Prima Games eGuides New Super Mario Bros. U eGuide

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New Super Mario Bros. U eGuide Essentials Extra Modes

Challenges: Special

Fire, Bro!

Difficulty:
  • Objective: Dodge the fireballs for 15.00 or longer.

Special Challenges place Mario in unique and inventive situations that require him to use a variety of skills to meet the Challenge’s particular goal. In this first Special Challenge, you must jump in place to avoid fireballs that are thrown at Mario by a pair of remote Fire Bros. Simply make short hops to avoid individual fireballs, and perform higher jumps to dodge the fireballs when they come bouncing at you in pairs.

Graceful Glide

Difficulty:
  • Objective: Earn 1-Ups and reach the goal without touching the ground in Flying Squirrel form.

In the second Special Challenge, you must glide across a long course as Flying Squirrel Mario. Bounce off the Goombrats as you go to maintain your glide all the way to the finish. You don’t need to earn any 1-Ups to score the Bronze, but you must stomp every enemy if you wish to win Gold! Use the flying squirrel jump to soar up to higher enemies after stomping the ones on the low ground.

Mole to Goal

Difficulty:
  • Objective: Let Monty Mole onto the lift, and get him to the goal.

This Challenge is a simple pass or fail—no Bronze or Silver medals can be earned, only the Gold. Jump onto the Limited Lift and allow Monty Mole to hop on as well. Monty Mole chases after Mario, but you must not defeat him—he must make it to the goal! Try to stay near the middle of the lift so that Monty Mole won’t accidentally run off the edge and into the Poison Bog. Defeat every enemy that lands on the lift, or else it will come to a halt. The ride isn’t very long, so enjoy it while it lasts!

Marathon Glide

Difficulty:
  • Objective: Use your Flying Squirrel powers to reach the goal without touching solid ground.

As Flying Squirrel Mario, you must glide all the way through this stage without being hit by an enemy or touching the ground even once. You’ll need to bounce off most of the enemies as you go, and occasionally perform flying squirrel jumps to gain the extra height you need to slip past Piranha Plants and the like. Just keep on gliding until you reach that Goal Pole!

Bubble Up

Difficulty:
  • Objective: Use Baby Yoshi’s bubbles to reach the goal ring.

In this unique Challenge, Mini Mario teams up with Bubble Baby Yoshi, working together to reach a lofty Goal Ring. Mini Mario is light enough to bounce off the bubbles that this Baby Yoshi blows, so pick up the little guy and blow some out. Hold the jump button to bounce off the bubbles, and keep those bubbles coming so you may continue to bound ever upward. Beware of the pesky Paratroopas—bounce off them if you can, or simply allow Balloon Baby Yoshi to gobble them up. You have plenty of time to reach the Goal Ring, so just keep blowing and bouncing until you get there!

Nonstop Flight

Difficulty:
  • Objective: Use your Flying Squirrel powers to reach the goal without touching the ground.

Rather than bouncing off every enemy, try making a single, fluid flight through this final Special Challenge. You can sail straight through the course’s first half, so just run, jump, and then glide! If you do it right, you’ll bounce off the rocks that the Huckit Crabs throw and maintain your glide without any effort. However, when a tall ledge gets in your way, you’ll need to bounce off the Huckit Crabs and perform flying squirrel jumps to get past it. Then just glide past the final group of overhead Spikes, and grab that Goal Pole!

Be Gentle to Giants

Difficulty:
  • Objective: Reach the goal without damaging enemies. The Challenge ends if you damage enemies three times.

Patience and midair spins are your best friends in this Special Challenge, for it isn’t easy to clear the course without stomping its overgrown foes. Leap over each enemy that gets in your way, spinning in midair to ensure that you sail harmlessly overhead. Whenever necessary, pause and allow enemies to move out of tricky positions, so that you can jump past more easily. Goombas and green Koopas will walk off Brick Blocks and ledges—and sometimes its best to let them move out of your way!

Big Air at Sundown

Difficulty:
  • Objective: Reach the goal in Mini Mario form without using the Snake Blocks.

