Haku's New Super Mario Bros. U Review

[Hakudamashi]

What I Liked

The Controls
If you guys recall, I hate Mario games, like, alot, reason being I wasn't comfortable with how slippery slidey floaty Mario moved... But that's all in the past now, as Mario controls sooo perfect in this game. He doesn't slip n' slide when changing direction, but he doesn't turn on a dime either, his jump is comfortable floaty and arcs in a smooth horseshoe, it also helps that these buttons are very responsive to the push. It's like his control in NSMB2, but less stiff feeling.

The Level Design
I like how the levels are designed in such a way that both the reckless "GOTTA GO FAST" players, and the calm and patient players can both play their way and have a good time. They're open enough that if someone who understands "flow" can just bumrush a level, not giving a f*ck and beat a level without getting hit, and at the same time there's a lot of hidden stuff and stage hazards for those who like to "calculate their jumps" and feel smart when they pass a platforming challenge.
I also really like how the stages hide their secrets. The stages, for the most part give you very subtle conveyance where their secrets are. Some make you have to think, some just ask you to pay attention.

The Visuals & Sound
I just love looking at it, it's so purty. There are colours everywhere and everything is bright and bouncy when it wants to be, and dark and intimidating when it wants to be, this art style is quite flexible. I also grew to like the sound design for this game, it's all bouncy n' sh*t and it makes me smile. Which is weird, cause I found it annoying when they used it in their other 3 games...

The Power Ups
I like how varied in use these are, they each can cheese a stage in their own special way, my favourite being the acorn suit.

Spoiler

And after you complete the main game and unlock star road you also get the propeller and penguin suits which I don't really find use for...

Spoiler

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You got the Fire Flower which instantly kills all enemies except those made of stone, bones, or ghost material.

The Ice flower which freezes everything so than you can pick it up and throw it at something else, or use as a platform(It is possible to screw yourself), doesn't work on Boos.

The Mini Mushroom which makes you run up walls and really floaty, but you can only be hit once.

The Acorn Mushroom which allows you to glide by holding down the jump button, give you a double jump by doing the spin jump in mid air, it has the highest spin jump, turns levels with no ceiling into a total joke.

The P Acorn Mushroom which grants you infinite double jumps, but can only be gotten by catching Nabbit who will appear in the map occasionally.

The Star which makes you invulnerable to everything except lava, bottomless pits, and being crushed, and it lasts like 5 seconds -.-

The World Map
It is large, open, it's grand, I love looking at it, and I love moving around in it. I love the sense of ADVENTURE! I get from it, and it always pleases me when I beat a stage and the map expands ^_^

The Boss Battles
Some people say they were dissapointed, I feel they were what they needed to be. They varied in their attacks and can really wreck you if you're being careless.

Boost Mode
Ya tap the gamepad screen and magic blocks appear for the player to jump on. You can also stun enemies and reveal hidden passages. My brother and I have made good use of this mode. It make speedrunning all the more stunning, and it makes for some hilarious moments.

The Super Luigi Super Mode
If you die 5 times in a row on a level, you have the option to have your hipper, cooler, sexier brother Luigi show your fatass how to do it properly, afterwards you can choose to either skip the level and continue on, or do it again yourself. I appreciate this cause 1. It's optional and 2. There are just some levels where I just can't be bothered to give enough of a fuck about to continue. Parts which normally would've been rage quit moments, I can now skip to where the game becomes fun again. It should be noted that he will NOT go for ANY star coins, coins, or even power ups that are out of his way to the end.

Miiverse
Not only do I now have a personal diary to all my successes and failures(especially since I found out how to take screenshots), but the Miiverse community always has interesting stuff to share, and surprisingly helpful tips. It made even the hardest of levels all the more bearable. And if you're an ascocial jerk, you do have the option to turn it off.

The Yoshis
The big green Yoshi can be found on certain stages and controls exactly as he always has, he flutter jumps, he eats everything that isn't rock, and can jump on spikey things. But he cannot exit the stage with you and be carried into other levels...
I especially LOVE the Baby Yoshis. The eat EVERYTHING! Including rocks and Boos, and each come with their own special power, the pink ones inflate and fly, the blue ones shoot bubbles that turn all that it touches into coins, and can also be used as platforms, and the yellow ones illuminate dark rooms and causes ground enemies to tumble over and scatter, while flying enemies just back off. The Blue and Pink Yoshis can be found on the world map and can be carried through multiple stages, as long as you finish the level with them, while the Yellow Yoshi can only be found in certain levels and cannot exit with you.

What I Didn't Like

The Use of The Gamepad
It's neat how you can play the game on the gamepad screen n' all, but why wasn't there an option to turn that off and use the gamepad for something else? I would've liked if the gamepad screen was used more like the bottom screen of the DS games where it told you your level progress, the proximity of the Star Coins, and it held any extra power up you picked up so you could tap it to use it when needed in the middle of a stage. Instead, if you're playing the the gamepad, both screens are playing the game... Why couldn't it have been a option on the menu like all the other games that did this?

The Multiplayer
I don't like how in multiplayer, the gamepad HAS to be used for boost mode. To use a character in multiplayer you have to use the Wiimote, or the Pro Controller. Cause I actually like using the gamepad to play this game, it's comfy...

The Star Coins
Sure, I have a blast collecting the star coins, but I wished they did more than just unlock the hardest levels in the game... I also have a gripe with the fact that unless you collect ALL the star coins for that world, they're completely worthless.

My Verdict

This is by far one of my more liked Mario platformers. I enjoyed the game from start to finish, and whenever I get stuck in a rut, I could always depend on the Miiverse or Boost mode to make things bright again. From the perfect control to just how nice it is to just look at, I strongly recommend every Wii U owner to have this game.

9/10
5/5
A⁺
Buy It.

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