At what point does the ‘new’ in New Super Mario Bros. U become false advertising? This is the 4th New Super Mario Bros. game in the sub-series and the 2nd one to hit this year. Does the world really need any more of this style of Mario game? I guess as long as they continue to be quality products, the volume of releases doesn’t matter.
Playing through the first world gave me cause for concern, as it struck me as boring. The levels were not very interesting or difficult. However, it doesn’t take long for it to kick things up a notch. Honestly, by world 3, it was kicking my butt pretty hard. I normally finish these games with 99 lives, but I don’t think I ever got more than 10 at any given time. Not to say that it was Dark Souls difficult or anything, but it definitely made me work for it, which I appreciated.
At this point, the mechanics for Mario are pretty set in stone. Save for the new squirrel suit, which is essentially the same as the propeller suit with the added ability to cling to walls, you’re not in for much in the way of surprises. But after that first world, the game does get into a great rhythm with a number of unique levels. My favorite has to be the level based on Picasso’s Starry Night painting, which looks gorgeous.
Like New Super Mario Bros. Wii before it, this can be played in co-op. In fact, with 4 remotes and the GamePad, you can take advantage of Boost Mode, in which the person with the GamePad can add in blocks to aid (or harm) your friends. I personally think it’s a lazy use of the touch screen, but the 4-player experience is the preferred way to go. When I was playing alone though, I spent most of my time playing it on the Wii U GamePad exclusively, which is a neat feature. The game looks great this way and I didn’t notice any sort of lag.
Once you’ve played through the main game, you can try your hand at its Challenge Mode, which is new for the series. It presents you with a myriad of different challenges, from speed runs, to dodging every coin, and more. If you’re the type of person that is a completionist, this will definitely give you more reason to come back.
For better or worse, New Super Mario Bros. U is exactly what you’d expect it to be. Is that a bad thing? Not necessarily. I thought I was tired of the ‘new’ formula going into this, but I ended up really enjoying it. At the very least, it’s your safest best at a quality Wii U launch title to pick up with your shiny new console.
In Third Person 