9.25/10[24] GamesMaster 82%[25] GameSpot (Wii U) 8.5/10[26] (NS) 7/10[27] Giant Bomb [28] IGN (Wii U) 9.1/10[29] (NS) 8/10[30] Joystiq [31] Nintendo World Report 9.5/10[32] ONM 86%

New Super Mario Bros. U was positively received by critics. GamesMaster magazine called it "a great excuse for families to gather round the TV, and an enticing glimpse of Mario's HD future".[25] IGN stated that "Nintendo's approach here strikes a great balance in all areas, ranging from its difficulty to design to enemies and bosses".[29] Joystiq commented "There's a sense of wonder again, of exploration and discovery. I'm not quite prepared to say New Super Mario Bros. U fully recaptures the spark of Mario's 2D heyday, but it's an impressive step in the right direction".[31] Game Informer considers it the best game in the New Super Mario Bros. series, saying it has "Some of the most creative NSMB levels Nintendo has created".[24] GameSpot observes "It's a challenging platformer, an excellent recreation of Mario's best moments, and it's the perfect way to kick-off Nintendo's journey into HD."[26] SupeReal Media gave the game an 'A' Grade, praising the versatility, and stating that Mario has never looked so good.[33]

Giant Bomb was slightly more critical, noting "Everything about New Super Mario Bros. U is pretty exciting, except the game itself. Is it possible that this is the best game in the 'New' series to date--not to mention one of the best exclusive Wii U games on the market, by default—and at the same time kind of flatly uninteresting? Apparently so. The game is perfectly well made for what it is, and I had plenty of fun playing it in short bursts here and there, but at this point the series' by-the-numbers design philosophy is starting to lend the name 'New Super Mario Bros.' a degree of unintentional irony".[28] At the 10th Annual Spike Video Game Awards on Spike, New Super Mario Bros. U won "Best Wii/Wii U Game".

New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe also received positive reviews, with a score of 80, according to Metacritic.[19]

• Official website