In an effort to maximize on Mario’s popularity, Nintendo has gone back to the well on yet again. Nintendo is bringing games over to the Switch that Nintendo fans may have missed out on because they decided not to get the Wii U. New Super Mario Bros U Deluxe is one such game and makes some very needed changes over the Wii U version. Nintendo smartly package New Super Mario Bros U and New Super Luigi U together. Super Luigi U came out during the Year of Luigi and was initially available one of two ways, as a download form the Wii U shop channel and as a stand alone disk. Eventually Nintendo made it available as a pack in with New Super Mario Bros U on one disk. The game was a great return to the 2-D side scrolling Mario Games that we all grew up with. It was gorgeous on the Wii U and played extremely well. They allowed you to play the game with the Wiimote and a Pro controller for multiplayer. When using the Wii U game pad during game play, it felt a little like cheating because you could use it to make platforms in order to get to the pips and coins you needed to. This mechanic was cumbersome when playing in 2 player.
With New Super Mario Bros U Deluxe, Nintendo thankfully took this mechanic away and added some new things that will appeal to gamers younger and old. Two new playable characters were added to the game: Nabbit and Toadette. Nabbit is considered to be the easiest to play. He cannot be hurt by any of the enemies. There is a big drawback to this, as he cannot jump on the enemies to reach higher areas that may contain pipes and star coins. With Toadette, labeled as “easy”, gets a unique ability. She has the ability to get a grown that turns her into Peachette. Peachette has all the abilities of Peach from Super Mario Bros 2. Although this ability helps for whoever is using Toadette, is a draw back in multiplayer. Not only is the crown an item only Toadette can use, but sometimes it is the only item that comes out of a block. For the person not playing Toadette, this can be annoying.
Outside of these few changes, this is the same game that graced the Wii U with its presence. For long time fans of Mario, it will feel like you are right back in those childhood memories. Those who have never experienced a Mario Bros game, this is a very good entry to get a jump start on. It offers some good challenges, but in the end, it still feels like it has Super Mario World depth. The levels don’t take long to complete, so with a day’s sitting, you could finishe the game in one playthrough. The game does have moderate replay value, however $60 for a game that is six years old. I highly recommend picking it, however I recommend waiting for it to go on sale at a brick and mortar store or on the Nintendo Shop Channel. Regardless of how you pick it up, it definitely needs to be part of ones’ Switch game collection.
