New Super Mario Bros. U

Mario uses a flying squirrel suit to glide. Three large star coin collectibles are located throughout each level.

New Super Mario Bros. U iterates on the gameplay featured in New Super Mario Bros. Wii with additional features. 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 U Pro Controllers, Wii Remotes, or Off-TV Play using the Wii U GamePad, where the game can be played solely on the GamePad's screen.[1][2] Four players each using a controller play as a different character, being Mario, Luigi, Yellow Toad, and Blue Toad. In the "Boost Mode" feature, a fifth player using the Wii U GamePad can interact with the environment, such as putting blocks down that can be stepped on or stunning enemies by holding down on them.[3][4] Certain game modes also allow players to play their own custom Mii characters. Bowser, Boom Boom, the Koopalings, Kamek, and Bowser Jr. appear as the game's main villains. Nabbit is a new antagonist who is chased after stealing an item from Red Toad. Once Nabbit is caught, Toad rewards the item to the player.

Along with returning elements such as Ice Flowers and Yoshis, the flying squirrel is a new power-up that allows players to glide across long distances or slowly descend down vertical paths[3] and cling to the side of the walls.[5] Additionally, Baby Yoshis are an item can be carried by a player, with each baby Yoshi having a special ability dependent on its color, such as inflating in midair or illuminating dark areas.[4] Some older power-ups also have new abilities, such as the Mini Mushroom now allowing players to run up walls.[6] 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.[7]

The game features two new modes of play, "Challenge Mode" and "Boost Rush". Challenge Mode adds restrictions and conditions, such as clearing levels with a short timer. Boost Rush takes place on an automatically scrolling level which increases in speed as players collect coins, with the goal of clearing the stage as quickly as possible.[6] "Coin Battle" from New Super Mario Bros. Wii also returns, with the player now being able to customize the battles with the GamePad to place the coins and Star Coins on the course. 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 multiple consecutive times.[8] The game originally utilized the now defunct Miiverse, which allowed players to share comments about particular levels with one another.[5] [9]

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 enemies 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, 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.

Development of New Super Mario Bros. U started shortly after the release of New Super Mario Bros. Wii and spanned three years.[10] 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 with high-definition graphics, and playable Mii characters alongside Mario and Luigi.[11] Shigeru Miyamoto later announced that the Mario demo would be released as a full game for the system, and would be demonstrated in its revised form at E3 2012.[12] There, the new game, New Super Mario Bros. U, was revealed as a launch game for the upcoming Wii U console.[13][14]

Producer Takashi Tezuka explained he had created the game to take advantage of the Wii U hardware, focusing on the GamePad, for which Boost Mode was created. He explained that levels were created for single-player mode, without much thought of multiplayer during creation. He did not think too much about level design because he thought it would keep the players in a controlled experience, and decided to keep it more open. He was comfortable giving the player open access to placing blocks.[15]

Creating new concepts, Tezuka created the flying squirrel suit to allow for open movement in the air. However, he kept it partially limited to keep the player from over-using it. The power-up glides horizontally to differ it from the propeller suit in New Super Mario Bros. Wii which can fly vertically. The developers used an open world map layout due to nostalgia for Super Mario World. Tezuka wanted a feature where players can interact worldwide, so Miiverse functionality was implemented.[15] He added playable Mii characters to differentiate onscreen players, and HD graphics to help make each character more recognizable.[15]

New Super Mario Bros. U was positively received by critics, with most praise going towards gameplay.[41][52][54][39] GamesMaster magazine called it "a great excuse for families to gather round the TV, and an enticing glimpse of Mario's HD future".[41] IGN stated that "Nintendo's approach here strikes a great balance in all areas, ranging from its difficulty to design to enemies and bosses".[52] 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".[54] Game Informer considered it the best game in the New Super Mario Bros. series, saying it had "Some of the most creative NSMB levels Nintendo has created".[39] Many critics like the jump from regular graphics to HD, and enjoyed the visuals.[43][69][8] GameSpot observed how "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."[43] Destructoid stated that however there isn't as much charm as past games, HD graphics was a key feature.[8]

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".[48]

New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe also received positive reviews, with a score of 80 on review aggregator Metacritic.[26]

• Official website