New Super Mario Bros. U
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is a 2D side-scrolling
platform video game A platform game (often simplified as platformer and sometimes called a jump 'n' run game) is a sub-genre of action video games in which the core objective is to move the player character between points in an environment. Platform games are charac ...
developed and published in 2012 by
Nintendo is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. It develops video games and video game consoles. Nintendo was founded in 1889 as by craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi and originally produce ...
as a
launch game This list includes terms used in video games and the video game industry, as well as slang used by players. 0–9 A ...
for the
Wii U The Wii U ( ) is a home video game console developed by Nintendo as the successor to the Wii. Released in late 2012, it is the first eighth-generation video game console and competed with Microsoft's Xbox One and Sony's PlayStation 4. The W ...
. It is the fourth entry in the ''New Super Mario Bros.'' series, and is the first mainline ''Mario'' game to be released in high-definition graphics. The game is a sequel to '' New Super Mario Bros. Wii'' (2009) and a follow-up to '' New Super Mario Bros. 2'' (2012). As part of the "
Year of Luigi The Year of Luigi was the 30th-anniversary celebration of the fictional character Luigi. He was created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto for the 1983 arcade game '' Mario Bros.'' and has appeared frequently as a minor or suppor ...
" campaign, a downloadable expansion to the game, '' New Super Luigi U'', was released in June 2013. A standalone retail version was released the following month and later copies of the base game included the expansion on disc. The game received generally positive reviews and is one of the best-selling games on the Wii U. An enhanced port for the
Nintendo Switch The is a hybrid video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. The console itself is a Tablet computer#Gaming tablet, tablet that can either be docking station, docked for use as a home video ...
, titled developed by the successor to Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development,
Nintendo Entertainment Planning and Development commonly abbreviated as Nintendo EPD, is the largest division within the Japanese video game company Nintendo. The division focuses on developing and producing video games, mobile apps, and other related entertainment software for the company. E ...
, was released on January 11, 2019. As of December 2021, the Switch version had sold 12.72 million units worldwide. Between both versions, a total of 18.53 million units have been sold worldwide.


