Review: Super Mario Maker 2

I miss the stylus

Super Mario Maker is one of those games defining the console. On the Wii U, it represented one of the best uses of the system's tablet controller and offered players the ability to demonstrate their level design skills in the same way that Nintendo did not post a DMCA review. . Although Nintendo has included some of its own levels created in the final product, the real life and longevity of the game has been determined by the community and its ability to integrate a simple interface and many level design options.

Anyone who has followed the process in the months and years following its launch will tell you that the courses created by users are mixed. There is a legitimate number of high levels achieved by members of the community, but also so a lot of shit. This shit comes back in Super Mario Marker 2, even though Nintendo went out of its way to offer players the Ultimate Creator Toolkit.

Super Mario Maker 2 (Switch)
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
Release: June 28, 2019
MSRP: $ 59.99

I remember before the original Super Mario Maker One of the biggest grievances to have been published is the unnecessary waiting period that has been applied to players to unlock all the course design options. There was a workaround for this and finally, this was removed via an update, but when the news of that time gate came out, it was obvious that Nintendo thought the design process of a Super Mario level can overwhelm players, even those who play since the 1980s. He wanted to hold us by the hand, to slowly discover the techniques he had perfected for 30 years.

Super Mario Maker 2 rather push the players directly into the deep end. Apart from a few special items, everything you need to create Super Mario level is ready from the start. Does this mean we will see exceptional levels appear quickly in Course World? Of course not, but it allows those who, like me, have sunk hours in the original to pick up where they left off.

I went Super Mario Maker with a checklist of improvements that I wanted to see in the inevitable sequel. I knew that some of these things would not happen, for example letting us chain levels to create our own worlds, but Nintendo managed to tick off most of my list and surprise me with new options that I do not have. I had not even considered it. The slopes, perhaps the most requested feature of the first game, are here with enemies like Angry Sun and Boom Boom and some new level themes that cover every single one of them. Mario game styles. I love to see Super Mario Bros. levels that include snow and desert landscapes, although I want Manufacturer 2 let me choose the design of my floor pieces in 8-bit gaming styles. In the desert themed levels, he will automatically turn a single vertical column of floor pieces into a desert pipe or plant that is a brown version of the underwater coral, a design that does not really interest me. .

Maybe my favorite addition is the night mode and its various effects on the levels you achieve. From changing the gravity to flipping the screen, this fundamentally changes the way each level is played and the courses created by Nintendo give a good overview of how this feature can be used in a memorable way. There are also new vertical subdomains that have already led to the creation of at least one extraordinary level., scroll stop, victory conditions and new Super Mario 3D World game style that brings many elements of this masterpiece into the Mario Maker to fold.

If you are the creative guy, someone who will buy this game to create levels, you really could not ask for more. Yes, I miss the precision of the pen that comes with the Wii U. really I would hope that Nintendo would have sold the stylus created for this game here in the US, but a finger works pretty well and the moored course design is quite intuitive once you understand how it works. Whatever way you choose to create, Super Mario Maker 2 has just about everything you need to create thoughtful, challenging and memorable levels. Now, if only we could get the community to do it.

I have been playing this game since its launch and I must say that overall I am quite disappointed with what I have seen. There have been some gems, mostly levels that I know on Twitter or Reddit, but most of my experiences in different game modes have been cluttered with shit. The story mode solo levels created by Nintendo are quite creative and are great examples of what you can do with the toolbox it has provided you. The majority of the levels I have encountered in Course World are the opposite of that.

World Race is divided into three different game options and a ranking. Standard Course mode works in the same way as last time. You can search by course ID; go on hot, new or popular courses; or use the advanced search options to adjust the level selection to those that match your preferences. The levels you like can be downloaded, however, players can not change them this time.

Endless Challenge replaces the 10 Mario Challenge of the first game, allowing players to attack an infinite number of levels with a determined number of lives. Network Play offers some multiplayer options, including cooperative and competitive play with strangers online or local gaming with friends. The online game with friends will be updated, but that will not change much if online stability is not improved. Most of my attempts at cooperative and competitive play have been hampered by a bad connection and disconnections, with the speed of the game slowing down considerably until each level is like an underwater level. Even when I have complete Wi-Fi bars, there is no guarantee that the online connection will work. Thank goodness we do not have to pay to play Switch online.

Oh, wait.

But even if the network game worked perfectly, there would always be quality problems of the available levels. This is the puzzle of creating a game in which players are expected to provide the majority of the content. There is no guarantee that the content will be useful, and thanks to the popularity and intuitive nature of Super Mario Maker 2many people will clutter the endless challenge mode and the multiplayer mode with courses that have no professional activity. I've already come across over a dozen steps designed around a random masked block and a time limit of less than 25 seconds. The first level I played in Endless Challenge ended in 10 seconds.

Most of the courses I have followed so far have been a colossal waste of time, with about eight out of ten levels allowing me to get a Boo rating. There have been some decent steps, but they are rare. It's the challenge of seeing a game like Super Mario Maker 2. Because if I judged it simply as a level creator toolbox, it would be unparalleled. Improved possibilities over the original, in good hands, could lead to better courses than those that even Miyamoto could create.

But this toolbox only accounts for half of the equation. The other half is a platform game with no quality control, no impetus to deploy legitimate efforts into your original designs, and no way to eliminate poor content creators, to share the certainty that players will be able to tell the difference between a bad level and evaluate them accordingly. Given the number of positive messages I've seen related to real bad steps, I do not believe much in the Mario Maker community right now and I wonder if it will get better on the line.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

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Super Mario Maker 2 Reviewed by CJ Andriessen