Although you can’t ride the Snake Block during this difficult Special Challenge, Mini Mario can jump great distances, which gives you a sporting chance. Leap through the air and perform midair spins to extend your jumps. Bounce off enemies when there are no Brick Blocks or ledges to land on. You don’t need to bounce off every enemy, mind you. Again, use midair spins to lengthen your jumps, making as few leaps as possible on your way to the goal.

Balancing Act

Difficulty:
  • Objective: Jump on the Wobble Rock to keep your balance for 15.00 or longer.

This Special Challenge is straightforward enough­—just keep jumping on the center of the Wobble Rock so that it doesn’t tip and fall. The less time you spend on the treacherous rock, the better, so perform midair spins to stay airborne as long as possible. If the rock tips to one side, jump on the other side to balance it out. Just don’t stand still on the rock, or it’s sure to topple!

Bowser’s Airship Sneak

Difficulty:
  • Objective: Reach the Goal Ring without hurting any enemies, touching any cannonballs, or collecting any Coins!

With so many Coins and cannonballs to avoid on Bowser’s Airship, you’ve got your work cut out for you in this Special Challenge! Take your time and make good use of midair spins to extend your jumps over these obstacles. Be certain not to stomp any enemies as you go—Bowser can’t ever know that Mario was here!

Larry’s Groundless Battle

Difficulty:
  • Objective: Defeat Larry Koopa without touching the ground.

Waste no time in stomping Larry at the start of this unique Special Challenge, then quickly retreat across the Water Geysers to avoid his spinning shell. Leap to the top of the left wall when the Geysers go out, and slowly slide down the wall. Perform a wall jump before you hit the ground, and land on a Geyser as they begin to gush up again. Keep wall jumping to and from the Geysers as needed until you’re able to stomp Larry a second time. Stomp the young Koopa three times to survive this wet and wild fight!

No Climbing Allowed

Difficulty:
  • Objective: Reach the Goal Ring in Mini Mario form.

In this difficult Special Challenge, you must make your way up to a high Goal Ring while avoiding all manner of hazards. You’re playing as Mini Mario here, and the little guy can’t climb the rock walls—this forces you to jump and wall jump your way up the cliff. Beware of the falling meteors, and try not to move too fast—allow the camera to pan ahead so you can plan out your moves. Use spin jumps as needed to clear the longer gaps as you climb ever upward.

The Trial of Bullet Bill Hill

Difficulty:
  • Objective: Collect the Star Coin.

In this explosive Special Challenge, you must leap along a barrage of Bullet Bills as you bound toward a Star Coin. Wait on the starting ledge for the Bullet Bills to start flying—study them and look for a pattern. Bounce up the first few Bullet Bills that pass overhead, then wall jump off the left cliff to bounce off the highest Bullet Bill and land on the nearby ledge. Wait for your chance to drop all the way down and bounce off the lowest Bullet Bill, then wall jump off the ledge you fell from. Bounce off another Bullet Bill and wall jump your way up the right ledges. You’re nearly there—drop down carefully and collect that Star Coin!

Spin Jump, Get Dizzy

Difficulty:
  • Objective: Stomp on enemies using only the Spin Jump without touching the ground to earn 1-Ups.

Work your way up the mountainside in this uphill Special Challenge, bouncing off every enemy to score 1-Ups as you go. You may only use the spin jump during this event—not midair spins after regular jumps, but spin jumps. You must also avoid touching the ground. The spin jump can be tricky to predict, but you only need to score three 1-Ups to clear this challenge. Of course, you’ve got to stomp every enemy if you want to win the Gold!

Mole to Goal Returns

Difficulty:
  • Objective: Let Monty Mole onto the lift, and get him to the goal.

Guiding Monty Mole to the goal is made more challenging in this event, thanks to a host of hazards. Still, your basic strategy remains the same: Hang out near the center of the lift as often as possible to keep Monty from running off the edge, and defeat each enemy that lands on the lift to keep it moving along. Lava Bubbles and other obstacles make it impossible to remain in the lift’s center the entire time, so move to the edges as needed—but be careful not to let Monty fall!

Wobble and Rock

Difficulty:
  • Objective: Stay on the Wobble Rock as long as possible without jumping.

