PPR's Top 5 Super Mario Maker Levels

t’s only been a week since the release of the anticipated DIY-centric adventure about gaming’s star plumber, and we’ve already been treated to some of the niftiest stages, and levels to have ever come out of the minds of intrepid gamers everywhere.

Seriously, some of the stuff to come out of Super Mario Maker so far has generated a sensation that contemporaries like Little Big Planet could only dream of, and it’s only going to get bigger. So while we’re preparing our review of the game, and enjoying some of the shenanigans ourselves, I figure that I would share with you all, my top five favorite levels to have generated out of the fun little Nintendo experiment so far and their respective access codes—in no particular order mind you, they’re all really awesome.

For those who have heard me go on, and on about a particular side-scrolling type of game, I love me some Metroid; it’s an ingenious design that isn’t going to get old any time soon. So as such, it’s only natural that someone out there attempt a design that reflected the themes and conventions of Metroid in Super Mario Maker; the results are surprisingly more on point than you may initially imagine.

Working with all the real estate the level can afford, and the right shades of special awareness to work with in terms of what the time limit of 500 seconds worth of exploration is able to afford, the structure and direction encourages a degree of thought much like the way Metroid does, in only with a much faster pace.

The attention applied to the level and its influence on players following through on the steps necessary to complete the stage in a Metroid-like manner is all done with the use of Mario power-ups, using them as upgrades that allow players to further traverse the level. Admittedly, the formula is not perfect, given the lack of checkpoints and the stressful timer that’s slapped on you, but it’s the closest stage to resonate with the subject matter it’s attributing to; there’s even an improved version of the level as of the writing of this feature.

This next one is one of two done by one of the moderators from the popular YouTube Channel GameXplain, and they’re both nifty little twists on different game mechanics being made to work with established Mario dynamics.

Working within the construct and rule of Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Shmup Bros pits directly in front of a Fire Flower and Clown Car, and if the name wasn’t indication enough, you’ll be auto-scrolled though all of the Danmaku madness that the Super Mario universe can throw at you.

From Spinies that emit four-way directional spike cluster blasts to the brigade of winged Bob-ombs and Dry Bones that assault every inch of the screen possible, players are equipped with nothing more than their trusty fireball, and piloting skills; which needless to say is way more enjoyable than it actually sounds.

This level is a must-play for anyone who fancies them self a bullet hell challenge.

The second stage to be listed from André GX of GameXplain is another delightful homage that’s ingeniously designed to articulate the source material it’s based off of nicely—Super Meat Boy, or rather, Super Meat Bros in this case.

What’s really impressive about this level is that it not only incorporates the physics and stage design elements of Super Meat Boy’s platforming, but it also goes a long way into implementing an aesthetic that closely resembles Team Meat’s iconic indie side-scroller.

While I’ve already named my favorite, this stage is easily the most fun to play out of the five, and it’s fitting to see considering that Super Meat Boy’s jumping and momentum physics were mostly based off of the older Mario platformers.

You can tell that this next level is a labor of love; the creator took it upon himself to narrate one of the possible scenarios his level contains, as this is no ordinary level—it’s a choice based one with a background plot involved.

The level is aptly titled “Will You Save Your Son?” and using a Super Mario Maker as a vehicle, the stage will play more like an emotional roller coaster than it does a contest of skill and challenge. I don’t want to spoil a whole lot, and the video does a great job of curating what stage is capable of—I’d have to say that this stage is my favorite out of the bunch.

This last one is really weird as it’s more of working Rune Goldberg operation than it is a playable level. The title “Don’t Press Anything” means exactly that; as the level begins, a chain of events transpire, each with their own role in mind as they affect the progress of Mario reaching the end of the level in some weird, and hilariously animated manner, all without any input from the player no less.

In fact, controlling Mario at any point within the level will ruin all of the specific timing and motion necessary to complete the level, it’s a neat level creating to watch, and a breath of intrigue to all of the forces at work behind the scenes when it comes to the mechanics of Super Mario.

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