Mario Maker 2 makes you feel like a Speedrunner



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Screenshot: Kotaku (Nintendo)

Psst – hey, you! Do you want to be a Mario speedrunning genius? Okay, you may not be able to, but Super Mario Maker 2 can you do feel like this one – thanks to the nice features that Nintendo has included and to some type of level created by the user that is becoming very popular.

You read Kotaku, so you saw the "[Person] Beat the world record for [Mario Game]"Videos on YouTube. Maybe you follow these people on Twitch to see their dazzling exploits live. Maybe you even support them on Patreon.

But for you personally, it is more likely that you, like me, are a schlub. You could crush your 7-year-old nephew Mario Kart, but his skill level is much closer to yours than to your favorite speedrunner. You will never know the feeling of performing a perfect move even once, even by accident; still less the pleasure of executing hundreds in succession; let alone the euphoric rush of creating a new world record of human perfection.

But what if I told you that you can approach? The main joy of Super Mario Maker 2 does this allow you to create your own Mario levels. Miraculously, it allows you to become a game designer instantly. But even if it does not interest you, Mario Maker 2 Another miracle awaits you: it can also instantly turn you into a speedrunner.

Good type of. You could use Mario Maker to improve speed, but it takes thousands of hours and you have a career. But Mario Maker 2 will give you a little glimpse of what I suppose it must be, in two ways.

First step: Play brilliant levels created by the user designed to simulate speedrunning

Mario Maker allows you to follow courses created by users from around the world, many of whom are very talented. And these courses are organized by players who can give each course a positive or negative vote. So, when you access the "Popular" tab of the game's online World of Play, you can play hard.

Maybe playing the levels created by internet hikes worries you a bit. Like me, you can often have the impression that the Internet is a toxic place filled with people who hurt you. Well, take courage, because it turns out that it's also full of good people. If you do not hear them often, it's probably because they're all very busy building Mario Maker levels designed to make you feel like a speedrunning scientist.

Most levels created by users are designed for occasional speedrunning. They all have a lot in common. They are fast and furious. In them, you hold the sprint button and run as fast as your little Mario heart can. You can also sometimes jump. And it will be nuts.

First, each level is action packed. Sound effects, light shows, music signals come together to speed up your heart rate. Secondly, the courses are often filled with dangers that will fill you with adrenaline. Rows of Thwomps will pursue you like the rock in Indiana Jones, and you will slip into the narrowest spaces such as … Indiana Jones.

And that brings us to the third secret thing: each level is designed with such Rolexian precision that you are almost sure to succeed. The brilliant creators of these speedrunning courses have meticulously organized each component to create the maximum thrills, while providing you with all the tools you need to get out of the winner comfortably. The jumps will be feel perfect setting-but they will require only a minimum of competent timing. You will be see danger, but if you trust the level and jump when you're supposed to jump, everything will be fine.

One of these levels is the "Celestial Sprint Speedrun", which was at one point the most popular level of the game. This equates to a Rube Goldberg machine running almost entirely behind the scenes, which creates and eliminates traps for you right now when you need them. Even after completing the course several times, I have to override my Mario reflex instinct to try to avoid danger by myself. It's the kind of controlled roller coaster terror: My body thinks I'm falling, but my brain knows I'm safe.

One last thing: thanks to the impeccable timing of these levels, you will certainly get record times for them. In Celestial Sprint Speedrun, I'm pretty sure you'll die if you do not, thanks to the exquisite and painful machinations of the Rube Goldberg machine. Of course, this has very little to do with you, because you are still only regular players of Mario. This has everything to do with the hard work and ingenuity of the creators of these levels. But it is okay feel as if it were you. And it may be as close as we are going to take it.

Second: own real world records

If the simulated speed does not really scratch you, well, then Mario Maker has something else in his sleeve. This game will offer you several times the opportunity to hold a world record for a legitimate Mario speedrun.

"But I'm a schlub!", Say correctly. "How can I defeat the superhumans on the far right of the distribution curve?" The answer is simple: make this curve really very small.

There are so many dark levels created by ordinary people like you or me. These levels can be difficult or easy. The important thing is that they are not played by a very large number of people. And to the extent that other people will play them, it is unlikely that they will spend a lot of time on them or beat them more than once. And it is very unlikely that they themselves are speedrunning geniuses. So, if you choose a level and put in maybe one hour, you will most likely get a speed record in the race for that level that stands the test of time.

Screenshot: Kotaku (Nintendo)

There is an even better way to do it, with friends. Get a group of three to six friends who all have the game. Each of you makes a level. Your level designs can be quite simple, because most of the time, you do not even know which parts of a level will prove difficult for a speedrun. Then see who can get the best moments at each level. This will require you to prove your prowess rather than simply relying on laziness or lack of interest from your competitors.

You will follow the course, master the difficult jumps and the time needed to have a good time, maybe with a little mistake here or there, and your friend will beat you. So, you will go back and master each part of the level so completely that you become practically a tool assisted speedrun. And then your friend will beat you. And you will realize that you have to find a creative way to gain one or two seconds. Maybe you can completely avoid an obstacle with a risky jump? So you will practice this. Finally, you will be able to recover the world record, at least until your friend discovers something else.

And guess what? Now you are Actually speedrunning. This cycle of practice, mastery and innovation is exactly what the real speedrunners go through. Of course, they are competing against the world as you face a small group of friends. But you feel in a hurry – and the right boast you will get – to recover a real world record, although smaller than those of True Speedrunner, are genuine.

And for a schlub like me, it's a special experience to live.

Jordan Call is an independent writer and an extremely average player. He enjoys obscure French jazz, traditional American television and tweets from @jord_call.

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