February 2019's Nintendo Direct kicked off in style with the reveal of Super Mario Maker 2 for Nintendo Switch, which wasted no time in showing off the new slope building abilities which will enable Mario Makers to craft authentic Super Mario Bros. 3-style levels for the first time.
There are many new things on show in Super Mario Maker 2 which were not present in Super Mario Maker for the Wii U. This certainly appears to be a true sequel, and not just a 'Deluxe' port.
Eagle-eyed Nintendo Life reader Antraxx777 found many of the new additions in the list below, so full props to him. We've also added a few observations of our own, to make the ultimate list for you. Let's do this:
- Slopes - let's get the most obvious one out of the way first. Now hills of varying gradients can be created so Mario can slide down and knock over some unsuspecting goombas.
- Gusts of wind - this feature goes back as far as Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels and is sure to make for some fiendish level designs
- Angry Sun who chases you - from Super Mario Bros. 3
- Desert level theme
- Snow level theme
- Tiling platforms
- Snake blocks - first appeared in Super Mario World. These platforms move like a snake, hence the name. Custom paths can be set for these
- Giant blocks that grow when hit
- Water in non-water levels
- Porcupuffer - giant spiked fish which chases Mario
- Rising water stages - as found in Super Mario World
- Colured pipes
- On/Off Switch Blocks
- Purple “Crystal” blocks
- Modifiable auto scroll direction (vertical & horizontal)
- Ant Trooper enemy - debuted in Super Mario 3D World
- Stingby bees - also from Super Mario 3D World
- Skipsqueak - mouselike enemy found in Super Mario 3D World
- Green Hop-Chop “bounce-box” enemy
- Lunging Bungee Piranha Plant
- Fire-proof Piranha Plant
- Mario 3D World Theme
- Cat suit bell (adds side climbing)
- Trees which contain items
- Vertically scrolling levels
- Climbable fences, as found in Super Mario World
- Piranha Creeper vines - with custom pathing
- Big coins (Coin icon with a “10” on it which give the player 10 coins when hit)
- Coin counter - players will now know how many coins they have collected in a level
- Those blocks that create other blocks
- The short pipes from Super Mario 3D World
- Jungle theme
- Parachutes
- Air-blowing enemies
- Giant Bullet Bills
- Bullet Bill which shoots out from the background
- Paratroopa enemies - umbrella variant
- Longer floating platforms
- Glass pipes - fireballs, coins and enemies can travel through these
- Forest theme
- Red Yoshi - he might have the fire ability
- Bully enemies as found in Super Mario 64 who push you into the lava
- Boom Boom - A Koopaling-like mini-boss enemy from Super Mario Bros. 3
- New radial interface which allows creators to choose items in set groups quickly
- Rock Blocks - these durable, large bricks require extra hits or shells to break
- Night theme - no longer need Ghost or Underground theme to make a dark level
- Luigi is shown in the artwork - could this mean there is a 2 player mode?
Wow, that is a lot of new additions! Did you spot anything which isn't included in the list? Let us know with a comment below.
Comments 109
Who needs NSMB Deluxe when you can have an infinite amount of Mario levels from diferent eras and even make your own. Now I get it why we got it first in January. Some extra cash never hurts.
I find it hilarious that nowhere in this article does it specifically state that there is a 3D World style 🤣🤣🤣
It looks like they've really gone all out with the sequel. They could have easily just done a quick port with a few small changes so it pleases me that they've gone to this much effort. I wonder what they'll do for the comments system now that Miiverse is dead.
@DaLoneSheep you missed it =0p it's number 22, Mario 3D World Theme
Boomer? I think you meant Boom Boom 😅
@DaLoneSheep it's number 22.
Everyone is missing the thing hidden in plain sight: Luigi popped up at the end in the artwork with a builders outfit on implying 2 player mode.
I hope they've brought back the ability to play as the different amiibo's but updated it so they work across all themes as well as including sprites for every amiibo.
