Super Mario Maker (3DS)
What Mario-gamer wouldn’t want to be able to make your own levels and challenge others to try them out? My 5 year old loves Mario, and cut his teeth on level design playing Sound Shapes on the PS3 when he was 3, so the interface to dragging and dropping pieces only came easier with a stylus in hand. I jumped in to see if I needed to play through tutorials to unlock content, and quickly found myself hooked by the ease and charm of the game.
The different modes bring the feels from all angles, each with a separate set of tools to add to the level. When I’m in a retro mood, I pixelate the heck out of things. When I’m feeling smooth, I bring the New Super Mario Bros textures into my levels. I can create the Super Mario 3 level I always wanted with as many boots and Tanooki Suits I want. Bowser clones keep falling on my head like raindrops, and I’m still feeling fine!
This game makes your 3DS stylus the magic wand to contribute to your own Nintendo Magic, and that makes it solid gold in my book. Even the most outrageous and unforgiving levels in the community give me nostalgia feels. Without a Switch in my household, I worried the community would be less focused on content within the 3DS, but luckily that’s not the case. My son and I are glad to be able to still enjoy a vibrant and active level-creating community on my 3DS. It’s a great game to play while bonding with your kids, while appealing to the inner kid in yourself at the same time.
Wahoo! You are a Super Reader! But the adventure doesn’t stop here… There’s more of this project in another castle! This article is just one level in an entire Super Mario Multiverse, a galactic collaboration between writers around the world sharing a bit of our hearts and memories about our favorite Mario games. Visit the Center of the Multiverse to see more:
