New Super Luigi U
New Super Luigi U[lower-alpha 1] is a 2D side-scrolling platform video game in the Super Mario series developed by Nintendo for the Wii U. The game was first released in June 2013 as an expansion pack for New Super Mario Bros. U, purchasable as downloadable content. It was later released as both a separate stand-alone game, and bundled with later physical copies of the base game. New Super Luigi U was also included with the base game's Nintendo Switch port New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe, released in 2019.
New Super Luigi U | |
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Cover art | |
Developer(s) | Nintendo EAD |
Publisher(s) | Nintendo |
Director(s) | Masataka Takemoto |
Producer(s) | |
Designer(s) |
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Artist(s) | Masanobu Sato |
Composer(s) |
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Series | Luigi Super Mario |
Platform(s) | Wii U, Nintendo Switch |
Release | DLC
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Genre(s) | Platform |
Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
In New Super Luigi U, Luigi is made the central protagonist and Mario is omitted as a playable character, replaced with Nabbit, a non-playable character from NSMBU. All levels are replaced with shorter, more challenging versions. Barring other various differences, the general gameplay is identical to that in NSMBU.
Gameplay
In New Super Mario Bros. U, New Super Luigi U is presented as a mode separate from the base game, selectable from the main menu. The plot and gameplay in this mode is identical to the base game barring several differences. First, Mario is omitted from the roster of playable characters, and Luigi is made the central character. Luigi controls differently from the other characters, with a higher jump height and less precise handling. When the player defeats the final boss Bowser, a "Luigi Block" becomes available at the start of each level that allows the player to switch Luigi back to the original control style.
Nabbit, originally a non-player character in NSMBU, is made available as the fourth playable character. Nabbit is invulnerable to enemy damage and cannot use any power-ups with the exception of the Super Star, which are instead collected and converted into extra lives upon the completion of a level. While Nabbit is not in play, his original role in the story as an obstacle is retained.
While New Super Luigi U retains the same overworld map as NSMBU, all levels are redesigned to be shorter, more challenging versions of their originals with a time limit of 100 seconds. This is significantly less time than what is allotted in other Mario titles[1][2] and encourages faster-paced gameplay. The increase in difficulty has been compared to that of the Japanese Super Mario Bros. 2 to Super Mario Bros.[3]
Release
New Super Luigi U is one of several games (along with Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon and Mario & Luigi: Dream Team) released in 2013 and promoted by Nintendo in celebration of "the year of Luigi", which recognized the 30th anniversary of Luigi's first appearance in the 1983 game Mario Bros. It was first released in June 2013 on the Nintendo eShop as downloadable content for NSMBU. A stand-alone retail version was released in the following months.[4] New Super Luigi U was later bundled with versions of NSMBU released in 2015.[5]
New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe, an enhanced port of NSMBU released in 2019 for the Nintendo Switch, also includes the New Super Luigi U expansion.
Reception
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The game received mostly positive reviews. Official Nintendo Magazine gave the release 78 out of 100, summarizing that New Super Luigi U is "[t]he platforming equivalent of rubbing your tummy and patting your head while your childhood enemies tickle your armpits with a dead pigeon. Luigi U is cute, but scattershot in its approach. Mario remains the 2D king... for now."[21] GameSpot gave the game an 8.5 out of 10, stating that "New Super Luigi U may not offer new worlds or powers, but its emphasis on skill and precision reinvigorates the series in a meaningful way." Digital Spy's Liam Martin gave the release 4 out of 5 stars, stating that "as somebody who has been craving a challenging Mario platformer in the mold of the NES originals, the increased challenge is most welcome, even if it comes at a small cost. It would have been nice if Nintendo had added some new challenges and mini-games, especially given the cost of the retail version, although for the cost of a premium DLC pack, the omission is much more forgivable."[24]
As of September 30, 2019, New Super Luigi U sold 3.05 million copies.[25]
Notes
References
- Karmali, Luke (14 February 2013). "Nintendo Announces New Super Luigi U DLC". IGN. Retrieved 24 September 2016.
- "New Super Luigi U DLC Coming this Summer". Kotaku.com. Retrieved 2013-06-14.
- Jeremy Parish (June 25, 2013). "New Super Luigi U Review". USGamer. Retrieved April 3, 2015.
- Kubba, Sinan (2013-05-17). "Super Luigi U arrives as DLC June 20, packaged standalone August 25". Joystiq. Archived from the original on 2013-06-07. Retrieved 2013-06-14.
- Hussain, Tamoor. "Star Fox Zero Mario Maker Wii U Bundle Release Dates Announced". GameSpot. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
- "New Super Luigi U for Wii U". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on May 3, 2019. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
- "New Super Luigi U for Wii U Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
- "Test: New Super Luigi U (Plattformer)". 4Players.de. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
- Carter, Chris (August 25, 2013). "Review: New Super Luigi U". Destructoid. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
- "New Super Luigi U review". Edge. June 24, 2013. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
- Fitch, Andrew (June 28, 2013). "EGM Review: New Super Luigi U". Electronic Gaming Monthly. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
- "New Super Luigi U review Oh, brother". Eurogamer. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
- Ryckert, Dan (August 25, 2013). "New Super Luigi U". Game Informer. Archived from the original on August 6, 2017. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
- "New Super Luigi U Review LUIGI VON SACHER-MASOCH". Game Revolution. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
- Brown, Peter (June 26, 2013). "New Super Luigi U". GameSpot. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
- "NEW SUPER LUIGI U REVEW REVIEW A challenging gift for the Year of Luigi". GamesRadar+. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
- "New Super Luigi U". GamesTM. No. 139. Future Publishing. September 2013. p. 74.
- Ingenito, Vince (June 27, 2013). "New Super Luigi U Review". IGN. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
- Whitehead, Thomas (June 23, 2013). "Review: New Super Luigi U (Wii U)". Nintendo Life. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
- Culafi, Alex (June 21, 2013). "New Super Luigi U Review". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
- Alex Dale Contributor. "Wii U Review: New Super Luigi U review". Official Nintendo Magazine. Archived from the original on 2014-01-02. Retrieved 2013-07-22.
- Kollar, Phillip (June 25, 2013). "New Super Luigi U review: inferiority complex". Polygon. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
- Cairns, Daniel (June 25, 2013). "New Super Luigi U Review". VideoGamer.com. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
- "New Super Luigi U review (Wii U): Breathes life into a platforming gem". Digital Spy. June 25, 2013. Retrieved September 24, 2016.
- "Top Selling Title Sales Units". Nintendo. September 30, 2019. Retrieved October 31, 2019.