All this and people will still call it a port.
This is a day 1 buy for me, Going to get really creative making some maze like levels. Loved the first one and will be all over this upon release.
@Mr-DNA who is calling it a port?
Not only Luigi has been seen, but some official artwork showed off Cat Toadette, too, so we could be getting more players than we expected...
I would live to bring over all the levels I've made in the first Mario Maker.
I've also noticed that quite a few of the new additions were being frequantly asked for the first time. Atleast Nintendo have finally added them in.
My main hope that is not yet confirmed are more playable characters. Luigi seems likely since he is on the cover, but I really want to see Mario, Luigi, Peach, Toad/ette, and Rosalina. Heck, even Wario, Waluigi and Daisey would be cool.
But Rosalina is the best Mario girl.(in the canonical absence of Bowsette of course) You can disagree, but you would be wrong.
When I read "Super Mario 3D World" I thought there would be 3D environments available. Too bad.
It seems like it's a sequel but, actually, an enhanced version.
I screamed at the top of my lungs the second I saw that sweet sweet zoomout.
@Mogster
Post #13 for example.
Day -60 purchase for me. Sign me up for a deluxe bundle with useless stuff I don't care. The original made me buy a Wii U and I still play it, although not as much as my daughter does. Essential purchase.
So glad we are getting a sequel to one of the big Wii U games instead of just a port. Thanks Nintendo. Day one for me.
This was fantastic news as I expected a port but this is undeniably a huge sequel. Fantastic surprise that it's coming out so soon too.
Presumably this will have to do away with the mechanic where any course can be played in any game style as a lot of the new features were always specific to particular games and wouldn't translate to the 8-bit style for example?
It would be nice if we can play as Luigi with his long jump, Toad with his quick grabbing ability, Princess Peach with her floating ability. Like on Super Mario Bros 2 NES.
Day one buy for me too, still love and play the original on wiiu and 3ds. There were some things I missed, though, and I hope this sequel will bring. Here my hopes/wishes for MM2:
() compatibility with Mario Maker 1 (import / play all levels)
() world building, that is I would really like to be able to connect stages and to play them in sequence, true Mario style (like 1-1, then 1-2 and so on, that way one ups would actually matter ...)
() more playable characters and multiplayer mayhem, at least locally (ideally even online, but I think that's too much to ask for)! You know, like New Super Marion Bros Wii(U)(Deluxe).
@RadioHedgeFund Thanks for the correction. While being able to use the amiibo costumes in every theme would be incredible, having to make the sprites/models for the 5 (or more) themes would take a lot of time.
@Denoloco Your comment is spot on!
Would be nice if we can still play the amazing created levels of the wiiu version (or even 3ds but that seems impossible).
Value +100
My wife hated the WiiU version but only because it took up so much of my time. She's gonna hate this one too hehehe.
I mentioned elsewhere, but this game is BEGGING for an official stylus accessory.
Preferably proprietary for additonal functionality and future games, but anything to prevent finger smudges would be welcomed.
Still hoping for a map maker and the ability to create multi-level worlds. But this game has already shown off enough new features for me to buy it after skipping SMM on Wii U.
I'm not familiar with the original and total hyped for this, but do you think this gives enough flexibility that people will recreate whole games in it?
I was hoping for a 'New Super Mario Bros All-Stars' which would include all the 'New' games together. But maybe this game could make them??? I'd love to replay the DS original in HD in particular.
@Lizuka You never are happy, are you?
Day-one purchase for me too. And digital.
Before you boo me, just listen. Maker is one of those games that I just can't own in physical format. Wii U version? Digital. 3DS? Betcha bottom dollar. Switch? Likewise.
Given the tool-like features Maker has, I'd rather boot up the game on the fly rather than popping the cartridge in. Ideas just have to become reality as soon as they come to mind. And good grief I'm going to sink so many hours into this game again. I can't wait to revitalise all of my Bandicoot Lands on Switch now that I have more tools for them to become more accurate than ever!
