New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe

 Switch
User Score
7.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 377 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 208 out of 377
  2. Mixed: 100 out of 377
  3. Negative: 69 out of 377
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. SirPunk
    Dec 27, 2021
    3
    Very late posting this since I bought the game at launch.
    I remember being in middle school when the first New Super Mario Bros came out for the DS. I loved it and could not stop playing it and in the end 100% completed it. Then New Super Mario Bros for Wii came out I played it had some fun but never finished it. Skip to New Super Mario Bros U Deluxe. The game play of the New Super Mario    Very late posting this since I bought the game at launch.
    I remember being in middle school when the first New Super Mario Bros came out for the DS. I loved it and could not stop playing it and in the end 100% completed it. Then New Super Mario Bros for Wii came out I played it had some fun but never finished it. Skip to New Super Mario Bros U Deluxe. The game play of the New Super Mario games are solid but after four entries and nothing much changing it’s pretty stale. The whole game feels like it was rushed (granted it probably was for the Wii U but they could have fixed it for the Deluxe version). I wanted to love it just like I did with previous entries but I can’t even finish it. I’ve been on the last world since it was released basically. I have tried since then and just can’t bring myself to even playing the game because I find it so boring now. Every course blends in together and none of them are memorable.

    If someone is reading this review in 2021, don’t buy this game at full price. $20 max but if you want a really good Mario game go buy any other ones on the platform. Heck I started playing Super Mario 3D World+BFs this week and it made me write this review because of how amazing it is compared to deluxe.

    Nintendo either has to do a complete revamp of the New Super Mario Bros series or just take it behind Nintendo headquarters and put it down.    … Expand
  2. tearsofpiss
    Sep 20, 2020
    2
    Playing this game feels empty and void. Levels lack vertical and horizontal dimension. While Titles such as Super Mario World, evoked a feeling of freedom and exploration and multiple routes to choose from to reach the final destination and every pixel had its charm, Super Mario Bros U Deluxe feels so uninspired and i could barely get myself to finish it's first world.
    If it be a mobile    Playing this game feels empty and void. Levels lack vertical and horizontal dimension. While Titles such as Super Mario World, evoked a feeling of freedom and exploration and multiple routes to choose from to reach the final destination and every pixel had its charm, Super Mario Bros U Deluxe feels so uninspired and i could barely get myself to finish it's first world.
    If it be a mobile game, i'd guess it would be okay.    … Expand
  3. Dangusse
    Dec 30, 2022
    3
    i keep updating this and lowering the score as i play, because it's utterly ridiculous for a game that has been rereleased and remastered so many times to have so many glaring issues. i have never had a worse time with a mario game than this one, it's literally built like a casino game which is rigged to get your microtransactions with outrageously difficult segments that require you toi keep updating this and lowering the score as i play, because it's utterly ridiculous for a game that has been rereleased and remastered so many times to have so many glaring issues. i have never had a worse time with a mario game than this one, it's literally built like a casino game which is rigged to get your microtransactions with outrageously difficult segments that require you to redo every freaking level you spent all day on over and over just to die at exactly the same spot again. thankfully they at least don't try to charge you for continues, but honestly they have done everything but that to such a degree that i've lost a huge amount of faith in nintendo after trying this game. if i had not bought this game used, i would have immediately returned it. it's an utter disappointment and a cash grab compared to any other mario game, and the mobile games that literally charge microtransactions are legitimately better than this game. do not buy this under any circumstances, it is the worst mario game ever made.

    the game is simply far too narrow and difficult. there are way more pixels on the screen than the wii u, but it still feels that space is extremely cramped to a degree that's not necessary for a switch game. i have no problems with it being a port of the same game as before in concept, but they should have upscaled it to compete with the other mario games on the console. i don't think any normal child would be able to enjoy this game, and the controls are not tight enough to be appreciated by adult fans. it's simply far too easy to die and there are far too few checkpoints. i have spent the vast majority of my time being forced to complete the same few levels over and over only to lose my progress because i died on a completely different level. this checkpoint system is outdated and incredibly unfriendly to the user.

