As a port of a 6 year old game, that itself was the 4th installment in a series that began
6 years earlier as a modern of the original Super Mario Bros. from two decades prior,
there isn’t a whole lot that’s “new” about New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe, beyond
the “Deluxe” that’s been added to its title.
A fact that’s more evident than ever now than ever before, as the past 6 years have
not been particularly kind to this game.
So if there isn’t much new, you might be wondering what exactly makes this the Deluxe
version?
Well, that seems to hinge largely on the fact that the DLC expansion, New Super Luigi U
DLC, is included in the package--although that compilation already existed on the Wii
U as well, just without the Deluxe moniker.
But there have been some small improvements to the presentation too.
Both games, for instance, now run at 1080p versus the Wii U’s 720p, which really makes
the lifeless art style pop like never before.
And perhaps the best addition is how HD Rumble has been incorporated throughout the experience.
You’ll now feel a slight jolt every time you hit a box or shoot a fireball, as well
as the flutter of Yoshi’s kicks, or the sensation of taking a Warp Pipe--you’ll
even feel the sensation of a Dry Bone’s skeleton collapsing underneath your feet.
Yeah it’s a bit morbid, but it feels great.
The menus have also been freshened up a bit, even if nearly mostly imperceptively.
And then, of course, there’s the newcomer Toadette and her weird Peachette power-up,
which is the only truly new content in the game.
She essentially functions as a new “Easier” “Funky-Kong” like difficulty mode, adding
100 seconds to the clock and changing 1-Ups into 3-Ups.
And Toadette is the only one who can grab the new Super Crown power-up which transforms
her into Peachett--which is extremely weird, and it’s indeed best to not ask questions.
Trust me, this is one Nabbit hole you don’t one to go down
Now as a power-up, Peachette is effectively just a better version of the Squirrel suit,
granting her superior air control, including the ability to dart straight upward and turn
without losing altitude.
In addition, she also gains the improved swimming abilities of the penguin suit, which is rather
nice--especially if you’re not a fan of water levels.
Does anyone really even like them anyway?
Finally, she’ll automatically rebound once if you fall into a bottomless pit.
So yeah, Toadette/Peachette’s a little OP, but I generally found her to be slightly more
enjoyable to play than the standard characters for her greater maneuverability.
Unfortunately, even ith Toadette, replaying New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe made me realize
a harsh truth: I just don’t enjoy the New Super Mario Bros. series anymore as single-player
experiences.
The art style is insipid with worlds feeling flat and unlively, the music is an often an
assault on the ears BAH BAH BAH, and even the gameplay feels dated: Being booted back
to the World Map after every life is archaic in this day and age.
Then there are the power-ups which annoyed me as they often feel as limiting as they
are liberating, with the Mini Mushroom being the best example of this, lending the game
a floatier feel while making you more vulnerable.
Even the marquee Squirrel Suit just isn’t that fun to use compared to past flying power-ups
like the cape--a deficit that Peachette slightly makes up for with her superior air control.
I struggled to play through NSMBU again for this review as it failed to engage me on almost
any level.
The constantly repeating enemies, level, and musical themes blend together, making it difficult
for even the somewhat varied gameplay mechanics to stand out.
The game lulled me into autopilot, where I consumed level after level, world after world,
with nary a memory of what I had just played.
You know that feeling where you suddenly remember that you’re driving a car, but have no recollection
of the last several miles?
That’s NSMBU in a nutshell, at least for me.
And it probably doesn’t help that I’ve been playing NSMBU-style levels for years
in Super Mario Maker, many of which were far more interesting in design than the ones here.
But there are two comparative bright spots to the NSMBU Deluxe experience.
First up is New Super Luigi U, because it actually feels somewhat distinct by NSMB standards.
Yes, it reuses the same tired art style, annoying music, and even the world map, but the levels
are all remixed into all-new creations that are significantly shorter, more challenging,
and thus, more interesting.
With only 100 seconds on the clock for each one, the levels are built with speed-runs
in mind and rewards precision playing, whichs stands in stark contrast to the leisurely
pace of the rest of the game.
It’s pretty fun and exciting to try and fly through these levels, as they propel you
forward in ways that 2D Mario rarely has before.
