QCF: Super Mario Maker

K, so I admit defeat. I caved. I gave in. If you've been listening to the podcast proper, you'll know that I got a Wii-U. It was a moment of weakness. However, it also allowed me to get on the hype train for Super Mario Maker, a title that could easily be the Wii-U's ultimate killer app.

The concept is ludicrously simple; Build a level, no matter how long or short (within the limits the game sets in place both horizontally and vertically) and play it. You can make your stage as easy or as hard as you'd like, and with 120 slots, there's plenty of space for would-be Mario Makers to store a plethora of intricate – or simple – stages for them or their friends to play later. To start though, players only have a basic handful of tiles and enemies that can be placed in their stages.

More tools can be unlocked by waiting for them to arrive at a later time or by speeding up the process by using every one of the tools a specific amount of times in new or existing stages. This pacing is both a blessing and a curse though. While it extends the amount of time you'll spend in Super Mario Maker, it also limits how much can be done until all of the tools, stage types and game templates can be unlocked.

Everything from power us to enemies, ground blocks, bridges semi-solid surfaces (like those in stage 1-3 of the original SMB) and so much more can be used in creative ways; cannons can launch coins, power-ups or any other enemies you choose; no need to stick with Bullet Bills. Cheep-cheeps? Goombas? Boos? All fair game. Meanwhile, pipes and various other elements can be shifted around to make platforms and more in the stages of your design.

As with the new set pieces, new game styles, level types and enemies can also be unlocked as players create away; Airships, Ghost Houses and Underwater-type stages are all present, but best of all, they can be switched one-to-one between the different game styles available in Super Mario Maker. This is particularly sweet when you consider that Airships were only introduced in Mario 3, but were absent in Mario World; and Ghost houses only started being a thing in Mario World. Playing a Super Mario Bros “1” Airship stage or a Mario 3 ghost house is super rad, thanks to the new, unique tilesets that have been put into Super Mario Maker for these specific levels.

All fine and well, but is it any fun? Making stages is definitely gold, especially for people that have a lot of friends to impress. Otherwise, players can play unlimited stages from the interwebs in the Course World's 100 Mario Challenge. Random stages are queued up in one of three difficulties; easy is an 8-stage set with the final stage being a castle level. Often times, these are courses designed by complete novices, and are easily cleared. Normal mode raises the stakes with a total of 16 often more difficult stages. Some of these levels can be pretty challenging, and end up being great for intermediate players.

This mode also ends up being the most fun since Advanced mode is populated with what I call the “Complete Asshole Stages.” Granted, these stages can technically be cleared (since they have to be to be uploaded in the first place) that rely on near-impossible, glitch-style techniques or stupidly hidden elements that are sure to make players feel either completely moronic or entirely inadequate. It is possible to skip any stage in Mario maker at the cost of a life in any mode and to find even a reasonably playable stage in Advanced mode, 100 lives may not be enough.

There are even Rune Goldberg (also known as Pythagorean Switch) stages in which players don't need to press a single button; they just kind of play themselves. Neat, but kinda dumb, too.

But this brings us to one of the most glaring omissions from Super Mario Maker; a lack of checkpoints. Even as far back as Super Mario Bros.

In 1985, reaching a certain point in the stage will allow players to pick up later in the stage rather than at the very beginning. Super Mario World also featured physical checkpoints that granted a super power up when collected. Not so in Super Mario Maker; die and you're thrown to the beginning of the stage, which is insult on top of injury, especially in the advanced stages. With any luck, checkpoints will be added later down the line, but for now, players will have to make a perfect run to clear each stage.

Some tools and elements are also sorely lacking as well; slopes as well as slanted pipes and semisolid surfaces are noticeably absent, meaning there's no butt-sliding to be had anywhere. Players can't be launched out of pipes Super Mario World style and the tanks and giant cannons from Super Mario Bros. 3's World-8 stages are something I wish was here.

These could be added as updates or expansions though. While we're on that topic though, wouldn't a Super Mario Bros. 2 (aka. Dream Factory: Doki Doki Panic/Super Mario USA in Japan) expansion pack be rad? Veggies were a thing in Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 for Game Boy Advance via the e-Reader, so why not?

Regardless, being that all of the stages in Super Mario Maker are user-generated (save for the demo stages,) there is definitely a lack of quality to the vast majority of them that will surely have some Mario veterans scratching their heads and wondering where the really good stuff is. You can see the best courses and creators in the course world menus, and it's possible to follow and favorite your preferred selections, but as oftentimes is the case, the courses with the most stars are not typically the best.

Usually just the first; thankfully there are also up-and-coming courses and creators listed as well, which shakes things up. Like a level? You can give it a star towards its overall ranking or comment with a MiiVerse post.

Eh? Whuzzat? Amiibos? Oh yeah, there's like, hella Amiibo support here. Though specific only to the original Super Mario Bros. style, Mystery Mushrooms can allow players to change Mario into one of 100 costumes, most of which can be unlocked with your Amiibo stash. Every Amiibo figure ever released in North America so far works with new ones like the upcoming Chibi Robo and Yarn Yoshi figures also being supported. Even some of the recently released Animal Crossing Amiibo trading cards work (I was able to use Isabelle and Resetti from Series 1.)

Don't have Amiibos or don't want to take them out of their awesome boxes (like me?) No worries, all of them can be unlocked through complete play-throughs of the 100 Mario Challenge. You can get 19 of them through the “Easy” 8-stage mode, but the rest will need to be obtained through “Normal” or harder. Of course, there are exceptions; the Mario 30th Anniversary voxel-style Mario Amiibo is the only way to unlock and use giant mushrooms.

If you like Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Maker is probably going to be a game that you'll need in your collection for no reason other than it'll give you limitless Super Mario Bros. stages to play until whenever the servers for the game close. Even then, you could just make your own stages until the end of time and while it isn't perfect, Super Mario Maker is still pretty darned awesome.