    besides this, the controls are consistently unresponsive, the hitboxes are all over the place and don't line up with the sprites at all, and the game consistently registers me letting go of the stick after jumping as pressing down, leading to extremely inconvenient ground pounds that routinely cause me to die. there's no option to change the controls whatsoever even with a plethora of unused buttons on the joycons, and this is a huge letdown. just let me press R like every other mario game.

    for a kicker, the respawn times are unnecessarily slow for a switch game with what are relatively unimpressive/unambitious graphics, and text bubbles are painfully outdated in how slow and repetitive explanations for simple gameplay aspects are. i don't think ive ever been disappointed with a mario game before, but this one sorely needed to be rebuilt from the ground up to fix the lack of open space and take advantage of the switch's capabilities as well as to compensate for the joycon problems. instead, nintendo has clearly cheaped out on this and used it as another mediocre cash grab. the game did not need to be re-released, it needed to be improved.    … Expand
  4. Derpcat
    Oct 13, 2022
    2
    The video game was made to have fun. That, now, is the bottom line. If a game isn’t fun, it fails. But most, in order to be liked and known, have to expand on its predecessor. New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe had me at a loss for words.

    Yes, it was fun. I said that for U on the Wii U. But no one has a Wii U and people who do are posers, right? Nintendo loves Wii U ports, but hates to say    The video game was made to have fun. That, now, is the bottom line. If a game isn’t fun, it fails. But most, in order to be liked and known, have to expand on its predecessor. New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe had me at a loss for words.

    Yes, it was fun. I said that for U on the Wii U. But no one has a Wii U and people who do are posers, right? Nintendo loves Wii U ports, but hates to say that the Wii U existed. A lot of these Wii U ports are met with backlash, because people had them on the Wii U and it’s generally, a rip-off. This game is like that. Adding nothing new, it stole Bowser Jr’s Journey’s spotlight and killed AlphaDream because they launched on the same day. It added an easy mode and the princess crown, which then made Bowsette. Kids, never do Twitter. They changed the spin jump button to ZR/ZL, but changed the midair spin to another B press. You can turn it off by doing some input every time you load the game. Why would you do this, Nintendo? Oh, no wait; I forgot people love doing manual inputs every time they load in to change the controls. My bad!

    It looks the same as it did on the Wii U.

    It added nothing new, except Toadette. They could have tried, but they didn’t. But hey, hey! They’re Nintendo. If other companies did this, they would never hear the end of it, but Nintendo gets a free pass!

    NEVER buy this game. I respect you if you bought it, but next time buy Mario Maker 2, which sold less then this! Nintendo can only do this so many times, and my least favorite game ever, is now this. Mario Tennis Aces looks like Mario Odyssey compared to this dumpster fire.    … Expand
  5. pez
    May 23, 2020
    4
    It's unbelievable to me that Nintendo thought it would be fun for players to have to run Mario into every inch of level geometry looking for hidden star coins in order to complete the game. Then again this is the series that keeps shipping miserable water levels even though no human being in the entire 35-year history of Mario has ever found a water level fun. Don't waste your money onIt's unbelievable to me that Nintendo thought it would be fun for players to have to run Mario into every inch of level geometry looking for hidden star coins in order to complete the game. Then again this is the series that keeps shipping miserable water levels even though no human being in the entire 35-year history of Mario has ever found a water level fun. Don't waste your money on this overpriced trash unless you're living in an alternate universe without Mario Maker and you love being subjected to tedious game mechanics like invisible passages and the same tired, unfun slogs though swarms of cheep cheeps and lazy boom boom fights.… Expand
  6. PolishJohn
    Mar 25, 2019
    3
    Not being a troll here - but this was the most bored I've ever been playing a mainline Mario game. Not even touching on the "2013-looking mobile game art direction", it's just a drab uninspired affair. Title is also misleading, sure NEW is part of the series name, but the Deluxe implies something not delivered here. There's one new character, a couple menu improvements and nothing elseNot being a troll here - but this was the most bored I've ever been playing a mainline Mario game. Not even touching on the "2013-looking mobile game art direction", it's just a drab uninspired affair. Title is also misleading, sure NEW is part of the series name, but the Deluxe implies something not delivered here. There's one new character, a couple menu improvements and nothing else (removes a couple WiiU pad features actually). The image fidelity is almost the same as the WiiU, and there's hardly any new playable content, since LuigiU was already packaged with the WiiU version of the game in a previous release. Went into the game expecting it to be fine with some moments of delight, but none were found here.… Expand
  7. Suba090703
    Jul 20, 2020
    3
    Ok, here is my problem with this game
    Out of the 2 mainline Mario games on the Wii U(the other one being 3D World), Nintendo had to choose the UNORIGINAL one. And worse, it is not a "deluxe" port. Here is why:
    First of all, it is the same game all over again. No new levels, no extra modes, in fact: the boost mode is missing. Sure, it would not work on the switch but they could make a    Ok, here is my problem with this game
    Out of the 2 mainline Mario games on the Wii U(the other one being 3D World), Nintendo had to choose the UNORIGINAL one. And worse, it is not a "deluxe" port. Here is why:

