Three and Out – ‘Super Mario Maker 2’

Super Mario Maker 2 presents itself as a bigger, better version of its predecessor. More parts, more themes, online multiplayer, and a story mode are all included, and yet this wealth of content never feels overwhelming. From a creator perspective, the improvements are subtle. While there are plenty of potential levels to be built with the new ‘gizmos’ like the seesaw platforms, it doesn’t seem like nearly as substantial an improvement as I would have expected. In fact, a few parts were removed. There are plenty of other smaller options, such as ‘night’ mode, which has a variety of effects on the stage, such as lowering gravity or changing water to poison. Unfortunately, many of these added features are limited in application. The aforementioned night mode forces a music-box-style remix to play over, despite these stages feeling more intense due to the changes implemented. In addition, a large number of the new features are exclusive to the new 3D World style. I would have loved to be able to use blinking blocks, bullies, and clear pipes in the Super Mario World style, but sadly it cannot be done. This all comes off making the course creation aspect in Super Mario Maker 2 more confined than it advertised, despite the many additions. Creation controls are passable – the interface isn’t as intuitive as the first game, and the Switch’s touch screen is not as easy to use as the Wii U’s, though that’s not a fault of the game itself. I recommend playing with a stylus, as the controls are a bit cumbersome with a standard controller.

The included story mode is surprisingly enjoyable. The plot is relatively simplistic (to be expected from a Mario title): collect coins to rebuild the castle. But this simplistic plot has given the developers an opportunity to create a variety of courses of their own. These levels showcase all of the tools available and implementing smart, fun level design. The coin-collecting mechanic encourages exploration and going for the optional challenges present in each course, of which there are plenty. Progressing in this mode isn’t just for single player, either. Cosmetics can be unlocked for the public profile when people search for courses, and at certain thresholds, parts are unlocked for creation. These parts are relatively minor, though are an added bonus to an already satisfying experience.

The ‘course world’ is satisfactory overall. There are a variety of options, including endless challenge, online multiplayer, and a simple level search. The endless challenge is exactly what it says – the game queues up an infinite amount of courses, and tasks the player with finishing as many as they can with a limited number of lives. Personally, I prefer the first game’s style of having an end goal in mind, but this isn’t necessarily better or worse from an objective standpoint. Online play is decent, if there is a solid connection. Too often though will there be lag, and there isn’t a solid filter to sort which levels are better for single player or multiplayer, resulting in many gimmicky levels that simply don’t work with multiple people, souring the experience. The level search is functional, showcasing the most popular courses front and center but also allowing a more nuanced search by style, theme, difficulty, or tag. It works well enough to find new and interesting levels outside of the other modes, though will likely not be used very much.

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