At the 2014 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), where the new game was showed off to the masses, Nintendo marketed it as a level creation game where people could not only create their own levels, but also play levels created by others. I love Super Mario Bros. as much as the next guy or gal, but I wasn’t truly sold on the game since the company only showed footage of levels based off the original Super Mario Bros. However, Nintendo got me on board their everlasting “hype train” when they announced that you could base levels from other classic Mario titles such as Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World and the recent title New Super Mario Bros. U.

There is much to laud Super Mario Maker for. The game makes it simple to create a level, but can get pretty complex upon delving into all the features. Moreover, creating levels is just as fun as actually playing them. Mario Maker’s hub for user-created levels, known as “Course World,” highlights every level created, and features popular levels played frequently by the masses. One crazy level had exploding platforms filled with Bob-ombs. One fatal slip or explosion could be the end for our favorite plumber.

With the in game tools, I find myself being able to create practically anything within the limits of the game. There are areas that need improvement, however. The enemy selection, while decent, does leave fans wanting. There are requests for baddies such as the evil family of Bowser the Koopalings, the football chucking Charging Chucks, and the most evil of all Mario enemies, The Sun! Also not included in Super Mario Maker are the abilities of adding slopes to the ground and checkpoints. The lack of these features limit level creation.

Despite these minor flaws, this game is near perfection. We fans have an almost endless 2D Mario game. I cannot wait to see what users have to offer when it comes to mind-blowing levels, or to see what Nintendo has up their sleeves for our favorite Italian plumber.

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