Description
New Super Mario Bros. U is the fourth entry in the New Super Mario Bros. series, released on November 18, 2012, as one of the premiere launch titles for the Wii U. The game went on to sell 5.82 million copies on the system. Supporting up to five players, four can use Wii Remotes while a fifth plays on the Wii U GamePad.
The game is a sequel to the 2009 Wii release New Super Mario Bros. Wii and a follow-up to the 2012 Nintendo 3DS title New Super Mario Bros. 2, which itself continued the Wii installment. An expansion, New Super Luigi U, launched for the Wii U in June 2013. A port combining both titles, New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe, was later released for the Nintendo Switch in January 2019.
Plot
Mario, Luigi, Yellow Toad, and Blue Toad are dining with Princess Peach in her castle when Bowser and the Koopalings suddenly arrive in their fleet of Airships. Wielding a massive Mecha Hand, Bowser strikes and hurls the brothers and Toads far from the castle. They land in the Acorn Tree, scattering Super Acorns across the area, and tumble past a Bubble Baby Yoshi and a Balloon Baby Yoshi. Looking out to the horizon, they see Bowser launching a full-scale siege on Peach’s Castle. Determined to rescue her, Mario and his friends set out on a new adventure.
As the journey unfolds, occasional cutscenes show Peach’s Castle falling deeper under Bowser’s control: his flags replace Peach’s, while a swirling tornado-like cloud—thickened by Kamek’s magic—gradually engulfs the castle. Along the way, Mario, Luigi, Yellow Toad, and Blue Toad confront Bowser’s forces, including the Koopalings, Boom Boom, Kamek, and Bowser Jr., who occasionally strikes with his father’s airship. Each foe is eventually defeated, and Bowser Jr. inadvertently crashes the airship by making its mechanical hand punch through the hull.
When the heroes reach Peach’s Castle, they defeat Bowser, but Bowser Jr. rallies Kamek to spread more magic. Outside the castle, the group spots Peach locked inside a tower, just as Bowser reappears—now transformed into a giant—alongside his son. After an intense battle, Bowser is once again defeated and Bowser Jr. retreats. The hero who lands the final blow rescues Peach, receiving a surprised but joyful kiss as the magic clouds dissolve, restoring the castle.
In the epilogue, the Koopalings and Bowser Jr. attempt to flee aboard their airship, with Bowser—back to normal size—clambering aboard. His weight causes the ship to crash into a nearby hill, forcing the villains to escape using Bowser Jr.’s Junior Clown Car. Meanwhile, Mario and Blue Toad watch from the castle tower before rejoining their cheering companions, with Mario striking one final victory pose.