Where in "New Super Mario Bros. U" Are We? Quiz

Answer: Superstar Road

Possibly one of the toughest levels of the game by sheer virtue of requiring precision and speed, Run for It is the second level in Superstar Road, unlocked if you collect all of the Star Coins in Layer-Cake Desert, the game's second World. It's an exhausting run-- this level-- because the entire thing requires precise hits of P-Blocks scattered throughout the track, and missing a single one means falling through the ground and restarting from scratch.

There's no midway point either, so one wrong move will mean the end.

Answer: Acorn Plains

The third main level in World 1, Yoshi Hill appears after Mario encounters his first Fortress and it brings him back together with his trusty dino sidekick early. In this game, many of the trademark Yoshi bonuses come back-- everything from eating enemies and apples to the flutter jump.

The level also features environments characteristic of this early World, chiefly open fields with distant jagged mountains in the background.

Answer: Layer-Cake Desert

There's something innately more terrifying about Lakitus that toss out their spiny projectiles only for those to become something unexpected (and worse), and that's what happens in World 2-6 when Mario is on his way to wrapping up his visit to the Layer-Cake Desert.

In this level, the goal is to cross a number of rotating platforms adorned with big and small Piranha Plants while, at the same time, Lakitus will fly overhead tossing Piranha Plants that root and blossom when they bounce on the ground, increasing the hazards as you go.

Answer: Superstar Road

The absolute final level of the game, Follow That Shell! slots in as stage 9-9, only appearing after you collect all of the Star Coins in the game, unlocking the levels of Superstar Road, then collecting the Star Coins in them as well. It'll open a stage in the middle of the world, and it'll send Mario on a relatively easy course populated by Goombas and Koopas. Getting the three Star Coins here wraps up the completionist's checklist.

Answer: Sparkling Waters

The Fortress level for World 3, Sparkling Waters, this stage isn't too kind to anyone who has trouble getting Mario to move dextrously since it starts with an underwater component, then moves to a series of platforms that rely on his ability to bounce on musical blocks. All the while, Mario will need to dodge giant, rotating skewer obstacles.

The fight against Boom Boom at the end isn't too daunting provided you're able to keep up with his enhanced jumping capabilities.

Answer: Peach's Castle

One of the final levels of the game before Mario is able to ascend to Peach's Castle, Rising Tides of Lava is a bit of a misnomer if only because a title like that would almost imply a 'race to the top' scenario. Instead, Mario faces a regular left-to-right side-scrolling stage, but he needs to cross platform to platform while contending with lava that rises and lowers itself at a regular interval.

Some of the platforms here also happen to be screw-top mushrooms, so Mario will have to time himself correctly to avoid lowering himself into the high tide.

Answer: Soda Jungle

Considered the Ghost House level of World 5 (Soda Jungle), this spooky, haunted setting blends in with the unexpected, poisonous forest that makes up the back half of the area's stages. Though it contains a number of generic ghostly enemies, the difficulty comes from navigating its passages, a maze of doors and deadly rooms that culminate in one of two hidden exits, one of which sends Mario on his way naturally, and one of which unlocks a path to Soda Jungle's hidden level, Flight of the Para-Beetles.

Answer: Rock-Candy Mines

While a lot of levels in the Rock-Candy Mines take Mario into areas that have him scaling cliffsides, some of the courses take him through deep, dark caverns. Light Blocks, Dark Tower is the latter type, and it's unique in that the cave makes its own light by having blocks that illuminate either on a regular basis or with the flick of a switch, giving a bit more insight into where Mario can jump to navigate. Alternatively, a long chain of Super Stars can get him to the end with as much light as he needs if you can make it to each block fast enough.

Answer: Frosted Glacier

Although Mario will encounter a number of caves and cliffs in the sixth World, Rock-Candy Mines, he has a taste of high-altitude danger in this fourth level from the Frosted Glacier. Here, he'll have to scale up and down hills and movable platforms while dodging Bullet Bills and Banzai Bills, both of which he may have to leverage to save his skin from falling into a pit.

Some of the trappings of the earlier levels (like Cooligans and Icicles) don't come back for this one, fortunately.

Answer: Meringue Clouds

The final Koopaling Castle, Ludwig's Clockwork Castle appears at the end of World 7, the Meringue Clouds, and while most of the rest of this World takes Mario through the less stable platforms of the sky (think massive pitfalls), this semifinal stage there brings him indoors, pitting him against dangerous sliding platforms, Sumo Bros., and other enemies before sending him to an arena battle in the sky against Ludwig. Ludwig, the last Koopaling, uses magic to create mirror images of himself who are no less deadly.