    First of all, it is the same game all over again. No new levels, no extra modes, in fact: the boost mode is missing. Sure, it would not work on the switch but they could make a replacement for it.
    Also, nintendo is always saying that Luigi U is included for free, but let me tell you this: Luigi U and Mario U came bundled in a single disc MONTHS after Luigi U was released.
    Also here is my biggest complaint: that stupid peachette sucks. Like, why does that thing exist? THIS GAME DOES NOT NEED AN EASY MODE. New Super Mario bros on the DS is a much harder experience and no skipping-level power us(flying ones) and guess what? there was NOT an easy mode and people had to play it this way(heck even more people tried the DS one than the Switch one). Kids are NOT stupid and also why Nabbit in Mario U? Makes sense in Luigi U with some levels like 9-6 but in Mario?
    Also, the game is so unoriginal, its like a NSMBW expansion, just the acorn as the new power up along with those yoshis(which btw the only useful one is the pink one) doesnt make it new. They could have make new levels with tons of creativity using those power ups. But no.
    The only good thing is playing with friends but then its a no no.
    If you want a better 2D experience, just buy DK tropical freeze, its more original, better environmentes instead of the usual grass, desert, lava, beach AND better level design
    But if you want something that has "Mario" on the title just buy Mario Maker 2, you can spend over HOURS of creativity making AND playing other peoples levels, plus more original levels from Nintendo
    But seriously, PEACHETTE F*CKING SUCKS    … Expand
  8. Near
    Aug 19, 2019
    0
    The game is... Good. If you never played a NewSuperMario line game, you're going to enjoy it. But we cannot ignore the fact that this is a 2018 game that is actually a 2012 game, which has been sold in sale for years on Wii U. The 2012 games was put together recycling a lot of stuff from NSMBWii, a 2009 game. You can swap footage of the two games and fail to notice it. It's a pretty lazyThe game is... Good. If you never played a NewSuperMario line game, you're going to enjoy it. But we cannot ignore the fact that this is a 2018 game that is actually a 2012 game, which has been sold in sale for years on Wii U. The 2012 games was put together recycling a lot of stuff from NSMBWii, a 2009 game. You can swap footage of the two games and fail to notice it. It's a pretty lazy release, and the price tag is just an insult.… Expand
  9. JCgamer18
    Jan 17, 2019
    3
    If you have the wii u version DO NOT GET THIS GAME. It literally is the same game as the wii u counter part with what feels like little to no effort in this port. It looks and feels exactly the same as the wii u title and they add toadette as an easy mode in an already easy game. The lack of quality is especially noticable when you compare it to donkey kong tropical freeze. Its literally aIf you have the wii u version DO NOT GET THIS GAME. It literally is the same game as the wii u counter part with what feels like little to no effort in this port. It looks and feels exactly the same as the wii u title and they add toadette as an easy mode in an already easy game. The lack of quality is especially noticable when you compare it to donkey kong tropical freeze. Its literally a cashgrab. Its a mediocre mario game as best and at worst its a souless cashgrab. Id say get mario odyssey instead at least your getting your moneys worth and its a way better mario game. I think this one is a big skip… Expand
  10. Mangrove
    Mar 6, 2022
    2
