Boost Mode

Four players playing the game with one player operating Boost Mode

Boost Mode is a feature introduced in New Super Mario Bros. U, where the player with the Wii U GamePad can interact with the game, not by controlling a playable character, but by using the GamePad's touch screen to manipulate the current gameplay.

Boost Mode allows the GamePad player to place platforms in the game to help or hinder the other players. These platforms can be placed by tapping an empty/vacant area on the touch screen, and the platforms come in a variety of colors and depict playing card suits. They include blue spade platforms, red heart platforms, green club platforms, and magenta diamond platforms. The icons on the blocks will disappear over time, and the platform itself soon after. Only four platforms may be on screen at one time, and placing another results in the first platform placed disappearing.

If another player steps on the platform with the icon still on it, it will spit out three coins and a star meter on the GamePad will have a section filled. Standing on ten platforms will fill the meter entirely, and as a result a Boost Star appears; by tapping the Boost Star on the GamePad, the player enters Super Boost Mode, allowing them to instantly defeat enemies and hit blocks by tapping them for a limited time, similar to a Starman.

Boost Mode is not limited to platforms, however, as the player using Boost Mode can also stun/damage enemies by tapping them, which can be done repeatedly to keep them from attacking. Additionally, 3-Up Moon Blocks (which will release a 3-Up Moon after being hit and then remain solid) can only be seen on the GamePad player's screen, and become usable for the other players only after being tapped; the block will revert after about 5 seconds, after which it can be hit again.

Nothing happens if the player taps Mario or any other character. Boost Mode also cannot be used in Toad Houses.

If the player manages to collect ninety-nine extra lives, the Boost Blocks become Mini-Boost Blocks.

Boost Mode is not available in New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe due to being unable to access the Nintendo Switch's touch screen easily during docked play or multiplayer.

Effects when touching enemiesEdit

The following is a list of the effects on enemies that occur when touching them in Boost Mode:

Goomba and its variants, Monty Mole, Porcupuffer, Broozer - Jumps backward
Koopa Troopa, Buzzy Beetle, Big Buzzy Beetle, Spiny - Retreats to its shell
Dry Bones, Bony Beetle - Collapses
Waddlewing - Jumps in the air; jumps and starts to glide if it is on ground; drops Super Acorn
Hammer Bro and its variants - Trips and cannot attack
Piranha Plant and its variants (pipe) - Retreats to its pipe
Piranha Plant and its variants (ground) - Cannot attack
Bob-omb - Ignites
Foo - Disappears then reappears
Lava Bubble, Spiny Egg, Piranha Pod - Performs another jump
Swoop - Swoops down
Amp and Big Amp - Loses its electricity for a while, and can be stomped on
Blooper, Mecha Cheep, Torpedo Ted, Rocky Wrench, Cannonball, Lakitu, Boo and its variants, Dragoneel and its purple variant, Skewer, Thwomp and Big Thwomp, Cheep Chomp, Spike Top - Pauses
Mechakoopa, Burner - Deactivates
Targeting Ted, Bull's-Eye Bill, Flame Chomp - Explodes
Cheep Cheep and its variants - Swims/jumps to the other direction
Goomba (balloon) - Its balloon pops if the balloon is touched
Para-Beetle - Flies down
Heavy Para-Beetle - Flies up
Clampy - Opens its mouth when closed
Grrrol and its mega-sized counterpart - Rolls in the other direction
Bramball - Smiles and moves in the other direction
Bouncy Cloud - Blushes
Magmaw, Magmaargh - Minimizes
Paragoomba, Paratroopa - Loses its wings
Cog or moving wall - Moves in the other direction for a brief moment
If a Boo from Circling Boo Buddies is touched, it pauses for a brief moment and quickly floats back to its original position.

ProfilesEdit

New Super Mario Bros. UEdit

Instruction manual description: "Use to help out your friends in a variety of different ways."

GalleryEdit

Boost Mode in action

Names in other languagesEdit

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	バディプレイ Badi Purei	Buddy Play
Dutch	Booststand	Boost Mode
French	Mode Coup de Pouce	Helping Hand mode
German	Boost-Modus
Italian	Gioco assistito
Portuguese	Modo Assistido	Assisted Mode
Russian	Режим Поддержки Rezhim Podderzhki	Support Mode
Spanish (NOE)	Partida Turbo	Turbocharger game