Also glad to not have fallen into NSMBUDX's trap. I'll give that port a fair chance when I want to play it for what it is, rather than out of NSMBU hunger. There, I said it!
Man did I wait for these news. Only Nintendo could hype me up so bad despite Ultimate being already out.
Day one for me. 2 players can create levels together.
I hope the lvl making isn’t strict to handheld mode only.
@MrBlacky Literally no one is calling this a port, anywhere. Post #13 specifically said it seemed like a sequel, not a port. It's even got a 2 in it's name. You're seeing ghosts.
@AlexSora89 Boo.
@Denoloco Plenty of people need traditional 2d Mario games made by the masters. Too many people are not creative. Couple that with the fact that laying one off levels that don't theme with each other is very different than playing through a 2d Mario with levels within worlds that mesh together. Very different styles of game.
@AlexSora89 why would we boo you? Any game I'm sure I'll want to keep and not sale I buy digitally (unless physical is significantly cheaper) it's just so much more convenient
@teamdave2002
A "boo" entirely devoid of context, but hey, I knew what I was in for when saying "and digital".
@leo13
No, no. There's no such thing as "waiting for a sale". Mario Maker has always been a day-one digital buy for me.
I got this art from a Nintendo email, and here’s all that I noticed that I didn’t see in the trailer:
Cat Toadette! Playable character?
A spiny ball with wings that shoots spikes
Fire Flowers squished between a pipe and a Thwomp...is that just the art or can we actually shove stuff into cramped spaces?
Toad in a Builder’s outfit with a hammer. Maybe that’s an unlockable item?
A Koopa Troopa in a car/truck thing. A reference to Bowser’s car in 3D World.
Breakable boxes being shattered by said car thing.
I hope that 1-ups has purpose this time.
Day 1 for sure, this is gonna be awesome.
Can't wait for this. I played the hell out of the original game and with all the new features, I'm sure I'll sink my life into this one too. Excellent new features too! And I'm sure these new tools will warrant a new Game Grumps series haha
@MH4 seems like 2 players can build a level together.
@AlexSora89 to be fair, my "boo" was tongue in cheek, only made because you asked me not too.
@KingdomHeartsFan
You're really not.
@teamdave2002
So my own sarcasm backfired right on my face. Funny how that happens.
@Aneira that's always going to be the biggest challenge. The only way they can make 1-ups mean anything is to give the creater the ability to make coherent worlds and then control of how many lives the player starts with.
This addition would change the whole game imo making exploration an important aspect instead of everybody just running to the end of levels to star and move on.
Guide or not everyone is happy to were getting this now watch all the YT people make their games come true.
I also notice a timer option in the UI which has been my most requested feature. Perhaps you’ll finally be able to turn the timer off and just have fun. This should be a boon for more puzzle centric levels.
Two player mode I hope
We watched the direct a couple of hours after it aired live, but it didn't stop us from going ballistic when this game was shown!!! This is the one game from the Wii U/3DS that I wanted ported; and Nintendo went and added content to make it a proper sequel instead. I will buy this day one, no doubt about it. I'll be buying this one digitally. I had regrets back on the Wii U for buying the physical game versus downloading it. There's something about just firing this game up and popping in and out.
My family goes on vacation in mid-late June, there are 5 of us that own a Switch. We're hoping this is released before then.
I doin't know I have the patience for making levels again...but....this amazed me. I anticipated an inevitable port, but I never saw a sequel with whole new modes coming. That's fantastic!
....Where did you see #9 at? I only noticed the rising water stage. I hope this means the same can be for lava as well.
It would be nice if they add the kooplings and a variety of ways to have them behave for good boss fights.
In addition to modifiable autoscroll direction, someone on a forum also pointed out that the speed of it can change mid-level. If you look at that spot with the autoscroll bird things being placed, the one at the bottom left (already placed) has a single arrow for a slower speed, while the next one placed, up and to the right, has a double arrow. That doesn't absolutely stand for speed, but it sure seems like it would. Just too bad they cut away from the gameplay before actually reaching that spot and showing the speed change, to confirm it.