    It was 1996. I wasn't even 4 years old yet when Mario made the leap to 3d in Super Mario 64. An incredible game that even has people playing and speedrunning it today. 20 years later Nintendo decided to revert Mario and friends back to 2d. For a full priced 60 bucks you can buy an unimpressive 2d Mario game which really only has multiplayer as a selling point. Comparing this game to otherIt was 1996. I wasn't even 4 years old yet when Mario made the leap to 3d in Super Mario 64. An incredible game that even has people playing and speedrunning it today. 20 years later Nintendo decided to revert Mario and friends back to 2d. For a full priced 60 bucks you can buy an unimpressive 2d Mario game which really only has multiplayer as a selling point. Comparing this game to other full price Mario games (Odyssey for single player or Mario Kart for multiplayer) is honestly laughable. Mario Maker at least has the level building and online sharing of them which allows for an incredible variety of playable levels of varying difficulties. This game does not fill a niche of any kind in the Switch era and really only makes sense to buy if you want to have every Mario Game there is for the sake of it.… Expand
  11. Shunior
    Apr 4, 2022
    1
    Es casi un mod de New Mario Bros DS (creo que Nintendo creo al Mario Maker cuando desarolló esa serie). Si te has juagado cualquiera NEW Mario Bros (DS, Wii, 3DS Wii U, Swicth) no hace falta jugar otro, son literalmente lo mismo. Si juegas Mario Bros 1, Mario Bros 3 y Mario World veras que son juegos muy distintos en mecanicas, fisicas estetica, porpuestas, pero aqui no, la serie new esEs casi un mod de New Mario Bros DS (creo que Nintendo creo al Mario Maker cuando desarolló esa serie). Si te has juagado cualquiera NEW Mario Bros (DS, Wii, 3DS Wii U, Swicth) no hace falta jugar otro, son literalmente lo mismo. Si juegas Mario Bros 1, Mario Bros 3 y Mario World veras que son juegos muy distintos en mecanicas, fisicas estetica, porpuestas, pero aqui no, la serie new es siempre la misma wea. Ahora ni siqueira se molestaron en cambiar un poco los niveles, portearon la misma wea de la wiiu y venderon por 60 pavos… Expand
  12. CyberRobotnix
    Jan 11, 2019
    3
    This is a port of an easy and boring game made for children from a series that panders to the 2D nostalgia fanboys 'nuff said.
    What's more insulting is the fact it's a damn port instead of being a new game. Also since we got two new uninteresting playable characters, why can't we get Wario, Daisy, Waluigi or even DK? Even Super Mario Run the mobile app has more playable characters and it    This is a port of an easy and boring game made for children from a series that panders to the 2D nostalgia fanboys 'nuff said.
    What's more insulting is the fact it's a damn port instead of being a new game. Also since we got two new uninteresting playable characters, why can't we get Wario, Daisy, Waluigi or even DK? Even Super Mario Run the mobile app has more playable characters and it includes Peach as a playable character.
    Avoid at all costs!    … Expand
  13. PikaDude
    Jan 11, 2019
    2
    - the game is "open world" and uses pipe cannons to travel between different worlds.
    - for some reason you can select the world you are currently in in the pipe cannon and it will shoot you to the same spot https://i.am-a.ninja/611c49.mp4
    - to travel between worlds, you can no longer hit a button and select a world, no you either have to walk it or go to a pipe at the start of each world    - the game is "open world" and uses pipe cannons to travel between different worlds.
    - for some reason you can select the world you are currently in in the pipe cannon and it will shoot you to the same spot https://i.am-a.ninja/611c49.mp4
    - to travel between worlds, you can no longer hit a button and select a world, no you either have to walk it or go to a pipe at the start of each world to fast travel to another world