New Super Mario Bros. U / New Super Luigi U / New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe
Playable characters	Mario^a • Luigi • Yellow Toad • Blue Toad • Mii • Nabbit^b • Toadette^c
Supporting characters	Princess Peach • Toad • Green Yoshi • Baby Yoshi (Balloon Baby Yoshi · Bubble Baby Yoshi · Glowing Baby Yoshi)
Bosses	Bowser • Bowser Jr. • Koopalings (Lemmy Koopa · Morton Koopa Jr. · Larry Koopa · Wendy O. Koopa · Iggy Koopa · Roy Koopa · Ludwig von Koopa) • Boom Boom • Boss Sumo Bro • Magikoopa
Worlds and areas	Acorn Plains • Layer-Cake Desert • Sparkling Waters • Frosted Glacier • Soda Jungle • Rock-Candy Mines • Meringue Clouds • Peach's Castle • Superstar Road • Secret Island • Coin Courses^a
Items and objects	! Switch • ? Block • ? Switch • 1-Up Mushroom • 3-Up Moon • 3-Up Moon Block • Arrow lift • Bean Platform • Big Block • Blue Coin • Blue Ring^b • Boost Block • Boost Star • Brick Block • Bridge • Checkpoint Flag^a • Chest • Cloud Lift^a • Coin • Coin Block • Cross Lift^a • Dark • Donut Block • Fire Flower • Floor • Flower • Flying ? Block • Frozen Coin • Fruit • Goal Pole (secret) • Goal ring^a • Green Coin • Green Ring • Hammer Pendulum • Hidden Block • Hidden Coin • Ice Block • Ice Chunk^a • Ice Flower • Iron Block • Leaf Platform • Light Block • Limited Lift • Luigi Block^b • Mega ? Block • Mini Mushroom • Mushroom Platform • Note Block • Nut • P Switch • P-Acorn • Paddle Platform^a • Pendulum Platform • Penguin Suit • Pole • POW Block • Propeller Mushroom • Red Coin • Red Ring • Remote-Control Platform^a • Rolling log^a • Scale Lift • Screwtop • Screwtop Lift • Screwtop Platform • Screwtop Shroom^a • Seesaw Log Bridge • Seesaw Shroom^a • Seesaw Shroom (blue)^b • Slide Lift^a • Small pipe • Snake Block • Spine Coaster • Star Lift • Stretch Block • Stretch Shroom^a • Stone block • Super Acorn • Super Crown^c • Super Guide Block^a • Super Mushroom • Super Star • Switch-Lift^b • Trampoline • Tree • Turning Floor • Warp Pipe • Water Ball^a • Wobble Rock^a • Yoshi egg
Moves	Crouch • Dash • Double Jump • Drill Spin • Fly • Ground Pound • Jump • Midair Spin • Simultaneous Ground Pound • Slide • Spin Jump • Stomp • Swallow • Swim • Triple Jump • Wall Jump
Enemies and obstacles	Amp^a • Banzai Bill • Banzai Bill Cannon • Big Amp^a • Big Boo • Big Buzzy Beetle^a • Big Cheep Cheep • Big Dry Bones • Big Deep Cheep^b • Big Eep Cheep^b • Big Fuzzy • Big Goomba • Big Koopa Troopa • Big Piranha Plant • Big Thwomp • Big Urchin • Big Venus Fire Trap^b • Big Wiggler • Bill Blaster • Bill Blaster Turret • Blooper • Blooper Baby^a • Blooper Nanny^a • Bob-omb • Bomb • Bony Beetle • Boo • Boomerang Bro • Bowser Stunner • Bramball • Broozer • Bulber^a • Bullet Bill • Burner • Buzzy Beetle • Cannon • Cannonball^a • Chain Chomp • Cheep Cheep • Cheep Chomp • Circling Boo Buddies • Cooligan • Deep Cheep^b • Dragoneel • Dry Bones • Eep Cheep • Energy ring • Fire Bro • Fire Snake • Fire Bar • Fire Piranha Plant • Fish Bone • Flame Chomp • Fliprus • Foo • Frost Piranha • Fuzzy • Ghost Block • Giant cannon • Giant cannonball • Giant Clam^a • Goomba • Goomba (balloon)^a • Goombrat • Grrrol • Hammer Bro • Heavy Para-Beetle • Hefty Goomba • Huckit Crab • Huge Fire Bar • Huge Icicle • Ice Bro • Icicle • Jellybeam^a • King Bill • Koopa Troopa • Lakitu • Lava Bubble • Lava Geyser^a • Magmaargh • Magmaw • Mecha Cheep^a • Mecha Hand • Mechakoopa • Mega Grrrol • Meteor • Mini Goomba • Missile Bill • Monty Mole • Muncher • Nabbit • Para-Beetle • Parabomb • Paragoomba^a • Paratroopa • Piranha Plant • Piranha Pod • Pokey • Porcupuffer • Prickly Goomba • River Piranha Plant • Rocky Wrench^a • Rubber ball • Scaredy Rat^a • Skewer • Sledge Bro • Spike • Spike Top • Spiked ball • Spinner • Spiny • Spiny Cheep Cheep • Spiny Egg • Stalking Piranha Plant • Stone Spike • Sumo Bro • Swoop^a • Targeting Ted • Thwimp^a • Thwomp • Torpedo tube^a • Torpedo Ted • Torpedo Base (Targeting Ted) • Urchin • Waddlewing • Wiggler
Others	Ash • Current • Enemy Course • Lava • Poison • Quicksand • Sand Geyser • Stone-Eye • Time Limit • Water Geyser
Game modes	Boost Mode • Challenge Mode^a • Boost Rush^a • Coin Battle^a
Further info	Paah • Gallery (New Super Mario Bros. U · New Super Luigi U · New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe) • Glitches • Media • New Super Mario Bros. U + New Super Luigi U • Pre-release and unused content • Staff (New Super Mario Bros. U · New Super Luigi U · New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe)
^a Exclusive to New Super Mario Bros. U ^b Exclusive to New Super Luigi U ^c Exclusive to New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe