New Super Mario Bros. U

Template:Infobox New Super Mario Bros. U is a side-scrolling 2.5D platform game for the Wii U. It is the fourteenth title in the main Super Mario series, the ninth installment in the Super Mario Bros. series, and the fourth installment in the New Super Mario Bros. series. It was released on November 18, 2012 in North America. It is based off the New Super Mario Bros. Mii tech demo shown at E3 2011. It is the first Mario platformer game since Super Mario 64, as well as the first 2D platformer since Super Mario World, to be released as a launch title for a home console. The game uses new, more detailed background styles. The game introduces the Flying Squirrel power-up, acquired by Mario and his friends by a mushroom-like acorn called the Super Acorn.

Story

Mario, Luigi, Blue Toad and Yellow Toad are with Princess Peach in Princess Peach's Castle having dinner together. Bowser suddenly arrives in his Airship, with a giant mechanical fist, that smashes and launches the brothers and the Toads towards the Acorn Plains. Mario and his friends crash into the Acorn Tree, launching Super Acorns through the area. Mario and co. then tumble out of the tree, passing a Bubble Baby Yoshi and Balloon Baby Yoshi, while they're at it, and look into the horizon to see Bowser beginning a seige on Princess Peach's Castle, setting the Mario Bros. and the Toads to go on a new adventure and save Princess Peach.

After reaching Peach's Castle, Mario defeats Bowser and sees Peach in a tower. Before he can save her, she is locked inside. Then Bowser returns, and Mario must use Bowser Jr.'s Koopa Clown Car (stolen by stomping the rider) to trounce him. Bowser eventually is defeated and Bowser Jr. runs away in fright. Mario gets to Peach and bows down to her, he is then kissed on the forehead by her, to Mario's shock but delight. The Koopa Troop leaves and their airship crashes, and Mario and Co. rejoice.

Gameplay Features

File:WiiU NewMarioU 1 scrn01 E3.png

Mario in his Flying Squirrel suit, in the first level of Acorn Plains.

The gameplay of New Super Mario Bros. U is very similar to that of past New Super Mario Bros. games, mostly similar to Super Mario World, with similar features and designs, and New Super Mario Bros. Wii, with the return of the 4-player multiplayer. Though this time, players can play as their Miis, including the first player, who can also choose whoever to play as. A fifth player can join as well, though he/she will use the Wii U GamePad to assist the players, in a mode known as Boost Mode. This mode allows the fifth player to create temporarily blocks to either assist or annoy the other players, simply by touching the GamePad screen. The player operating Boost Mode can also stun enemies.

Power-ups, like the Fire Flower, Ice Flower, Penguin Suit, Propeller Mushroom and the Mini Mushroom, are returning. The game also features a new power-up, the Super Acorn, which gives Mario and co a Flying Squirrel Suit, which lets them glide and grab on to walls.

World Map Sections

Unlike previous New Super Mario Bros. titles, where the worlds were separated like Super Mario Bros. 3, New Super Mario Bros. U has a seamless world map with areas named after different foods and drinks, similar to that of Super Mario World. Like New Super Mario Bros. Wii, the Worlds include Toad Houses and Enemy Courses that players will across in the game. The music changes instruments throughout the world map similar to Yoshi's Island. Though, like the previous games, there are Fortresses, Castles and Ghost House-related levels within each part of the world:

The entire world map (excluding Superstar Road).

• World 1: Acorn Plains: A grassy world with lots of shrubs, slanted mountains, and the Acorn Tree.
• World 2: Layer-Cake Desert: A desert world with various desserts, such as melting ice creams, giant cakes, and a sea of sand with Moai statues.
• World 3: Sparkling Waters: A tropical world with multiple islands, bubbling water geysers, and even a sunken ship. This world can be entirely skipped for Frosted Glacier.
• World 4: Frosted Glacier: A snowy world that takes place at night filled with constellations. This world can be entirely skipped for Sparkling Waters.
• World 5: Soda Jungle: A rainforest-esque world similar to the Forest of Illusion, with giant enemies and blocks, similar to Big Island.
• World 6: Rock-Candy Mines: A mountainous world with tall, pillar like mountains. A cloud train seems to separate this world from the next world.
• World 7: Meringue Clouds: A sky world resembling the foreground of levels in World 7 from New Super Mario Bros. Wii.
• World 8: Peach's Castle: A grassland area, similar to World 1 from the previous New Super Mario Bros. games, containing mushroom hills and Peach's Castle. It has been taken over by the Koopa Troop and is slowly transformed into Bowser's image until eventually being surrounded by a tornado. By the time the player reaches the castle grounds, it has been transformed into a lava-based area. Princess Peach's castle remains mostly unchanged on the outside (the flags now have Bowser's symbol on them) but on the inside it is similar to Bowser's Castle from previous installments.
• World 9: Superstar Road: A secret world unlocked after beating Bowser's final battle. Its levels must be unlocked with Star Coins.
• Secret Island: A small area between Acorn Plains and Sparkling Waters that houses a Records Toad House.