    - the music in the overworld is super repetitive and doesn't actually change per-world like previous games. just the instruments change. real original. https://i.am-a.ninja/18aefc.mp4

    - pressing the JUMP button in the air now does a twirl for some reason and it's bloody annoying. one example of its obnoxiousness is when you're trying to walljump and you accidentally press jump a *bit* too early, mario will twirl instead of walljumping which can lead to death in a LOT of situations. https://i.am-a.ninja/03a5a5.mp4

    - there are now 5 ways to twirl: a, b, shake joycon, r and zr. sakurai's been outplayed with his default 3 jump methods (x button, y button, tap stick up)

    - with that new rippoff cape item, which the game has not actually stated the proper name for so i will be referencing it like that, to glide you must hold jump, however, the jump button is ALSO the "twirl" button, meaning before gliding you MUST twirl completely destroying mario's momentum before mario will start to glide. so if you let go of glide so you can fall for a second, you'll have to twirl before being able to glide again, really making it painful to stop and resume gliding. why. https://i.am-a.ninja/d09fd6.mp4

    - now i think the reason why jump also twirls now is because R, ZR, and shake joycon now do this weird jumpy thing with the new ripoff cape item that gives mario more height, but this new move with this new item means that R, ZR and shake joycon can no longer be used to twirl only while using this item. to still allow twirling, i think nintendo made the jump button twirl with this item, and to keep the game consistent, they allow the jump button to also twirl.

    - these gliding racoon things are literally the worst thing ever. they just fly in at the speed of sound and destroy you. no audio or visual cue, just less than half a second later after appearing on the screen whilst running one will fly into you and hit you. now you might say, "oh boy how fast can they be?" FASTER THAN MARIO HIMSELF. YOU CAN'T CHASE THEM EVEN WHILE SPRINTING. and even if one of them just *happens* to hit a wall and slow down, once you bonk one and put it out of its misery, it will drop the item and it'll just roll away and probably off of a cliff because this game is FULL OF THEM. also not to mention they rarely spawn with an item anyway so good luck. (too lazy to record proof but just take my word for it)

    - now in mario bros wii, there would be obstacles in the overworld, and that was entirely fine. albeit a bit annoying, but not rigged. they were simple: pop all of the balloons while avoiding goombas and stuff. but in this game ohohohohoho you're in for it. that's right the VERY FIRST overworld obstacle in the game puts you in a small level, with 3 piranha plants, about 50 seconds on the clock... and nothing else. that's right you have to KILL 3 piranha plants, and if you don't have an item, well it becomes a lot harder. after a few seconds a floating item box will fly past the screen, but be careful, if you miss the item box, you'll have to wait for it to come back again! inside this floating item box is a STAR. you have roughly 10 seconds to kill piranha plants that will go in and out of those pipes, if you don't kill them all before your star runs out then you have to wait for the item box, again, and pray that time doesn't run out while you wait. https://i.am-a.ninja/1779cf.mp4
    - if you do actually manage to beat the piranha plants, a reward chest will spawn, yay! but guess whatif you take like more than 30 seconds or so to collect the items from the chest, guess what happens? NABBIT COMES IN AND STEALS THEM FORCIBLY ENDING THE LEVEL WITH NO REWARDS. IM NOT JOKING WHATSOEVER. https://i.am-a.ninja/4ba803.mp4    … Expand
  14. Keitaro004
    Jan 13, 2019
    4
    I loved the original on the Wii U and this is pretty much the same, except for one new character and the "Luigi" DLC already being included. Seeing Nintendo charge full price for a game released in 2012 is scummy though, especially when you can still get the Wii U version for 1/3 of the price.

    There are no new levels added and the graphics aren't exactly impressive enough for people to    I loved the original on the Wii U and this is pretty much the same, except for one new character and the "Luigi" DLC already being included. Seeing Nintendo charge full price for a game released in 2012 is scummy though, especially when you can still get the Wii U version for 1/3 of the price.

    There are no new levels added and the graphics aren't exactly impressive enough for people to upgrade to 1080p (The original was 720p). The only 3D models are the characters themselves and a few objects, the rest is in 2D. If you want Wii U ports that actually add new stuff to the games, get "Pokken Tournament DX", "Captain Toad" or "Mario Kart Deluxe". This and the Donkey Kong game are just lazy ports made to get a quick buck.

