Review cover Super Mario Maker (Nintendo Wii U)
Official GBAtemp Review

Product Information:

  • Release Date (NA): September 11, 2015
  • Release Date (EU): September 11, 2015
  • Release Date (JP): September 10, 2015
  • Publisher: Nintendo
  • Developer: Nintendo EAD Group NO.4
  • Genres: Platforming, Creative

Game Features:

Single player
Local Multiplayer
Online Multiplayer
Co-operative
It’s the title that gushes nostalgia from every inch of itself. Boasting the creativity of the gaming community, the tools to design almost anything, and featuring the most iconic plumber to ever exist, there is no better way to celebrate a 30-year history than with this title. This is Super Mario Maker! Huge thanks to Nintendo for providing GBAtemp with a review copy.

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Hail To The Plumbing King

Super Mario Maker takes everything that makes Mario good, and puts it in your hands to play with. Every platform, every enemy, and every end goal can be designed in nearly any way you want to create some of the most insane levels that have ever existed in a 2D space. With that being said, the question remains. Is it easy for someone with a lack of creativity, (like myself for instance,) to take on the somewhat intimidating task of making a Mario level?

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Learning and Imagining

Well for starters, let’s take a look at what you have to work with. There are just about 60 different building blocks you have to create your levels. Platforms, enemies, hazards, and more. The gamepad is laid out to allow you to easily pick and choose where to place objects and how to center and structure them. The buttons can be assigned to multiple shortcuts to make placement a much less tedious task, and the grid based area allows you to see how much surface area an object can take up. Placement is as simple as dragging and dropping with your stylus, (or finger if you happened to have lost yours to the depths of your living room couch.)

If you are still worried about where to begin, the game actually does not give you all of the tools available at the very beginning. Items will slowly unlock over the course of play and testing, which allows you to get comfortable and familiar with what you have to work with. (This has been changed with a recent update so that everything is unlocked within a few hours).

The game will gently push you along on how to structure things, but it is truly up to your imagination to design what you want the little plumber to play on. I think the greatest thing about Mario Maker is just how creative you can be with it. As someone with a dumb sense of humor, I found myself laughing and snickering as I created stupidly large towers of roaming Goombas to try and jump over. Later, I found myself stuffing cannons full of powerups just to have them rain down on me and watch as Mario changed form from one super form to the other in rapid succession. It’s incredibly easy to entertain yourself even in the simplest of ways.

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There are minor limitations to some of the things you can do in Mario Maker though. 1-ups are limited to obtaining a max of three in any level, stopping you from abusing them to constantly replay hard levels. Coins will not contribute to massive extra lives either, and basically only serve to up your score in-game once you go past the initial 3 live mark.

One of the better things about Mario Makers creative tools is also the ability to be perfectly unique with what you can design. While I will get more in depth with other community maps later, I explored maps that had taken the in game concepts of Mario and utilized them to new degrees. Maps where you had to get the highest score by kicking enemies into other enemies for huge combos, to maps where a race car would appear and you would have to complete it as quickly as possible.

Every stage can be built around the mechanics of the engines of various Mario games. The wall kicking and momentum physics of New Super Mario Bros can be utilized perfectly in the respective creative tools for that skin of the game, however the same level won’t be playable in a different Mario engine. Each game mechanic that Mario Maker takes its roots from is only playable within that respective game. Rest assured however, the community has plenty of focus on all forms of Super Mario, so any form of Mario that you favor will have an endless amount of content available to play in.

For the more meticulous creator, Mario Maker serves your interests as well. When building different structures and play testing them, the game will display various helpful menus and overlays. Jump shadows will show the exact jumps you have either attempted to make, or the length at which a jump is still obtainable. This is especially helpful for the more cruel creators that want to make an incredibly difficult, but still possible to complete stage.

Lets-a-Go!!!

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Not everyone may be interested in the creative aspect in Mario Maker however, and are probably more invested in experiencing the creativity of the enormous community. Mario Maker’s 100 Mario Challenge Mode is your ticket to entertainment.

You begin by choosing a difficulty level you feel comfortable with. Once chosen, Mario Maker randomly pulls levels from the community that sync up with the selected difficulty. Once the levels have been chosen, you will have exactly 100 lives to finish the group of levels you have been given. Never fear if you are given something to sadistic for your tastes though. Holding down select for a few seconds allows you to skip a level that you've probably wasted 50 of your lives on and don’t want to deal with any longer. 10 Mario challenge also exists, and lets you play some sample levels that already shipped with the game.

The user created levels vary from insane monstrosity’s of difficulty to well… completely flat zones with maybe one Koopa strolling back and forth. You can at least browse levels by popularity, so this should prevent you from playing some of the less creative offerings out there. Each level is incredibly different from the next, and perfectly captures the imagination of an endless Mario game.

Something that also made me incredibly happy was Nintendo’s inclusion of various controller play. While you can only create levels with the gamepad, you can play any of the created levels with a Wii U Pro Controller, a Wii Remote, (no nunchuck however, it just ignores it if you have one plugged in,) a Classic Controller and a Classic Controller Pro. If you have a Gamecube adapter, unfortunately this is yet another game that does not support it, so no Gamecube platforming.

Minor Setbacks

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At the end of the day, creation is both simplistic, and overtly powerful. And when put in the hands of the community, it becomes a terrifying tool for levels of menacing proportions. However, I faced small issues with finding ways to filter the numerous levels that the community has generated. While you can follow creators and find some of the more popular levels, there is no way to find very specific levels based on any kind of search term or tag. It would be wonderful if an update came along to help filter all of the content that is being uploaded.

My other big complaint is the fact that 100 Mario Challenge mode cannot be set to restrict certain game modes or levels. I am a big fan of Super Mario World, but there is no way for me to exclude NSMB, SMB1, or SMB3 levels from showing up in the challenge mode. You can easily play individual levels, but it’s not nearly as fun as a set playlist of levels.

Also, do not expect to be able to play fully recreated Mario games in Super Mario Maker. While you may find individual levels here or there, as stated before, there is no way to create a playlist of levels that transition smoothly from one to the other. So don’t expect the ability to play the original Super Mario World from start to finish.

Amiibo-ring

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The last and rather lackluster offering Super Mario Maker has is its Amiibo functionality. Amiibo’s can unlock a variety of character skins, however they are only usable in SMB1 levels. They also function like a super mushroom, so taking a hit while playing as a character will result in you reverting back to small Mario. Various costumes do have their own characteristic charm though. Playing as Link lets you jump around Hylian style and adds adorable little sound effects. If you fear you won’t be able to experience costumes without Amiibos however, rest assured that there are over 100 other costumes to unlock just by playing 100 Mario mode.

 

Verdict

What We Liked ...
  • Hours of Gameplay
  • Easy to use interface
  • Supports all Wii controllers
  • Insane community contribution
What We Didn't Like ...
  • Lack of filtering content
10
Gameplay
It's the gameplay we have been enjoying for over 30 years now. It was perfect then, and it remains perfect to this day. The creative tools are versatile, easy to use and the overall package has the potential for endless fun.
9
Presentation
What I thought would be intimidating and hard to approach from a simple creative standpoint, ending up being both accessible and incredible to use. Mario Maker is presented with love, care, and simplicity.
9
Lasting Appeal
There is no end to the amount of content and ideas people are pumping out of Mario Maker. It's a game that will last you as many ages as Mario has existed, and a fantastic one at that.
9.5
out of 10

Overall

In a world where I started to find too much simplicity and repetition in Mario, I have had my mind turned upside down thanks to Mario Maker. Where I desired difficulty, I received it. Where I asked for more Yoshi, I got it. Where I asked for an endless amount of Mario to play, I have obtained it. And something I thought since being a small child was realized as well. I get to make Mario, the way I want to play Mario.
I really wasn't expecting much when I first heard about it. After watching\reading a few reviews, I can't wait to play around with it. Looks like loads of fun!!
 
Reading the review helped convince me of buying this game. Well, I would've bought it anyways, but now after reading this, I'm sure I'll have a great time. Nice review.
 
I can't wait to surprise my 5 year old nephew with this.

FYI, if you buy this at Target, you get a free Rubik's cube.
 