Yoshis

Green Yoshis make a return, acting much the same as in New Super Mario Bros Wii. Baby Yoshis also return, which haven't been seen in a Mario platformer since their Super Mario World debut. Green is the only color available for Yoshis that the players ride on, unlike New Super Mario Bros. Wii. Yoshi now has a meter that tracks how many berries he eats. As usual, eating 5 makes him lay an egg containing an item.

Baby Yoshis

• Bubble Baby Yoshi: Blue Baby Yoshis that release bubbles from their mouths. Enemies caught in these bubbles will turn into 3 Coins. They first appear on the Frosted Glacier map area.
• Balloon Baby Yoshi: Magenta Baby Yoshis that expand like a balloon and gently float in the air. These Baby Yoshis are similar to the Blimp Yoshi power-up, found in Super Mario Galaxy 2. They first appear on the Acorn Plains map area.
• Glowing Baby Yoshi: Yellow Baby Yoshis that light up dark areas and can stun emenies. These Baby Yoshis act similar to the Glow Blocks, found in New Super Mario Bros. Wii, and also Bulb Yoshi from Super Mario Galaxy 2.

While Green Yoshi is not able to leave the courses he appeared in, Baby Yoshis found on the overworld can be taken into any course, except for the Fortresses and Castles.

Inventory

File:Inventory.PNG

The inventory.

The world map inventory, seen in Super Mario Bros. 3 and New Super Mario Bros. Wii, returns in New Super Mario Bros. U. Unlike the other inventories, however, this one is limited to ten items only. Players can add items into their inventory by playing red Toad House minigames, collecting items on the world map itself, or completing an Enemy Course.

Options

File:NSMBUSmallM.jpg

Small Mario in Speed Mode, found in Challenge Mode.

As well as the main adventure, their are other options to choose from. There is Challenge Mode, where players have to complete a objective, with some having a time limit. Another mode is Boost Rush Mode, where players have to reach the end of two to three selected stages, much like the Coin Rush feature in New Super Mario Bros. 2. Unlike Coin Rush, the stages are auto-scrolling, meaning the player has to keep up with the stage, which speeds up every time the player collects coins. Coin Battle from New Super Mario Bros. Wii will be returning.

Controls

This article is under construction. Therefore, please excuse its informal appearance while it is being worked on. We hope to have it completed as soon as possible.

• /: Move, Ground Pound (+ or +)
• //: Jump, glide (hold)
• //: Running and shooting fire/iceballs, carrying items, run up and down walls (Mini Mario)
• Shaking the Wii Remote/: Baby Yoshi Abilities, Spin Jump.
• : Crouch

Characters

Playable

• Mario
• Luigi
• Yellow Toad
• Blue Toad
• Mii

Bosses

• Boom Boom, Kamek or Sumo Bro. (Fortress)
• Koopalings
  • Lemmy Koopa (Acorn Plains)
  • Morton Koopa Jr. (Layer Cake Desert)
  • Larry Koopa (Sparkling Waters)
  • Wendy O. Koopa (Frosted Glacier)
  • Iggy Koopa (Soda Jungle)
  • Roy Koopa (Rock-Candy Mines)
  • Ludwig von Koopa (Meringue Clouds)
• Bowser Jr. (Airships)
• Bowser (Peach's Castle)

Supporting

• Yoshis
  • Green Yoshis
  • Baby Yoshis
    • Balloon Baby Yoshis
    • Bubble Baby Yoshis
    • Glowing Baby Yoshis
• Princess Peach
• Toad
• Nabbit

Transformations

• Small Mario
• Super Mario
• Fire Mario
• Ice Mario
• Propeller Mario
• Penguin Mario
• Flying Squirrel Mario
• Mini Mario
• Invincible Mario
• P-Acorn Mario (special item obtained via a Nabbit)

Enemies

File:Flying Squirrel with Super Acorn - New Super Mario Bros U.png

The Waddlewing enemy.