    And no, just because a lot of people never had a Wii U doesn't excuse it for being "new to them". It's still an old game and should be sold for at least half the price.    … Expand
  15. Phonzie27
    Apr 26, 2019
    0
    wow just wow this game is absolute rubbish. everything about it. joke of a game. everything hard about it can just be solved by getting a 2nd player do die getting it. whats the point, why make half the game if can just do that? self challenge? in a mario game? pee off nintendo, youre better than this, wtf.
  16. fockelot
    Jan 14, 2019
    2
    Mediocre game and not worth the cost, this is really getting old. This is nothing more than a port from the original Wii U game and comes back at full price no less which is insane. Nintendo is really going all in for gouging people for ports/remasters in order to supplement their library, lack of AAA games available for the switch and full price remaster/ports are going to hurt them inMediocre game and not worth the cost, this is really getting old. This is nothing more than a port from the original Wii U game and comes back at full price no less which is insane. Nintendo is really going all in for gouging people for ports/remasters in order to supplement their library, lack of AAA games available for the switch and full price remaster/ports are going to hurt them in the long run.… Expand
  17. popdod
    Jan 11, 2019
    3
    It's a port from a 6 year old WiiU game that's just a refined version of a 12 year old NDS/9 year old Wii game. It's not bad but hardly the best platformer on the Switch and not worth $60. I highly recommend DKC: Tropical Freeze over this. Even though it's also a port, it offers far more variety, is not annoyingly sugary cute, has much better music, and overall it seems like they put a lotIt's a port from a 6 year old WiiU game that's just a refined version of a 12 year old NDS/9 year old Wii game. It's not bad but hardly the best platformer on the Switch and not worth $60. I highly recommend DKC: Tropical Freeze over this. Even though it's also a port, it offers far more variety, is not annoyingly sugary cute, has much better music, and overall it seems like they put a lot more effort into it. I would have much preferred they ported Super Mario 3D World, retired NSMB, and make a whole new 2D Mario for Switch, taking inspiration from better platformers (like DKC). But Nintendo is a business and porting old games is a lot cheaper, especially if they know their fans will buy whatever they release at full price.… Expand
  18. ssesses
    Feb 25, 2019
    4
    This game is just like every other new super mario bros game: bland. Let me explain... This game is often criticized for it's lack of creativity, which is valid, but it's also criticized for being in the 'New' Series. That's not valid. I believe this game deserves a 4 because it has some good gameplay, but has a distinct lack of good or new ideas. The visual style and art is borderlineThis game is just like every other new super mario bros game: bland. Let me explain... This game is often criticized for it's lack of creativity, which is valid, but it's also criticized for being in the 'New' Series. That's not valid. I believe this game deserves a 4 because it has some good gameplay, but has a distinct lack of good or new ideas. The visual style and art is borderline unacceptable for a AAA studio. Looking at a game like Tropical Freeze, we can see just how bad NSMBUD looks. Beyond this, every level in Tropical Freeze tells a story and has a purpose. In NSMBUD, every level feels like a cluster of assets with no rhyme or reason. Basically, every level could be easily created with little though, because of the distinct lack of purpose. There are so many games out there that are simply superior 2d platformers - The Shovel Knight Games (with Co-op); Tropical Freeze (with Co-op); Celeste, and Shovel Knight and Celeste are cheaper as well. If you love NSMB then by all means, enjoy this game, but if you are looking for a good 2d platformer, this is not the place to go.… Expand
  19. Altendo
    Feb 8, 2022
    0
    Mario should be dead by now. Same Mario-Bowser-Peach story, same gameplay, same 3HTK bosses, same goalless gameplay. Absolute piece of trash. AVOID AT ALL COSTS!

    If you really WANT a 2D platformer, JUST GET KIRBY STAR ALLIES INSTEAD!!! It has a BETTER story, NEW mechanics, NEW BOSSES with STAMINA, and a GOAL to STOP THE DESTRUCTION ODF THE UNIVERSE! So what's it gonna be? A princess    Mario should be dead by now. Same Mario-Bowser-Peach story, same gameplay, same 3HTK bosses, same goalless gameplay. Absolute piece of trash. AVOID AT ALL COSTS!

