New Super Mario Bros. U

***New Super Mario Bros. U*** is a side-scrolling 2.5D platform game, and a launch title for the Wii U. It is the fourth and latest installment in the ***New Super Mario Bros. series***, a sub-series of the parent ***Super Mario platformer series***. As the sequel to ***New Super Mario Bros. Wii***, the game is a follow-up game of ***New Super Mario Bros. 2***. Released on November 18, 2012 in North America, November 30th in Europe and Oceania, and in Japan on December 8th, it is the first ***Super Mario series*** game to be released as a launch title for a home console since ***Super Mario 64***. An expansion pack for this game was later released in 2013, titled ***New Super Luigi U***.

Based upon the ***New Super Mario Bros.*** Mii tech demo shown at E3 2011, the game uses new, more detailed background styles and models and introduces the Flying Squirrel power-up, acquired by Mario and his friends from an item called the Super Acorn, as well as utilizing the Wii U GamePad in Boost Mode.

The game was originally purchasable at the Nintendo eShop, requiring 2301.7 MB (approx. 2.25 GB) to be downloaded, but with the release of ***New Super Mario Bros. U + New Super Luigi U***, it is no longer possible to purchase ***New Super Mario Bros. U*** as a standalone game.

A port of this game for Nintendo Switch, including ***New Super Luigi U*** and featuring Toadette as an additional playable character, was released in 2019.

## Story

Right after the events of ***New Super Mario Bros. Wii*** (but not the events of ***New Super Mario Bros. 2***), Mario, Luigi, Yellow Toad, and Blue Toad are with Princess Peach in Princess Peach's Castle having dinner together. Bowser and the Koopalings suddenly arrive in their Airships, with the former sporting a giant mechanical fist, that smashes and launches the brothers and the Toads away from the castle. Mario and his friends crash into the Acorn Tree, launching Super Acorns through the area. They 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 siege on Princess Peach's Castle, setting the Mario Bros. and the Toads to go on a new adventure and save Princess Peach.

As the game progresses, the view occasionally shifts to Peach's Castle, showing the flags being replaced by Bowser's flags, and the castle being surrounded by a thin tornado-like cloud that is made thicker, entirely obscuring the castle. Mario, Luigi, Yellow Toad, and Blue Toad also have to deal with Bowser's forces, including the Koopalings, Boom Booms, Kamek and Bowser Jr., who occasionally attacks the heroes with his dad's airship. None of them is enough to stop the heroes from progressing, and Bowser Jr. causes the airship to crash after making the mechanical hand punch through it. After reaching Peach's Castle and defeating Bowser, the group moves onward, but Bowser Jr. appears and urges Kamek to spread his magic across the area. After heading to the castle exterior, Mario and the others see Peach in a tower. Before they can save her, she is locked inside and Bowser appears, now at a giant size. Eventually, Bowser is defeated and Bowser Jr. runs away in fright. Mario (or whomever delivered the final blow to Bowser) gets to Peach and bows down to her, and is then kissed by her, to their shock and delight, as the clouds surrounding the castle disappear, restoring it to its former state.

Outside the castle, the Koopalings and Bowser Jr. are fleeing on the airship as Bowser recovers. Noticing the escaping airship, he climbs up onto one of the castle towers and leaps onto the ship, but his additional weight causes it to plummet into a hill nearby; they then fly away hanging on to Bowser Jr.'s Junior Clown Car while Mario and Blue Toad watch. They then turn back to the others, who are cheering, with Mario delivering a final victory pose.

## Gameplay Features

***New Super Mario Bros. U*** is a platform game which plays very similarly to that of past ***New Super Mario Bros. games***, especially ***New Super Mario Bros. Wii***, with the return of the 4-player multiplayer functioning identically to the Wii game, while most of the elements and design found in the game make heavy reference to ***Super Mario World***. Many other gameplay elements from the Wii game, such as the Super Guide, Enemy Courses, and the bubble function, also return. In certain modes, players can play as their Miis, including the first player, who can also choose whoever to play as. Power-ups, like the Fire Flower, Ice Flower, Penguin Suit, Propeller Mushroom and the Mini Mushroom return. The game also features a new power-up, the Super Acorn, which gives Mario and company a Flying Squirrel form, which lets them glide and grab on to walls.

***New Super Mario Bros. U*** features two main controller options: single player using the Wii U GamePad, and single player or multiplayer using Wii Remotes and/or Wii U Pro Controllers; the player can switch controllers at any point between the GamePad and a Wii Remote or Pro Controller by pausing the game, either in a level or on the world map, and selecting the "Change Controller" option. The game supports up to five simultaneous players, with up to four being able to play as the characters with a Wii Remote or Wii U Pro Controller, and are able to drop in and out at any point while in a stage by pressing Plus Button on the GamePad and selecting a character, or on the map by pausing and selecting "Number of Players". Another player is able to use the Wii U GamePad in what is known as Boost Mode. In Boost Mode, the GamePad player can assist the other players by placing blocks for them to stand on and stunning enemies. Boost Mode can be used at any point when playing with one of the other controllers; when playing with just the GamePad, it supports Off-TV Play.

After clearing Layer-Cake Desert-1, an enemy called Nabbit appears and steals an item from a Toad House connecting that level, heading back to Acorn Plains-1. When the player enters a stage with Nabbit, the objective is to race him to the goal, trying to catch him before he can get away. If the player succeeds in catching Nabbit, they are rewarded with a P-Acorn. Replacing the Toad saving in ***New Super Mario Bros. Wii***, Nabbit only appears in one stage in the first seven worlds.

The first update to the game added Miiverse support. With Miiverse functionality enabled, players can read each others' posts on the world map by viewing the map; when not viewing the map a Miiverse post is indicated by a red balloon, generally near a stage, and can be hidden by pressing A Button; when on the World Map while using Boost Mode, the GamePad player can scroll across the map on the GamePad screen and view Miiverse posts. At certain times throughout gameplay, such as when the player dies several times or reaches the end of a course in a specific way (collecting all the Star Coins, clearing in a certain amount of time, clearing without taking damage, etc.), they are given a prompt to post a message to Miiverse. Players can also see Miiverse posts after they die in a stage. Miiverse settings can be changed at any point on the world map by selecting the pencil and envelope icon on the bottom right of the pause menu.