New Super Mario Bros.

Secrets and collecting sustain familiar platforming, with screen-format compromises and lost multiplayer on Wii U.

New Super Mario Bros. leaves worthwhile goals inside an immediately understandable running-and-jumping adventure. Wall jumps, ledges and size changes give terrain different uses, while secret exits and Star Coins encourage another look at stages already cleared. Reaching the ending does not exhaust its exploration or movement challenges. Familiarity is also its main limitation for players who know the later games well. On Wii U, presentation needs attention: television scaling exposes chunky edges, smoothing adds blur, and underground sections that switch screens make the chosen layout particularly important. Touch minigames retain short-session appeal but lose the original multiplayer. Players looking to refine two-dimensional Mario movement and search for missed routes have clear reasons to return, provided they accept the compromises of presenting a DS game across the Wii U’s screens.

Who it is for: Platformer players who enjoy revisiting stages, refining movement and finding secret routes.

Play notes: Independent judgment from official Wii U information and Dave Letcavage’s May 20, 2015 North American test, not our own playtest. Model, system version and hours are undisclosed. Layout preference is a bounded observation, not a frame-rate guarantee or evidence for New Super Mario Bros. U features.