Gameplay

''New Super Mario Bros. U'' iterates on the gameplay featured in '' New Super Mario Bros. Wii'' with additional features. The objective of each
level Level or levels may refer to: Engineering *Level (instrument), a device used to measure true horizontal or relative heights *Spirit level, an instrument designed to indicate whether a surface is horizontal or vertical *Canal pound or level *Regr ...
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 Controller The is a video game controller produced by Nintendo for the Wii U video game console. It is available in Black and White. History Nintendo unveiled the Wii U Pro Controller at E3 2012. Many video game journalists have noted the similarity betwe ...
s,
Wii Remote The Wii Remote, also known colloquially as the Wiimote, is the primary game controller for Nintendo's Wii home video game console. An essential capability of the Wii Remote is its motion sensing capability, which allows the user to interact with ...
s, or
Off-TV Play Off-TV Play is a feature of Nintendo's eighth-generation video game console, the Wii U. Like all video game consoles, the Wii U uses a console and a controller to manipulate an image on a television screen. The Wii U's unique feature is that its ...
using the
Wii U GamePad The Wii U GamePad is the standard game controller for Nintendo's Wii U home video game console. Incorporating traits from tablet computers, the GamePad has traditional input methods (such as buttons, dual analog sticks, and a D-pad), touchscreen ...
, where the game can be played solely on the GamePad's screen. Four players each using a controller play as a different character, being
Mario is a character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the title character of the ''Mario'' franchise and the mascot of Japanese video game company Nintendo. Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creat ...
,
Luigi is a fictional character featured in video games and related media released by Nintendo. Created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, Luigi is portrayed as the younger fraternal twin brother and sidekick of Mario, Nintendo's masc ...
, Yellow
Toad Toad is a common name for certain frogs, especially of the family Bufonidae, that are characterized by dry, leathery skin, short legs, and large bumps covering the parotoid glands. A distinction between frogs and toads is not made in scientif ...
, 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. Certain game modes also allow players to play their own custom
Mii A Mii ( ) is a customizable avatar used on several Nintendo video game consoles and mobile apps. Miis were first introduced on the Wii console in 2006 and later appeared on the 3DS, Wii U, the Switch, and various apps for smart devices. Miis c ...
characters.
Bowser , or King Koopa, is a fictional character, the primary antagonist in Nintendo's Mario (franchise), ''Mario'' franchise, and the arch-nemesis of Mario. In Japan, the character bears the title of . Bowser is the leader of the turtle-like Koopa ...
, The
Koopalings The (also known as in Japan and Europe or in Japan) are a fictional group of seven childlike characters in the Mario (franchise), ''Mario'' video game franchise by Nintendo. Their individual names are Larry Koopa, Morton Koopa Jr., Wendy O. K ...
,
Kamek The ''Mario'' franchise is a video game series by Nintendo. While Nintendo is usually the developer and publisher of games in the franchise, various series are developed by third-party companies, such as Hudson Soft and Intelligent Systems. ...
, Boom Boom, and
Bowser Jr. in Japan) is a fictional character who appears in Nintendo's ''Mario'' franchise as an antagonist. He is the son of the series' main antagonist, Bowser. Since his debut in ''Super Mario Sunshine'' in 2002, Bowser Jr. has been a recurring chara ...
appear as the game's main villains. Nabbit is a new
antagonist An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the chief foe of the protagonist. Etymology The English word antagonist comes from the Greek ἀνταγωνιστής – ''antagonistēs'', "opponent, competitor, villain, enemy, riv ...
who is chased after stealing a item from
Toad Toad is a common name for certain frogs, especially of the family Bufonidae, that are characterized by dry, leathery skin, short legs, and large bumps covering the parotoid glands. A distinction between frogs and toads is not made in scientif ...
. Once Nabbit is caught, Toad rewards the item to the player. Along with returning elements such as Ice Flowers and
Yoshi Yoshi is a fictional dinosaur who appears in video games published by Nintendo. Yoshi debuted in ''Super Mario World'' (1990) on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System as Mario and Luigi's sidekick. Yoshi is the title character of the List of Y ...
s, the
flying squirrel Flying squirrels (scientifically known as Pteromyini or Petauristini) are a tribe of 50 species of squirrels in the family Sciuridae. Despite their name, they are not in fact capable of full flight in the same way as birds or bats, but they ar ...
is new a
power-up In video games, a power-up is an object that adds temporary benefits or extra abilities to the player character as a game mechanic. This is in contrast to an item, which may or may not have a permanent benefit that can be used at any time chosen ...
that allows players to glide across long distances or slowly descend down vertical paths and cling to the side of the walls. 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. Some older power-ups also have new abilities, such as the Mini Mushroom now allowing players to run up walls. ''New Super Mario Bros. U'' features one large map containing all the game's worlds and levels, similar to that of ''
Super Mario World ''Super Mario World,'' known in Japan as is a platform game, platform video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). It was released in Japan in 1990, North America in 1991 and Europe and A ...
''. Some levels have multiple exits that lead to the different areas on the map. 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. "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. The game originally utilized the now defunct
Miiverse Miiverse was a social network for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, created by Nintendo System Development and Hatena (company), Hatena, and powered by the Nintendo Network. Integrated into many games, Miiverse allowed players to interact and share their ...
, which allowed players to share comments about particular levels with one another.