    If you really WANT a 2D platformer, JUST GET KIRBY STAR ALLIES INSTEAD!!! It has a BETTER story, NEW mechanics, NEW BOSSES with STAMINA, and a GOAL to STOP THE DESTRUCTION ODF THE UNIVERSE!

    So what's it gonna be? A princess or the universe?    … Expand
  20. Silverfish003
    Aug 29, 2022
    4
    This game is a mess. I did bother to collect all star coins, and just to be clear: it was NOT worth it, because this game is so uninspired there was no point to keep playing.

    The only world I had fun with was the first one. The difficulty was perfect, however, levels became disgustingly difficult after second world onward. Those levels were SO HARD! I almost switched to Toadette, but in    This game is a mess. I did bother to collect all star coins, and just to be clear: it was NOT worth it, because this game is so uninspired there was no point to keep playing.

    The only world I had fun with was the first one. The difficulty was perfect, however, levels became disgustingly difficult after second world onward. Those levels were SO HARD! I almost switched to Toadette, but in the end, I did not (P-Acorns were luckily a big help). The sentence in Nintendo E-Shop, saying that this game has over 140 levels is misleading, as the game has only about 80.

    I like that this game has challenges, however, those challenges are not very interesting. The fire bro one is quite cool, but I guess that is everything. I hope I do not need to mention that there is literally nothing new from the Wii U version of the game. It is the exact same game, except the Luigi U DLC is included for free. Luigi U is basically the exact same game, but it is way harder than the Mario version of the game.

    I have BIG issues with the gameplay. First of all, every single time you die, you get kicked out of the level completely, forcing you to enter it every time you die, and you have to watch a 3 year old animation again and again. Instead of this, they could just respawn you at the start of the level or at the checkpoint to save everyone's time. I died hundreds of times, so at least 15 minutes of my total playtime was just watching the animation upon death and entering the level.

    Another important thing to mention is the way the game saves. The game does let you save ONLY after castle stages. If you want to save anywhere else, you have to rely on a very unreliable system called quick saving. The system does not work properly and very often did not save my progress, meaning something like playing one level during a break at school is impossible, you ALWAYS have to play to a castle to save the game. If you want to save the game freely, you can do that only after completing the game. The fact that this exists is DUMB. And when you beat a castle, I find even DUMBER that the game even asks you if you want to save. The game should save after every level automatically.

    The way some star coins are hidden is very cheap too, especially ghost house stages, which always require you to randomly jump into walls, hoping you find them. The secret exits in them are very cheap as well. This game is simply a mess that nobody should waste time with.    … Expand
  21. Hydrazine
    Jul 5, 2023
    3
    Once again, Nintendo with copy-pasting, Mario Wonder will probably be the same.

Awards & Rankings

74
#74 Best Switch Game of 2019
16
#16 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2019
2
#2 Most Shared Switch Game of 2019

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 70 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 59 out of 70
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 70
  3. Negative: 0 out of 70
  1. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Aug 22, 2019
    80
    This is foundational, basic, by-the-book stuff from the Big N. Nothing too outrageous. Nothing too surprising. [Issue #38 – March/April 2019, p. 67]
  2. CD-Action
    Mar 25, 2019
    90
    It might be merely a return of a game that did not advance the series, but it was – and still is – the genre’s peak achievement. Sure, I could argue that boss encounters could’ve been more polished and the game could’ve looked better since Switch is more powerful than Wii U. A new world would have been a nice touch too. But what can I do when the game’s core is so good and it is complemented by content so great that such complaints become irrelevant? [02/2019, p.54]
  3. Game World Navigator Magazine
    Mar 20, 2019
    78
    Classic characters, familiar worlds and epic music – the game is like a portal to 8-bit past of the series. But its strength is also its weakness: New Super Mario doesn't even try to surprise you. [Issue#236, p.48]
See all critic reviews »