E3 2013: Hands-On with ‘New Super Luigi U’

With so many new titles like Mario Kart 8 and Super Mario 3D World taking up all of the attention at Nintendo’s E3 booth, we couldn’t forget about Mario’s green clad brother! After all, it’s officially the Year of Luigi, so what kind of a jerk would I be if I was standing right next to a New Super Luigi U demo and didn’t try it out? This first full fledged expansion campaign is only a day away, and believe me when I say hardcore Mario fans will be in for a challenge.

As it was mentioned in previous Nintendo Direct videos, New Super Luigi U is a complete reworking of New Super Mario Bros U. Mario is out and Nabbit is in, giving Luigi his first starring role in a platforming title! Each of the stages from the original has been overhauled, and even the first stage that I played had many more enemies and trickier platforms than some of the harder stages from Mario’s version. Star coins have been placed in some ridiculously hard to reach places, so completionists are going to have their work cut out for them. To top it all off, the usual time limit has been dropped to 100 seconds, so you better get moving!

It’s true that Luigi’s adventure is attempting to be much more challenging, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t new tricks for him to use. What is new to the game is Luigi’s trademark flutter jump. Even when playing multiplayer, Blue Toad, Yellow Toad and Nabbit all have this ability, effectively Luigi-fying the entire cast. Speaking of Nabbit, his ability to ignore damage makes him a popular guy, effectively providing an easy mode. Sure, he can’t use items, but who needs them when you can’t get hurt? The only problem is that like the main game where player one has to be Mario in single player, Luigi has to be player one too. So anyone hopping to take a leisurely stroll through the Mushroom Kingdom as Nabbit are out of luck.

Aside from these features though, everything is the same. Co-op still locks all four players into the screen, making it so players can’t fall too far behind or run too far ahead of each other. You’ll still be flying in squirrel suits, jumping on enemies and saving Peach from the clutches of Bowser and his illegitimate kids. Just this time, it’s much harder… and with 100% less Mario. Is it enough to justify a $20 download? Well, if you love platformers, multiplayer mayhem and a hell of a challenge, New Super Luigi U is looking like a great way to use that point card that’s been lying around.

Luigi U will be on the Wii U eShop tomorrow, June 20th, with a physical release following on August 25th.