Plot

Princess Peach is a fictional character in Nintendo's ''Mario'' franchise, created by Shigeru Miyamoto and introduced in the 1985 original ''Super Mario Bros.'' installment. She is the princess regnant and ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom, where she resides in ...
is held captive in her castle by Bowser, Bowser Jr., and the Koopalings who invade and use a giant mechanical arm to throw
Mario is a character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the title character of the ''Mario'' franchise and the mascot of Japanese video game company Nintendo. Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creat ...
,
Luigi is a fictional character featured in video games and related media released by Nintendo. Created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, Luigi is portrayed as the younger fraternal twin brother and sidekick of Mario, Nintendo's masc ...
, 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 Goombas , known in Japan as , are a fictional mushroom-like species from Nintendo's ''Mario'' franchise. They first appeared in the NES video game ''Super Mario Bros.'' as the first enemy players encounter. They have appeared outside video ga ...
. 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

Development of ''New Super Mario Bros. U'' started shortly after the release of ''New Super Mario Bros. Wii'' and spanned three years. The game, initially titled ''New Super Mario Bros. Mii'', was first revealed at
E3 2011 The Electronic Entertainment Expo 2011 (E3 2011) was the 17th E3 held. The event took place at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California. It began on June 7, 2011, and ended on June 9, 2011, with 46,800 total attendees. E3 201 ...
as one of several tech demos demonstrating the capabilities of
Wii U The Wii U ( ) is a home video game console developed by Nintendo as the successor to the Wii. Released in late 2012, it is the first eighth-generation video game console and competed with Microsoft's Xbox One and Sony's PlayStation 4. The W ...
. The demo's visual style duplicated ''New Super Mario Bros. Wii'', but with high-definition graphics, and playable Mii characters alongside Mario and Luigi.
Shigeru Miyamoto is a Japanese video game designer, producer and game director at Nintendo, where he serves as one of its representative directors. Widely regarded as one of the most accomplished and influential designers in the history of video games, he is ...
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 The Electronic Entertainment Expo 2012 (E3 2012) was the 18th E3 held. The event took place at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California. It began on June 5, 2012, and ended on June 7, 2012, with 45,700 total attendees. It was ...
. There, the new game, ''New Super Mario Bros. U'', was revealed as a
launch game This list includes terms used in video games and the video game industry, as well as slang used by players. 0–9 A ...
for the upcoming Wii U console. Producer
Takashi Tezuka is a Japanese video game designer, director, and video game producer, producer. He is a senior officer of Nintendo EPD and executive at Nintendo. Career Upon graduating the Design Department of Osaka University of Arts, he joined Nintendo in A ...
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. 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 ''Super Mario World,'' known in Japan as is a platform game, platform video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). It was released in Japan in 1990, North America in 1991 and Europe and A ...
''. Tezuka wanted a feature where players can interact worldwide, so
Miiverse Miiverse was a social network for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, created by Nintendo System Development and Hatena (company), Hatena, and powered by the Nintendo Network. Integrated into many games, Miiverse allowed players to interact and share their ...
functionality was implemented. He added playable Mii characters to differentiate onscreen players, and HD graphics to help make each character more recognizable.


Spinoffs


''New Super Luigi U''

To celebrate the
Year of Luigi The Year of Luigi was the 30th-anniversary celebration of the fictional character Luigi. He was created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto for the 1983 arcade game '' Mario Bros.'' and has appeared frequently as a minor or suppor ...
, Nintendo announced DLC titled ''New Super Luigi U'' on February 14, 2013. The content is similar to the original game, but with level design focused and revolved around Luigi. The DLC was released on June 20, 2013, and as a standalone game on August 15, 2013.


''New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe''

