Recently a Nintendo Direct was released, showcasing the upcoming Super Mario Maker 2. You can watch the direct in full here:
Familiar Blocks
The first Super Mario Maker released on the Nintendo Wii U in September 2015. It was later ported to the 3DS in 2016. With it players were able to create their own 2D Mario levels in the styles of Super Mario Bros, Super Mario Bros 3, Super Mario World and New Super Mario Bros U. Various items were able to be selected and placed across the stage, and you could test your level before you uploaded it. From there anyone could play your course, rate it and leave comments via Miiverse. Certain items would combine, and enemies could stack allowing for things not possible in the Super Mario games.
Slightly less than four years later Super Mario Maker 2 is set to release on the 28th of June this year.
New Content
The first new thing is slopes, something many people wanted in the original. There is also an optional for shallower slopes. The Angry Sun from Super Mario Bros 3 is now an item, it will chase you throughout the stage and attempts to attack. Snake blocks, can be made to move in a pattern of your choice.
The new on/off switch, which is colour coded to red and blue blocks, looks like a nifty substitute for the POW block. Many levels created online in the original used pow blocks to create obstacle puzzles. This uses the red and blue blocks which will disappear, depending if it’s on/off. The switch also seems to have additional applications such as changing conveyor belt directions. Seesaws and swinging claws also make an appearance.
Too Bad!
In the water level course theme you can now set the water level. It can also be made to flow up and down at a few speeds (this can also be applied to lava). Oh, dear. Auto-scrolling levels can now have their trajectory and speed customised. Vertical sub areas (warp pipe rooms) are now an option. Auto-scrolling can also be stopped by placing a wall of blocks in the way.
Banzai Bill (the very big Bullet Bill) can shoot in four different directions, and be made to home in on Mario. As certain shells could be used as helmets in Mario Maker, now Dry Bones’ shells can be used to hop lava. This shell also comes with a temporary invincibility animation. Big Coins from 10 to 50 are now place-able. Tying in to the new clear conditions. Now in order to clear a stage you might have a requirement such as a minimum coin collection, or to make it to the end with a power up. This will be a nice way to make levels. As many online levels arbitrary clear conditions were improvised, as certain levels could only be beaten with a very particular path.
Mario Paint and Plaster
Several new sound effects are to be added. Using split joy-cons you can now cooperatively create levels on the same Switch system. Which certainly will make playing with my sister, interesting. Twisters, icicles and parachutes are also now in this game. Escalators can also go down the slopes. Fire breathing Red Yoshis are in the sequel as well. Boom Boom is available as an enemy. Let’s hope nobody stacks him!
Story Mode: Let’s A Go!
The story mode will give you courses to complete to earn coins towards rebuilding Princess Peach’s castle. With over 100 levels! The story mode is built to help you learn how the various level parts can be used. Optional levels will also be a part of it.
New course themes such as Desert, Snow, Forest and Sky with new music will be part of Super Mario Maker 2. The option to create night levels is now in and will have different effects in relation to the themes. For example, goombas will float on the ground theme, and the underground theme at night will flip the stage upside down. Night may also effect certain items as well.
A special new style 3D World (based on the Wii U game) will actually not be compatible with the other themes. It has some 3D elements such as the front moving bullet bills. Other than that I’m not sure why it couldn’t be animated for the 2D style themes. The cat power up allows you to climb and pounce. Exclusive to the 3D World theme are: clear pipes, crates, warp boxes, spike blocks, ! block, blinking blocks, track blocks, piranha creepers, mushroom trampoline, Skipsqueaks, Koopa Troopa Car, Charvaargh and Pom Pom.
Online Features – Miis! Multiplayer!
As speculated based on the limited edition coming with a year of Nintendo Switch online, course sharing will be membership exclusive. The online seems similar to its’ predecessor, and to replace the Miiverse markings are select responses. There is a new tag function to search for particular kinds of levels.
Miis make an appearance in this series! Your Mii will have it’s own profile linking your uploaded courses and play stats. Earning maker points will allow you to customise your Mii with a variety of clothing options. Which I’m sure will make Mii lovers very happy.
Using the endless challenge, you can play a random selection of online levels until you run out of lives. Similar to the multiplayer in Super Mario Run, up to four players can compete in a level to be the first one to finish. You can earn ranks by winning enough. There is also a co-op mode where as long as one person reaches the end, you will all get some points. These two modes are available to online members, or through multi system local play. However the host will still need a persistent internet connection (which hampers the potential use). Local play will not have any rankings.
Wa hoo!
Super Mario Maker 2 releases for the Nintendo Switch on June 28th. If you pre-order you may be able to get a special stylus to help you design levels. In some regions digital pre-orders will give you a code to order a stylus through My Nintendo at a later date.
2D Mario games skipped over me, as there was a fourteen year gap without 2D Mario games. In that time Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine had come out, and that was the Mario I knew. So I’m quite terrible at these. However I did quite like Super Mario 3D World, and my sister likes making stages past my ability level so I will be picking it up. I’m looking forward to using the Koopa Car, and the eventual event stages, that occurred in the first game.
I also know quite a few YouTubers will be “enjoying” this game for some time. How about you?