New Super Mario Bros. U
A high-definition launch title for the Wii U.
New Super Mario Bros. U is a 2012 platformer from Nintendo that launched alongside the Wii U. It wraps up the New Super Mario Bros. series and marks the first HD Super Mario game. Mario must save Princess Peach and her castle from Bowser.
Quick Facts
- Publisher
- Nintendo
- Director
- Masataka Takemoto
- Producer
- Takashi Tezuka, Hiroyuki Kimura
- Designer
- Shigeyuki Asuke
- Daiki Iwamoto
- Ryutaro Kanno
- Programmer
- Shiro Mouri
- Artist
- Masanobu Sato
- Composer
- Shiho Fujii, Mahito Yokota
- Series
- Super Mario
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
New Super Mario Bros. U builds on the gameplay of New Super Mario Bros. Wii with new features and levels. The goal of each level is to reach the goal flag while avoiding enemies and hazards. Players can control the game using Wii U Pro Controllers, Wii Remotes, or Off-TV Play via the Wii U GamePad, which allows the game to be played solely on the GamePad screen. Four players, each using a controller, can play as Mario, Luigi, Yellow Toad, or Blue Toad. A fifth player using the Wii U GamePad can use Boost Mode to interact with the environment, such as placing blocks to step on or stunning enemies by holding down on them. Some modes also let players use custom Mii characters. The main villains include Bowser, Boom Boom, the Koopalings, Kamek, and Bowser Jr. Nabbit is a new non-playable character who steals items from Red Toad and rewards the player with items when caught. Returning elements include Ice Flowers and Yoshis. The flying squirrel is a new power-up that allows gliding across long distances, slow descent, and wall-clinging. Baby Yoshis can be carried and have special abilities based on their color, such as inflating in midair or illuminating dark areas. Some older power-ups also gain new abilities. The game features one large map containing all worlds and levels, similar to Super Mario World, and some levels have multiple exits leading to different areas. Two new modes are Challenge Mode, which adds restrictions like short timers, and Boost Rush, an automatically scrolling level that speeds up as coins are collected. Coin Battle returns from the prior entry, now allowing players to customize coin and Star Coin placement with the GamePad. The Super Guide can take control of the player's character after multiple consecutive failures. The game originally used Miiverse for players to share comments about levels.
Development
Development on New Super Mario Bros. U kicked off not long after its Wii predecessor hit shelves, taking about three years to complete. It was first shown at E3 2011 under the working title New Super Mario Bros. Mii, as a tech demo for the Wii U. That demo kept the look of New Super Mario Bros. Wii but bumped it up to high-definition, and let players control Mii characters alongside Mario and Luigi. Shigeru Miyamoto later confirmed the demo would become a full game, and at E3 2012 it reappeared as New Super Mario Bros. U, set to launch with the Wii U console. Producer Takashi Tezuka said the game was built around the Wii U hardware, especially the GamePad, which led to the creation of Boost Mode. Levels were designed mainly for solo play, with multiplayer not a big focus during development. Tezuka didn't overthink level design because he wanted the experience to feel controlled yet open, and he was fine with letting players freely place blocks. The flying squirrel suit was made to give players more freedom in the air, but it was intentionally limited to stop overuse; it glides sideways, unlike the propeller suit from New Super Mario Bros. Wii, which lets players fly straight up. The open world map was a nod to Super Mario World, which the team felt nostalgic about. Tezuka wanted players to interact globally, so Miiverse support was added. Playable Mii characters helped tell players apart on screen, and the HD graphics made each character easier to recognize.
Reception
When the game was first shown at E3 2011, journalists got hands-on time with a demo. GameSpot found it fun but said the visuals looked just like the Wii game, so it didn't show off the new console well. IGN thought the demo felt oddly polished and complete compared to other games at the show. A year later at E3 2012, Nintendojo noticed the graphics had been improved and that fresh abilities made the gameplay deeper. Eurogamer said the game wasn't a technical showpiece for the Wii U but promised artistic charm and solid playability. The Guardian agreed it didn't push the system's graphics, but using the GamePad made you feel "satisfyingly God-like." When it launched, New Super Mario Bros. U got positive reviews, mostly for how it played. GamesMaster called it a great reason for families to play together and a nice look at Mario in HD. IGN said it came close to the best 2D Mario games, with a fair difficulty curve and a good challenge mode, but knocked its boring visuals and music. Game Informer thought it was the best entry in the New Super Mario Bros. series, praising its most creative level designs. Many critics liked the move to HD and enjoyed the look. GameSpot called it a tough platformer that recreated Mario's best moments perfectly and was a great start for Nintendo in HD. Destructoid noted it lacked some charm of older games but said HD was a key selling point. Giant Bomb was more critical, saying everything about the game is exciting except the game itself. They called it well-made and possibly the best in the series, but also flat and uninteresting, with a by-the-numbers design that made the title "New" feel ironic.
Legacy
As part of the Year of Luigi celebration, Nintendo revealed downloadable content titled New Super Luigi U on February 14, 2013. While it borrows heavily from the original game, Mario is nowhere to be found, and Luigi takes center stage. He brings back his flutter jump from Super Mario Bros. 2, and the levels are designed to be tougher. The DLC hit alongside a base game update on June 20, 2013, and a standalone disc followed on August 15, 2013. A bundle combining both games, New Super Mario Bros. U + New Super Luigi U, arrived on November 1, 2013, as part of the Mario and Luigi U Wii U set. It was later released on its own on October 16, 2015. A souped-up port for the Nintendo Switch was announced during a Nintendo Direct on September 13, 2018, and launched worldwide on January 11, 2019. Rumors about a Switch version had been floating around beforehand. The port runs at native 1080p instead of 720p and includes HD Rumble. New playable characters Toadette and Nabbit join the roster; Toadette can use the Super Crown to transform into Peachette, and Nabbit is now available in the main campaign rather than only in the Luigi DLC. Players can pick any character in single-player mode, not just Mario. Blue Toad became a color swap of Yellow Toad, and both are now simply called Toad. Boost Mode and its related Challenge Mode tasks were cut.
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