New Super Mario Bros. U gets new super game mode details

News by Jeff Dunn Contributor

Published on Oct. 30, 2012

Nintendo continues to drip feed details about New Super Mario Bros. U as the platformer gets closer and closer to its launch next month. Today, the company detailed a new character and game mode called Nabbit.

Nabbit is described as a mischievous, speedy creature that will sometimes appear on the world map. It'll steal items from Toad, which will then need to be recovered by players. If they can nab it (get it?) all back, they'll receive a P-Acorn, which can only be gotten from Nabbit, and will let players continuously fly through an entire stage.

Other gameplay details were provided as well, but most of them have either already been known or aren't too surprising. They're listed below, though, just to get you caught up to speed.

Challenge Mode: Challenge Mode tasks players with completing specific objectives, such as clearing a course without touching a single coin or touching the ground. There are four single-player Challenge categories: Time Attack, Coin Collection, 1-Up Rally and Special (miscellaneous challenges). Boost Mode Challenges require two players, with one player using the Wii U GamePad controller and the other using a Wii Remote controller. Once players complete a Challenge, the game saves a replay of the action so players can show off their accomplishments.

Coin Battle: Up to five players can play together and compete to see who can collect the most coins. One player will use the Wii U GamePad controller while the other four players use the Wii Remote controller. The player using the Wii U GamePad controller in Boost Mode can place Boost Blocks to help grab hard-to-reach coins. Players can also use the GamePad to edit and customize the coin layout in courses found only in Coin Battle. The coin layout can then be saved and played by the players using Wii Remote controllers.

World Map: New Super Mario Bros. U is the first side-scrolling Mario game since 1991’s Super Mario World that features a seamless World Map with named worlds and courses. The map contains many secret exits, which might change the map and cause shortcuts to appear. The worlds are interconnected, so people can play through the game in a nonlinear fashion.

New Super Mario Bros. U launches alongside the Wii U on November 18 in North America, and on November 30 in Europe.

Thanks, NintendoLife.