Super Mario Maker Review Wii U: Nintendo title is fun for the creative, and lazy

Nintendo's Super Mario Maker for Wii U

IF you always wanted to create your own Mario levels then this is the game for you. If you are too lazy and just want to play great Mario levels then you will also fit right in.

 

Mario Maker is a side-scroller platformer and also, a game creation video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii U.

Much like Little Big Planet for Sony consoles, players create and play their own custom levels based on Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World, and New Super Mario Bros. U and share them online. 

I have been skeptical about this game since it was first announced as I’m too lazy to build my own levels for a game. I struggle to create a character sometimes. 

However, the level creator in Super Mario Maker is very intuitive to use and well laid out. It clearly is a tool for designers and developers to create levels but also small children and lazy adults.

The manual is only a few clicks away from this and is easily to navigate and find the relevant information that you need.

Super Mario Maker is Nintendo new titles for the Wii U

You pick an item from a palette option and then place it onto a grid level with the Wii U gamepad. Once your level is created you can share it with the world.

Every level you create you must be able to complete, so you can’t publish automatic death traps. Players will initially be limited in the amount of courses they can upload online, though they can unlock the ability to upload more. 

New editing tools are given to players as they progress through the game. They can download and play the creations designed by other players. 

The only bad thing is that navigating other people’s levels is reminiscent of the Wii U store. Which is not the best designed way to find content.

You can use palettes and gameplay elements from Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World, and New Super Mario Bros. U but you can’t mix them up e.g. no wall jumps on Mario World as this is only in Mario U.

Watch the video below to see how easy it is to create levels.

 

The most fun I had with the game was playing other people's levels as their are some great stuff being created by the community at the moment.

Unlike nearly all Mario games their is no story of Princess Peach being kidnapped. Instead this is just pure platform glory.

On the disc there are a number of pre-made courses that can be played in the 10 Mario Challenge, where you have ten lives to complete eight levels. There is also the 100 Mario Challenge where you play against random levels created by the community.

You can watch me tackle the 10 Mario Challenge below.

 

There is a large amount of Amiibo support for the game that is exclusive to the original Super Mario Bros theme with the Mystery Mushroom. This will allow Mario to be dressed up in a costume that is representative of the corresponding costumes. If you lack all of the Amiibo’s these can be unlocked by playing through the 100 Mario Challenge.

The new 8-bit Mario Amiibo adds a Big Mushroom that makes Mario giant while giving enemies moustaches.

The controls are the standard quality that you can expect from Nintendo after 30 years of development and slight refinement.

The graphically pallets for all of the Themes are true to their original styles and look wonderful in HD on a widescreen TV.

The music and sounds are all classic Mario and provide a nostalgic glory that will have you humming along.

Mario Maker is a must have for the Nintendo Wii U and with what looks like a great community around it is guarenteed to provide wonderful pick-up-and-play fun.

Super Mario Maker is out now