Years go by, consoles change, titles get longer, but Super Mario Bros is still Super Mario Bros. I spent the last few days with New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe, reissue of the old chapter for Wii U that returns to Switch over six years after the original, returning the same fun, the same gameplay, the same graphics ... the same game of the time? Let's find out!
From Wii U to Switch the step is short
We live in the era of the remastered, the re-release and, in some cases more fortunate, the remake. Not even Nintendo is an exception and continues with its revival of Wii U titles on the Switch. The reason is obvious: Wii U was not a very popular console, despite having a very rich and varied stock of titles on its side. Nintendo Switch on the contrary immediately became a record-breaking console, suggesting to Nintendo the idea of reviving the Wii U games that had passed a bit on the sly and far from the hoped-for success. After the revival of Mario kart 8 it also touched New Super Mario Bros. U which adds the wording Deluxe to the title even if it were a travel package for the whole family.
This package idea doesn't stray too far from what the game really is, a colorful journey into 360-degree fun now bowed to please the whole family, from the smallest and novice player to the older and more experienced one. Thanks to the two dimensions and a few simple and intuitive commands, Super Mario Bros. has been renewing itself for over thirty years by offering a formula so well-established that it is unlikely to tire. New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe is identical to the original title, adding only Luigi's DLC and some modes for the little ones to the offer. The six years and more that the game carries on, however, does not seem to weigh so much except in the graphics that remain quite obsolete compared to the Switch hardware with a suboptimal brightness and some slightly woody polygonal models.
The real potential of the game is the new console
Apart from this small graphic uncertainty, the game flows fluid and colorful under the eyes of the player who can hardly fail to appreciate it. I must admit that even I, despite the years spent with the Super Mario Bros saga and despite having played the title for Wii U, I have found much more satisfaction in tackling this adventure on Switch again. Maybe that Switch seems born to make two-dimensional games truly glorious, as evidenced by the wave of 2D indies that are dominating its store (Iconoclasts and Dead Cells, to name two of the most interesting), it will be that we are completely overwhelmed by its success, but I enjoyed playing New Super Mario Bros. U on Switch as if I was trying the game for the first time.
Of course, the disappointment remains for the lack of a new Mario Bros title, developed exclusively for Switch. And there is also a bitter taste in the mouth for a general lack of variety: New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe is in fact a perfect Mario game, perhaps too much, lacking those flashes of genius that have immortalized other two-dimensional chapters of the mustachioed in videogame history plumber, like Super Mario Land or New Super Mario Bros. Despite this, however, the re-edition for Switch dusts off a video game that was right to give more space than what happened on Wii U. Especially for the simplicity with which Switch expands multiplayer to the whole family, quadrupling the fun of the single player (especially in the sections with Yoshi!).
From Toadette to Ruboniglio: all the news of the Deluxe version
We have said that New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe is a package and as such integrates the various components supplied separately in the Wii U version. We therefore find the New Super Luigi U expansion included, which allows the player to face a warped and redesigned version of the main adventure. In this case, the classic elements of the gameplay have been reshuffled to provide a deeper challenge, with less time to complete the levels. The real challenge given by Luigi's game, however, is mainly brought by the protagonist's move set that displaces those accustomed to Mario's: different jump width, longer slide, faster run, mastering Luigi will take time and perhaps he will be able to put even those who know the Mario series in depth are in trouble.
Luigi is not the only extra character in the game and they are added to him Toadette, capable of transforming into Peach thanks to the famous crown that gave rise to the fan-made character Bowsette and the Ruboniglio, designed specifically for the little ones with its characteristic of being immune to enemies. This character naturally takes away a bit of the charm of the game but manages to bring children closer to the world of Mario.
Finally, there are also some extra modes, such as Challenges and Coin Hunt. The first will offer real challenges suitable for the most experienced players, such as obtaining extra lives by jumping exclusively on the heads of the enemies, the second will instead see players compete to get more coins. Also interesting is the presence of a level editor that allows you to choose where to show the coins by positioning them with the touch screen.
New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe: review in brief
Nintendo brings a great classic Wii U back to Switch by adding the bare minimum in terms of modes, but expanding the fun for the whole family. If basic characters like Mario and Toad make the adventure suitable for the average player, Luigi raises the bar of difficulty while Ruboniglio ranks as the perfect character for kids to have fun. New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe is the largest two-dimensional Mario game available on Nintendo Switch, just a pity we don't have a real new chapter developed for this console yet.
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