It’s just a shame they weren’t paired with more interesting assets, as NSLU had
the potential to be something more.
Of course, the shorter levels do mean that Luigi’s adventure is only about half as
long as the main game--which isn’t necessarily a negative.
The other high point of Deluxe is multiplayer, which is the only redeeming part I found in
the New Super Mario Bros. U portion of the game.
As my friends bounced over, into, and even on top of each other, we nearly split our
sides in laughter at points--even as we fought over power-ups, and slurped each other up
as Yoshi to carry each other to safety--or spit them out into a bottomless pit, it really
depended on how we felt.
It was incredibly dumb, and the antithesis of what I usually want in a platformer--and
yet, it kind of works, and was more fun than I remembered.
So I’ll give you kudos for that New Super Mario Bros. U.
But there is a weird quirk in the multiplayer this time around compared to the non Deluxe
version.
With Toadette effectively replacing one of the original Toads, that means at least 1
of the 4 Players will always have to play with a handicap, being stuck with either her
or Nabbit, who’s completely invulnerable to enemies.
And that’s doubly the case in NSLU because Mario is MIA, making either Toadette & Nabbit
are required for a 3 player game, and both for a full 4 player game.
This may not matter to you--after all, I still had fun--but it is utterly bizarre to me that
there is no way to play through these games as they were originally intended with every
player having access to characters with identical abilities, as opposed to the lopsided experience
it can be now.
Now there is one more change in NSMBUDX that I haven’t mentioned yet, and it makes the
game play worse than the original for one baffling reason:
The mid-air twirl that buys you an extra second or so of air-time can now be performed simply
by tapping jump again while in the air, instead of being assigned a separate buttons.
Which at first, seems like a smart decision, simplifying the controls and making it almost
a perfect 2-button experience isn’t a bad idea on paper.
But here’s the problem: I found myself twirling by mistake constantly when I intended to perform
other actions, such as preparing to wall-jump or high-bounce off an enemy.
And that can really throw you off.
It adds imprecision in a game that demands otherwise.
It’s baffling to me that there isn’t an option to disable this, even if you probably
will adjust to it eventually
Furthermore, due to the lack of the Wii U’s GamePad New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe is
actually missing some content compared to the original release.
Boost Mode, which permitted an additional player to spawn platforms simply by tapping
on the screen, has been removed removed, along with its associated challenges in Challenge
Mode.
I didn’t find it a huge loss personally, but your mileage may vary.
And that might be a good way to sum up my review: Your mileage may vary.
While the single-player experience nearly bored me to tears, at least for New Super
Mario Bros. U, that might not be the case for those new to the series or even those
just looking for even more of a NSMB experience.
And that goes for the air-twirling control issue too.
It bugs me as a longtime fan, but if you’re new to the game or less experienced with games
in general, it might work better for you.
But it’s my perspective as a longtime Mario fan that makes New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe
such a disappointing experience to return to.
Mario used to be a trendsetter for side-scrolling games, pushing the boundaries of what could
be done, and raising the bar by which all 2D games would be measured..
And while it’s not the fault of the game that better ones have come along since, I
think the truth of the matter is that NSMBU wasn’t ever that compelling in the first
place--at least as a single player experience
And then there’s the issue of it not even living up to its Deluxe moniker, with it technically
missing content from the Wii U version, the introduction of a frustrating new control
issue, as well as that weird multiplayer quirk that forces some players to play with a handicap,
even if they don’t want to.
It’s a little ironic that a game that hews so closely to Mario’s origin didn’t take
more inspiration from that game’s own original Deluxe version, which actually offered interesting
new content above and beyond the ported material.
So that’s why NSMBU Deluxe me feeling Mixed overall.
While it still offers pockets of fun, especially with the right friends, it feels old and worn
down as a single-player experience, with only New Super Luigi U offering anything close
to a lively time.
So if you’re looking to recapture some of that old-school platforming magic instead
of just retreading it, pick up Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze instead.Whether it’s
visually, audibly, or mechanically, it blows past NSMBUDX in every possible way--except
for multiplayer, which hey, might be all you need.
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