"Huge thanks to Nintendo for providing GBAtemp with a review copy"

wait what!? Nintendo gave a copy of their game to a site that has a strong focus on hacking Nintendo consoles, heck this used to be a site for hosting GBA roms!
So, Nintendo is okay with doing this. But likes to cancel YouTube channels doing speed runs?
 
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So, Nintendo is okay with doing this. But likes to cancel YouTube channels doing speed runs?
Nintendo does like good press and we have quite a large user base. Regardless of wanting to hack a console, I'd imagine most users buy some or most games if they find them worthy :)

Good read chavo! How do you feel about the future? Will we see new Mario games as DLC in Mario maker or will they be separate titles with the same assets?
 
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"Huge thanks to Nintendo for providing GBAtemp with a review copy"

wait what!? Nintendo gave a copy of their game to a site that has a strong focus on hacking Nintendo consoles, heck this used to be a site for hosting GBA roms!
Believe me, we were also shocked and incredibly ecstatic when we heard that Chavo was able to score this game. We want to continue to build a relationship with NoA so we can provide content like this in the future.

That said, as a rule we don't allow links to ISOs, roms, etc. We're a large discussion board (that is not solely Nintendo oriented), and we don't give all the tools needed to do everything that hackers and pirates want. The mods are very good at removing content that breaks those rules and as a result Nintendo may not dislike us as much as some people expect. Besides, they want this publicity. I was ready to write off this game, but Chavo's review is making me reconsider more than any other review I've seen.
 
Believe me, we were also shocked and incredibly ecstatic when we heard that Chavo was able to score this game. We want to continue to build a relationship with NoA so we can provide content like this in the future.

That said, as a rule we don't allow links to ISOs, roms, etc. We're a large discussion board (that is not solely Nintendo oriented), and we don't give all the tools needed to do everything that hackers and pirates want. The mods are very good at removing content that breaks those rules and as a result Nintendo may not dislike us as much as some people expect. Besides, they want this publicity. I was ready to write off this game, but Chavo's review is making me reconsider more than any other review I've seen.
You/the site used to allow it. I know you can't now.
 
You/the site used to allow it. I know you can't now.
That's totally true. And Facebook used to only be accessed by college students and craigslist used to allow prostitution. It's a lot different now than it was back then and I think we can all agree the change was for the better.
 
Nintendo does like good press and we have quite a large user base. Regardless of wanting to hack a console, I'd imagine most users buy some or most games if they find them worthy :)

Good read chavo! How do you feel about the future? Will we see new Mario games as DLC in Mario maker or will they be separate titles with the same assets?
The way the game plays and how it flows, I don't think we will actually see any games directly added into Mario Maker. There's no world structure or general story flow, it's just a jump from fun level to fun level. I WOULD maybe like to see more assets added in later to the game though, like more boss characters or more land and backdrop structures~

All we need is a remake of Kaizo Mario on Super Mario Maker. Give the young kiddos that haven't played it hell.
I've played a couple Kaizo levels and let me tell you.

They make me want to break my gamepad over my knee
 
Good review, I actually want a Wii U more now, I've loved SMB since I was a kid, and now my 9 year old son loves it too.

As for Kaizo Mario, everyone should watch this:



Mad skills! But the hours of play, my god, they must have no life...
 
Question: (I could not find the answer on google) What is the update version for the wii that comes in the game of Mario Maker?
 
"there is no way to create a playlist of levels that transition smoothly from one to the other."

Okay, to be fair, and I think this is a MASSIVELY overlooked feature, it IS possible to create 4 levels, upload them all with sequential names, and have people download them and play them as a "world", complete with only three starting lives and no limit to how many can be collected in a level. So it's much more like a typical Mario game than the 100 Mario challenge. It's beyond me why Nintendo limited worlds to 4 levels, but it's still a way of making levels transition, and have an impact on each other.
 