The Wobble Rock is back, and it’s wobblier than ever! There’s no jumping allowed this time around, so you must dash back and forth across the rock, doing your best to balance it out on foot. If the rock starts to tip too far to one side, stand on the other side for a moment. Otherwise, simply dash back and forth as fast as you can to keep the rock from falling. Survive for at least 10 seconds to clear the Challenge!

Seriously! Fire, Bro!

Difficulty:
  • Objective: Dodge the fireballs for 15.00 or longer.

If you thought two Fire Bros were tough to handle, try avoiding the fireballs of four! You’ll need to perform all manner of jumps during this challenge—short hops, tall leaps, and probably midair spins as well to avoid landing atop unexpected fireballs. Do your best to anticipate those inbound projectiles, and try not to jump any higher than you must to avoid them. Get into a rhythm, or else you’re toast!

Elevator Out of Service

Difficulty:
  • Objective: Reach the goal ring without using the lift.

The Red-Hot Elevator is out of service—you’ll need to scale this treacherous tower with the aid of Power Squirrel Mario! In this form, you have all the same advantages as Flying Squirrel Mario, but you can perform flying squirrel jumps over and over without landing. This gives you the power to fly all the way up the tower—as long as you’re careful to avoid every enemy on the way up!

Castle Crawl

Difficulty:
  • Objective: Reach the Goal Ring without dashing.

Keep your thumb away from the dash button as you make your way through this trap-filled castle. If you’ve played the Pendulum Castle in Story Mode, you already know that this is an extremely challenging stage. Time your moves with great care to slip past each Spinner. The tactics for getting through the castle are largely the same as the ones detailed in the “Superstar Road—Pendulum Castle” section. However, you must be a little more creative during this run. Crouch to avoid certain Spinners (like the first one), or fall along with Donut Blocks and then quickly jump off the Donut Block to slip past others.

Express Elevator

Difficulty:
  • Objective: Reach the Goal Ring in Ice Mario form without letting enemies or Coins touch the lift.

The Red-Hot Elevator has been partially repaired, but it can only support the weight of Mario—no enemies or Coins must land on the lift as you ride upward. Steer the lift away from enemies, and jump to collect Coins that drift toward you on parachutes. Once you’re past the initial groups of Goombas, move all the way over to the left side of the tower, and jump or crouch as needed to avoid the currents produced by the Bowser Stunners above. Ignore the first P Switch, and simply smash through the overhead Brick Blocks instead. When the Parabombs begin to fall, leap up and freeze any that might land on the lift, then quickly jump and smash them from below. Continue to stick to the tower’s left side until you reach the Goal Ring, then swing over and grab it!

Cashless Castle Crawl

Difficulty:
  • Objective: Reach the Goal Ring without dashing or collecting Coins. The Challenge ends if you collect six or more Coins.

The granddaddy of all Coinless runs, the Cashless Castle Crawl asks you to once again pass through Pendulum Castle without dashing—only this time, you must avoid all those Coins! This won’t be easy, so here are some vital tips:

  • Let the first Spinner swing to the right, then drop down and hop over the Coins below it. Leap up to the higher Donut Blocks and crouch to avoid the Spinner on the back swing.
  • Slip past the next Spinner, then jump on the lower Donut Blocks as you wait for the third Spinner to swing to the left. Move past the Spinner and perform a spin jump to slip under the Coins beyond.
  • You’ll need to fall with the Donut Blocks to slip past the long stretch of Spinners that follows. For each Spinner, move behind it as it swings to the right, then stop and crouch on the final Donut Block beneath the Spinner. Fall with the Donut Block while the Spinner is changing direction and about to swing to the left. Jump from the Donut Block to bypass the Spinner before you fall too far!
  • As you move through the rest of the castle, continue to leap from falling Donut Blocks to avoid Spinners, and use spin jumps to slip beneath low-hovering Coins.
  • When you hit the ? Switch at the end of the course, crouch near the Coins at the bottom of the pink blocks to avoid the final Spinner. Jump past the Coins afterward and leap up to the Goal Ring. All right, you made it!