Ever since I was a kid, I played Super Mario on my original Game Boy. Many years have passed since those days and as I grew older, so did Super Mario. I couldn’t imagine the Super Mario games that were coming in the future but never did I expect to see games as big as Super Mario Galaxy. Taking Super Mario to space was a huge step forward but it still couldn’t give me what I wanted most, the ability to create my own adventures. Super Mario Maker finally gave me what I wanted after all those years and now I’m even able to create those levels in the palms of my hands.
Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS
Just in time for the crucial Holiday Season, Nintendo releases the portable version of Super Mario Maker called ‘Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS’. Needless to say, this game wants to offer the same kind of experience that the original Super Mario Maker on Wii U did last year. The charm of Super Mario Maker was the ability to create and share your own Super Mario levels with other Wii U players online. This portable 3DS version wants to give you the same experience but cuts out the online aspect of the game, so is it still worth playing? After spending a couple of hours with this mobile version, one thing’ for sure: it’s definitely worth getting.
For those of you unfamiliar with the Super Mario Maker games, let me explain the basics first. Super Mario Maker consists out of two big modes; the create and play mode. In the create mode, you’ll be able to create your very own Super Mario level, using a lot of objects. In play mode, you can play levels that other people or the staff over at Nintendo made for you. The biggest difference between a regular Super Mario title and a Super Mario Maker game is the amount of crazy and difficult levels. Super Mario Maker doesn’t want to tell a story, it wants to give you some of the most challenging Super Mario levels out there. It’s meant for the creative player who will create his/her level of their dreams but it can be enjoyed by the regular gamers as well thanks to the play section.
Create your own level with ease
The biggest selling point of Super Mario Maker is, of course, the ability to create your very own Super Mario levels. This wouldn’t be a Nintendo product if creating your levels would feel like doing rocket science. Creating your own level is extremely easy thanks to the touchscreen of the Nintendo 3DS. You simply select the object you want to use and tap on the place you would like it to be. The creator offers everything you need to create your perfect Super Mario level. From the iconic question-block and enemies to trampolines and other power-ups. Everything you like is there to use and you can even unlock additional objects/enemies by completing certain challenges. The creator is easy to understand and easy to use thanks to the grid display on your touchscreen. If you’ve played the Wii U version before, you’ll know what to expect since it’s the same creator.
No online sharing but still great
This also means that the creator comes with some handy buttons. You have an undo button if you created something you didn’t want to create, an erase button to erase whatever you like and a reset button to reset the entire level. The SFX button also returns, giving you the ability to insert invisible sounds anywhere you like, those sounds will be activated when the character runs/jumps over it. This results in some hilarious situations. When it comes to creating, Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS has got you covered!
Play other levels
This brings us to the second part of the game, playing levels created by others. The biggest downside about this portable version is that lack of online support. You can only share your levels using StreetPass or local wireless connection, needless to say, this will result in less playable levels than the Wii U version. The Wii U version has a very active community, delivering great user-created content to date, it’s a shame Nintendo decided to leave this feature out of the portable version. Not being able to share your levels online or play the ones that others created stings but Nintendo did come up with a good alternative.
This solution is the 100 Mario Challenge, giving you a total of 100 crazy levels to defeat, created by the Nintendo staff. These levels are divided into worlds and the more you advance, the harder it all gets. Some levels feature silly objectives like trying to finish the level without entering a pipe while others leave out the jump button and replaced it with trampolines. These 100 levels demonstrate why Super Mario Maker was so popular in the first place. This isn’t your regular Super Mario game but these levels truly offer the most challenge compared to ‘normal’ Super Mario games. In order to challenge the player even more, you can gain two medals on each course, if you manage to achieve the objectives. If you’re able to get both medals, the level will be added to your library where you can change or enhance the level to your personal taste. It’s a great way to motivate players and it’s a lot of fun to find out how those levels were created.
Incredible visuals
Just like the Wii U version, you’re able to create and play Super Mario in four different styles being: the classic Super Mario style, Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World and New Super Mario Bros. U. Each style has its own iconic colors but all look great on the smaller screen of the Nintendo 3DS. The colors really pop out of your screen and the frame rate runs very stably. Too bad the 3D-effect can’t be switched on, making it feel like a port instead of a new version.
The feeling only gets stronger thanks to the small black bars next to the screen while playing on a New Nintendo 3DS XL. Nintendo ported the main parts of the Wii U version straight to the Nintendo 3DS, without really caring for the correct scaling of screens. It’s nothing to worry about that much, however, since the game looks incredible and plays very fluently. If you haven’t played the Wii U version before, be prepared to be impressed by the simple yet incredibly clean graphics of this game.
No Amiibo support
The last thing that’s worth mentioning is the lack of Amiibo support. The Wii U version supported the ability to transform into a memorable Nintendo character by using a Mystery Mushroom and Amiibo figurine. The gave fans a lot of new inspiration to create Zelda inspired Super Mario levels for example. It’s a shame to learn that this portable version doesn’t support Amiibo and the Mystery Mushroom has been left out, just like the online component.
Conclusion:
Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS lacks some important features compared to its bigger brother on Wii U but it still is a very enjoyable game. Being able to create the Super Mario levels of your dreams in the palms of your hands is amazing and this alone justifies the existence of the portable version. It’s a shame that the online and Amiibo support have been left out but thanks to StreetPass and the 100 Mario Challenge, there’s enough content to keep you going. If you haven’t played the Wii U version, this is a game you should get without a doubt. If you have played the Wii U version, keep in mind that you already played the better version and that this portable version might disappoint. That being said, Super Mario Maker is a dream coming true, even without some of its features.
8/10