An enhanced port for the
Nintendo Switch The is a hybrid video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. The console itself is a Tablet computer#Gaming tablet, tablet that can either be docking station, docked for use as a home video ...
was announced in the
Nintendo Direct Nintendo Direct is a series of online presentation or live shows produced by Nintendo, where information regarding the company's upcoming content or franchises is presented, such as information about games and consoles. The presentations began i ...
from September 13, 2018 and released worldwide on January 11, 2019. Prior to its announcement, rumors of a Switch port had surfaced stating that the game will be re-released and include both the original game and the ''New Super Luigi U'' campaign, with "''New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe''" as the pending title. The game was upgraded to run at native
1080p 1080p (1920×1080 progressively displayed pixels; also known as Full HD or FHD, and BT.709) is a set of HDTV high-definition video modes characterized by 1,920 pixels displayed across the screen horizontally and 1,080 pixels down the screen vert ...
instead of
720p 720p (1280×720 px; also called HD ready, standard HD or just HD) is a progressive HDTV signal format with 720 horizontal lines/1280 columns and an aspect ratio (AR) of 16:9, normally known as widescreen HDTV (1.78:1). All major HDTV broadcast ...
and now features HD Rumble support throughout.
Toadette The Mario (franchise), ''Mario'' franchise is a video game series by Nintendo. While Nintendo is usually the Video game developer, developer and publisher of games in the franchise, various series are developed by third-party companies, such a ...
and
Nabbit is a 2D side-scrolling platform video game developed and published in 2012 by Nintendo as a launch game for the Wii U. It is the fourth entry in the ''New Super Mario Bros.'' series, and is the first mainline ''Mario'' game to be released in ...
are introduced as playable characters, with the former gaining access to a brand new power up called the Super Crown and the latter now being playable in the original campaign instead of being exclusive to ''New Super Luigi U''. Blue Toad was downgraded to a color variation of Yellow Toad. Boost Mode was also removed, along with its associated challenges in Challenge Mode.


Reception

''New Super Mario Bros. U'' was positively received by critics, with most praise going towards gameplay. ''GamesMaster'' magazine called it "a great excuse for families to gather round the TV, and an enticing glimpse of Mario's HD future". IGN stated that "Nintendo's approach here strikes a great balance in all areas, ranging from its difficulty to design to enemies and bosses". ''
Joystiq ''Joystiq'' was a video gaming blog founded in June 2004 as part of the Weblogs, Inc. family of weblogs, now owned by AOL. It was AOL's primary video game blog, with sister blogs dealing with MMORPG gaming in general and the popular MMORPG ''W ...
'' 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". ''
Game Informer ''Game Informer'' (''GI'', most often stylized ''gameinformer'' from the 2010s onward) is an American monthly video game magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of video games and associated consoles. It debuted in August 1991 w ...
'' 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". Many critics like the jump from regular graphics to HD, and enjoyed the visuals.
GameSpot ''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
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." SupeReal Media gave the game an 'A' Grade, praising the versatility, and stating that Mario has never looked so good. ''Destructoid'' stated that however there isn't as much charm as past games, HD graphics was a key feature.
Giant Bomb ''Giant Bomb'' is an American video game website and wiki that includes personality-driven gaming videos, commentary, news, and reviews, created by former ''GameSpot'' editors Jeff Gerstmann and Ryan Davis. The website was voted by ''Time'' mag ...
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". ''New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe'' also received positive reviews, with a score of 80 on
review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...
Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
.


Sales

, ''New Super Mario Bros. U'' has worldwide sales of 5.81 million units. ''New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe'' yielded sales of 455,006 physical copies within its first month on sale in Japan, outperforming its Wii U counterpart. more than 747,589 physical copies have been sold in Japan., and in January 2021, it was reported that Japanese sales figures had surpassed one million. ''Deluxe'' also debuted at the top of the charts in the United Kingdom, with 56% more units in its first week than when the Wii U version launched, and remained the UK's best-selling game in its second week on sale. , 12.72 million copies of ''Deluxe'' have been sold worldwide, making it one of the best-selling games on the Nintendo Switch; both versions of the game have sold a combined total of 18.53 million copies.


Awards


Notes


References


External links

* {{Authority control 2012 video games 2019 video games Asymmetrical multiplayer video games Cooperative video games Multiplayer and single-player video games Nintendo Entertainment Planning & Development games Nintendo Network games Nintendo Switch games Side-scrolling video games Video games developed in Japan Video game sequels Video games with downloadable content Video games with expansion packs Video games about size change Wii U eShop games Wii U games Super Mario Video games scored by Mahito Yokota Pack-in video games Video games produced by Takashi Tezuka Spike Video Game Award winners