Super Mario Maker is set to give players the tools needed to create the Mario levels of their dreams (and for those who play them, their nightmares).
As the game’s release approaches, a plethora of details regarding the game’s online and level creator mode are slowly being revealed. We broke down each little nugget of information one by one below to see if Nintendo’s plans for the game bring the ‘super’ to Super Mario Maker or if they simply don’t fulfill a purpose.
All of the options available for use in creation mode will not be available until nine days after Super Mario Maker’s release date. By playing at least five minutes each day, users will receive additional tools in creation mode the following day for nine days after release.
Verdict: This is pretty useless. It seems silly to hold back content over days rather than just allowing it to be granted to the player as they complete a tutorial or through some sort of unlocking system. While Nintendo’s thinking behind delaying the release of the game’s full set of tools seems to revolve around allowing a bit of a learning curve in the creation mode, the fact is that most players who know what levels they want to create are extremely familiar with intricate details of Mario’s levels.
Players begin with the ability to share a maximum of 10 levels they create. The more positive ratings your levels receive, the more you will be able to share.
Verdict: Definitely useful. While some may find issue with a small number such as 10, this serves as a purpose of encouraging creators to be pushed to their limits to publish levels that play well and deserve to be shared with the community. Other level creator titles, such as Little Big Planet, have a tremendous amount of short, disappointing, and unimaginative levels that make filtering through the community a chore, more often than not leading to a less-than-spectacular level.
For a level to be shared, the one who created it must first be able to complete it.
Verdict: The more you think about it, the more useful this truly is. It only seems fair after all; when you’re struggling through a level after already having tried it 72 times, it’s motivating knowing that the level is actually 100% possible. You’re not just wasting your time in Super Mario Maker. It’s exciting wondering how the world’s most elite Mario players will concoct levels that they may even struggle with.
Levels that fail to remain popular in the community will be removed (time frame unknown).
Verdict: As far as keeping a clean online community goes, this is useful. It will again push players to create amazing and intricate levels that will garner attention, or at least keep most of us trying until one of ours does. Perhaps more importantly, this will ensure you will consistently have new and updated levels to tackle as a player.
So, what do you think? What parts of Super Mario Maker have you jumping up and down on question mark blocks, and which ones have you feeling lamer than a goomba?