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The game is really great, but the filter options are very bad. I had to play many really bad levels. Sometimes they were just unfair or unbeatable. Even selecting "easy" doesn't help, because I often got levels nobody played before and levels are always easy until pöayer couldn't finish them. I tried to write a comment that a level is unbeatable and gave a star for this crap level automatically. So this is another problem: You can't dislike a level at all or even write something critical without liking ist. In the list ranked by stars there are really many "don't press anything levels". I don't want to play them and don't like them at all, but there is no way I can dislike or filter them, so that I can see more of levels, that you can really play.
 
Good review, I actually want a Wii U more now, I've loved SMB since I was a kid, and now my 9 year old son loves it too.

As for Kaizo Mario, everyone should watch this:



Mad skills! But the hours of play, my god, they must have no life...


It's a TAS. Nobody is that good.
 
Wait a minute!!!! don't get me wrong i am a Mario fan myself and its always good to have something new to play and tinker with.... but isn't this lazy???

Think about it for a second.. Nintendo are supposed to WOW us with having new Mario platforms released every so often so we can dedicate time playing/messing around and job done... but this??

Its like Nintendo just got lazy on this one and said you know what... Fuck it the board has no ideas on making a new game so lets be lazy and throw the code we use to make the games and make it available in a package.. let the fans build what they want and we will sit back and see the Nintendo coins roll in..

Like i said i am a fan of most things Mario and i have not played this either.. i just think the strategy is quite lazy... the people who buy this will fall in to the situation where you have just done Nintendo's work for them until the next board meeting where they may finally come up with a new Mario Bros!!!

most know how to hack roms in order to create levels that is why there are so many hard levels out there and that is what made it fun to play.. but for Nintendo to come out with this....

All i can say is.. Enjoy!
 
Wait a minute!!!! don't get me wrong i am a Mario fan myself and its always good to have something new to play and tinker with.... but isn't this lazy???

Think about it for a second.. Nintendo are supposed to WOW us with having new Mario platforms released every so often so we can dedicate time playing/messing around and job done... but this??

Its like Nintendo just got lazy on this one and said you know what... Fuck it the board has no ideas on making a new game so lets be lazy and throw the code we use to make the games and make it available in a package.. let the fans build what they want and we will sit back and see the Nintendo coins roll in..

Like i said i am a fan of most things Mario and i have not played this either.. i just think the strategy is quite lazy... the people who buy this will fall in to the situation where you have just done Nintendo's work for them until the next board meeting where they may finally come up with a new Mario Bros!!!

most know how to hack roms in order to create levels that is why there are so many hard levels out there and that is what made it fun to play.. but for Nintendo to come out with this....

All i can say is.. Enjoy!
Yes, it is lazy. I'm annoyed they charged $60 for it. But they didn't just roll out the code. Half of the potential enemies in the game have never been in a Mario game before, and many of the ones that have haven't been in all the Mario games. So, for example, the way a giant Magikoopa with wings behaves in Mario 1 had to be created from scratch.

That said, Little Big Planet for example has endless customization, with people able to tinker the environment until they create an entirely new game. People in that game don't need new clever enemies, because they can create enemies themselves. And the editor in Little Big Planet is just a bonus feature to the full length game. So yeah, Nintendo is being lazy, or should I say greedy, and like always trying to soak up cash with their famous IP. They could have been more lazy though, and people would have still bought it.
 
Wait a minute!...
Take your time. You'll need it. Life is precious!
...but isn't this lazy???
"Lazy™"®
It actually isn't lazy... They put the same effort that could have gone into another New Super Mario Bros. U game and put it here. Hell, they did more by thinking of how enemies would look in older games that they didn't exist in. I understand where you're coming from, but can you see where I am coming from? Making these kind of games isn't the easiest thing to do. Making them within a limited amount of time is even harder. When you have hungry entitled fans, you gotta satisfy them. This satisfies. It allows Nintendo to do other things to prepare for the release of NX and other games. You know, because they DO make other games. Sorry if I come off as a douche, but think about it...
 
Review cover
Product Information:
  • Release Date (NA): September 11, 2015
  • Release Date (EU): September 11, 2015
  • Release Date (JP): September 10, 2015
  • Publisher: Nintendo
  • Developer: Nintendo EAD Group NO.4
  • Genres: Platforming, Creative
Game Features:
Single player
Local Multiplayer
Online Multiplayer
Co-operative

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