New Enemies

Dragoneel Flipruses Goombrats Missile Torpedo Teds Template:Conjecturaltext Propeller Cheep-Cheeps Nabbit Venus Ice Traps Waddlewings

Returning Enemies

Amps Baby Bloopers Ball 'n' Chain Banzai Bills Banzai Bill Blasters Big Boos Big Buzzy Beetles Bill Blasters Bloopers Blooper Nannies Bob-ombs Bony Beetles Boos Boomerang Bros Bramballs Broozers Bulbers Bullet Bills Buster Beetles Buzzy Beetles Cannons Chain Chomps Cheep-Cheeps Cheep-Chomps Circling Boo Buddies Cooligans Clampies Deep-Cheeps Dry Bones Firebars

Fire Chomps Fire Bros. Fire Snakes Fishbones Foos Fuzzies Gargantua Koopa Troopas Golden Cheep-Cheeps Goombas Grand Goombas Hammer Bros. Heavy Parabeetles Huckit Crabs Ice Bros. Jellybeams King Bills Koopa Paratroopas Koopa Troopas Magmaarghs Magmaws Mecha-Koopas Mega Cheep-Cheeps Mega Goombas Mega Fuzzies Mega Urchins Mini Goombas Monty Moles Muncher Parabeetles Para-bombs Paragoombas

Piranha Plants Podoboos Pokeys Porcu-Puffers Raining Debris River Piranha Plants Rocket Engines Scaredy Rats Skull Boxes Sledge Bros. Spikes Spike Tops Spiked Balls Spiky Tromps Spinies Spiny Cheep-Cheeps Spiny Tromps Stalking Piranha Plants Stone Spikes Sumo Bros. Super Dry Bones Super Piranha Plants Super Thwomps Swoopers Thwimps Thwomps Torpedo Teds Urchins Venus Fire Traps Wigglers

Features

Power-Ups

File:WiiU NewMarioU 4 item01 E3.png

The Super Acorn item.

Super Mushrooms Fire Flowers Super Acorns Ice Flowers Mini Mushrooms

P-Acorns Star Penguin Suits Propeller Mushrooms

Items

? Switch ! Switch 1-Up Mushrooms 3-Up Moons 3-Up Moon Blocks Beanstalk Berries Blue Coins Boost Blocks (Boost Mode only) Brick Blocks Checkpoint Flag Coins

Coin Blocks Dash Coins Donut Lifts Doors Flying Question Blocks Giant Brick Blocks Giant Question Blocks Glow Blocks Goal Pole Green Coins Green Rings Note Blocks POW Blocks P-Switches

Purple Stars Question Blocks Red Coins Red Rings Roulette Blocks Snake Blocks Super Guide Blocks Star Coins Springboards Stretch Blocks Warp Pipes Yoshi Eggs

Reception

New Super Mario Bros. U has received mostly positive reviews. Game Xplain gave the single-player and multi-player modes 4 stars out of 5, IGN gave it a score of 9.1 out of 10, EGM gave a score of 9/10, Joystiq gave it 4.5 stars out of 5, Polygon and Destructoid gave the same score of 8.5/10, VentureBeat gave it a score of 83/100 (83%), Games Radar gave it 4 stars out of 5, and Gamespot gave a score of 8.5.

The game has been praised for its balanced gameplay and challenge mode, with IGN's Rich George describing it as "The best thing to come to Mario's world since 3D", while criticizing it as not pushing the Wii U's visuals and audio potential.

Beta elements

Main article: List of New Super Mario Bros. U beta elements

Trivia

• If the Miis are selected as P1, they will be colored like Mario. If P2, they will be colored like Luigi. If P3, they will have yellow shirts and purple overalls, similar to Wario. If P4, they wear blue shirts and dark blue overalls, similar to Luigi's light blue alternate costume from the Super Smash Bros.' series.
• When the player grabs a Baby Yoshi, an additional choir is added to the music. Additionally, the Baby Yoshi will mouth to the choir.
• When the Mario Bros., Toads, or Miis are not moving, they stop and stare at the screen until the player starts moving them again.
• It is the first New Super Mario Bros. game where World 1 is not in the vicinity of Peach's Castle-in fact, it appears to be miles away.

External Links

• American Website for New Super Mario Bros. U
• European Website for New Super Mario Bros. U
• Japanese Website for New Super Mario Bros. U