3 and Super Mario World), plus New Super Mario Bros. By this virtue, Super Mario Maker encompasses three of the most timeless examples of graphic design in video game history (Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. The decision to include tilesets for (almost) every iteration of Mario’s side-scrolling universe was crucial. Some of the interface can look a bit sterile at times, but once you’re in the editor or playing a level, the artistry of decades of Mario games comes shining brightly through. From the interactive, daily changing title screen to its clean and concise menus, you’re never more than a tap or two from where you want to be. The simplicity of Super Mario Maker’s creation suite is mirrored in its presentation. After the week or so that it takes to unlock everything, though, you’ll never have to worry about this again, so it’s hard to get too hung up on it. In my case, the first level I set out to make revolved around the use of a sub-level, which isn’t available until the final set of tools is unlocked. While I understand the thinking behind familiarizing the player with each element before moving on to the next, this system leaves veteran Mario players in a bit of a bind, as they’ll be missing things they need to execute ideas they’ve probably been kicking around internally for years. One curious design choice was to dole out the tools a few at a time as you spend time in the level editor. There are certainly notable omissions, but nothing so glaring that it hinders the experience, or your imagination. It all just works exactly as you expect it to.Īll said and done, Super Mario Maker’s toolkit is stocked with just about every element we’ve seen in Mario side scrollers, and a few that are brand new. Virtually every element of the construction process is that straightforward, and there are very few limitations on what you can do. Want him to throw stars instead of spinies? just hand one to him. If you want to put a lakitu in the sky, you pick one up and drop it in. Forgoing tutorials and tooltips, the level editor, in every way, speaks for itself. So what does Super Mario Maker do that other creation toolsets, like Little Big Planet and Disney Infinity, never have? It makes the very act of creation as instantly gratifying and joyous as playing the levels themselves. Within seconds, the latent game creator in me took over. Somewhat reluctantly, I jumped into the editor. With about five minutes of the demo remaining, my guide gently encouraged me to try whipping up a stage of my own. I approached it with my anti-creation tunnel vision, and spent most of my time playing a selection of the internally developed levels that come with the game. On the crowded show floor at PAX Prime, I had my first hands-on experience with Super Mario Maker. That mindset literally changed in an instant, for me. After all, I had never really been won over by the creation suite of any D.I.Y.
Through all of the marketing, Nintendo Directs, and live streams, I held on to the notion that I would be much more of a consumer than a producer. Tools of the tradeĪt first glance, I, like many gamers, looked at Super Mario Maker and thought: “Those creation tools seem neat, but I just want to play Mario levels.” The thought of countless new levels, every day, for the rest of my life sounded pretty great, and easily justified the game’s price. Is one Bowser at the end of a castle stage just not enough? Do you want to spell out a marriage proposal with coins in the sky for your sweetheart to fly through? Super Mario Maker affectionately laughs at your simple requests, then offers you so, so much more. The possibilities are, quite literally, endless, and the only real limit is your ingenuity. That’s partly because Mario games are, in essence, the pastime’s purest form of fun, but Maker’s real accomplishment is peeling back the design curtain and giving players every tool they need to define that fun for themselves. If Super Mario Maker was the only video game ever made, gaming would still be a valid hobby.
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