There’s a secret character in ‘New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe’

By Gabe Gurwin January 11, 2019

How to Unlock Blue Toad in New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe

The Nintendo community has been collectively freaking out about “Peachette,” and the horrible fan art she has influenced, since New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe was announced last year, but it appeared that the Blue Toad character was cut as a result of the newcomers. However, this isn’t entirely accurate, as players have discovered a way he can be unlocked in the new game.

More New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe Guides

As YouTube user BeardBear pointed out in a video posted shortly before New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe‘s release, you can still play as Blue Toad by selecting the standard Toad on the character selection screen and then pressing either the “L” or “ZL” buttons on your Switch controller. You can swap between the Yellow Toad and Blue Toad this way, though you shouldn’t see any difference in their performance.

According to BeardBear, this trick will also work with the New Super Luigi U add-on that’s bundled with the Switch game.

Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe includes all the content from the original Wii U game, but also adds the playable Toadette and Nabbit characters. The course design and tricky platforming you remember from the original are still here, and up to four people can enjoy it at one time. Since it can be played with just one Joy-Con controller, two people can play at the same time without needing to purchase any more controllers.

New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe - Announcement Trailer - Nintendo Switch

Different playable characters (if you don’t count a palette swap) were first added to the series in Super Mario Bros. 2, which featured Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Toad. Each played differently, with Toad’s extra strength helping him grab objects more quickly, Luigi and Peach’s jumping abilities making them ideal for tricky gaps, and Mario’s all-around skills performing well in any situation. Since then, the differences between characters haven’t been quite as relevant in Mario platforming games, but that hasn’t stopped us from always choosing our favorite character.

If Mario games aren’t your thing, you’ll have another platformer to try out when Yoshi’s Crafted World launches on March 29. The game will support two-player cooperative play and is undeniably adorable, if you can get past the music.

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Former Digital Trends Contributor

Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…

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