@Mogster Nobody in this comment thread, just Internet naysayers in general.
Just showed my 9 year old son who cant wait. He picked up the Wii U gamepad when he was 5, randomly started Mario Maker, and learned how to make levels on his own from trial and error (b4 he could read). Hes now an expert but hes been going on and on about all the things from the other Mario games that have been missing from Maker .... now he's seen this trailer his prayers have been answered.
Great! Looking forward to a sequel to this video (nsfw):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvMQe3v-HwA
I love how Nintendo showed that it listened to its fans by opening the presentation with one of the more asked for features for SMM-- SLOPES! And left just enough mystery to make us think "Finally they ported SMM to Switch!", just to find out that it is SMM2! Bravo, Nintendo, well played.
There's one little thing I'm hoping this version will have (besides the unconfirmed-but-likely two player mode): The ability to creates Worlds of stages. I will cry if this is in SMM2, even if it's just 2-8 stages to make up a "World". Can't wait to learn more.
@teamdave2002 That's bit of an exaggeration, I've seen people on reddit and IGN call it a port.
I’m sure just like Smash, we’ll see oddballs calling it a port. It’s like some people have forgotten what a sequel is.
But yes, no doubt this looks great.
@AlexSora89 I didn't say wait for a sale. I said every game I know I'm going to like and I know I won't want to sale (as in I'll keep forever) I buy digitally because it's so much more convenient
I always said the original Mario Maker had the potential to be Nintendo's Minecraft. They'll now be on a system with enough users to make that possible.
I would love to see an integrated phone app where I can design while bored at work and play the level when I get home. The possibilities are endless with this title, but the Wii U was never enough of a success to realize them all. I think that may change now.
People at NL, do a complete article with images of these differences.
A list I can read in Twitter any time since yesterday.
@MH4 the “spiny ball with wings that shoots spikes” isn’t new, it’s what happens in the original SMM when you give a spiny wings. It turns into that and shoots spikes.
@ShadJV My bad then! I didn’t know that
All I need to know is if there's an Overworld Maker function. Once I see that, I'm sold.
Could I do without it? Sure, but then there's no flow when I want to play my entire game's worth of levels.
@KingdomHeartsFan So because they made a full sequel, years later, every function should be implemented into the previous game, free of charge? Like, with just what we've seen so far, it's likely there's as much new content as returning, if not more on the new side.
On top of which, several of the things we've seen suggest that there's likely been an overhaul behind the scenes as well (implied multiplayer, the UI overhaul, etc), which means it's not even close to dragging and dropping these things over, they'd have to close to rebuild them back on the Wii U.
@AlexSora89 Indeed. This is definitely a game that is better digital (unless they include an art book again, in which case I'd be conflicted). If nothing else, because more than likely no cartridge will ever contain the full game after its inevitable updates, which means it will eventually be split between cart and SD card anyway, might as well just put the whole thing in an SD card anyway.
Also, if anyone boos you for your choice of format, that person needs a priority check
@MH4 no worries, a lot of weird little things are in the game that most people don’t know. Like putting a dry bones in the water turns it into those bone fish from SMW. Or Bowser’s A.I. changes entirely depending on whether he’s to the left or right of Mario (on the left, he outright chases Mario, but on the right, he stays roughly in the same place and tries to bar Mario’s progress). But yeah, combining wings and mushrooms with a few enemies can essentially make entirely new enemies. Makes me wonder what hidden stuff there will be in this one just by combining stuff.
@KingdomHeartsFan if your newest Nintendo console is the Wii U then no, you’re currently not their customer. At this point they support the Wii U as much as Sony supports it. It’s a dead console. It’s not even in production anymore. Of course they won’t add DLC to their old games on it.
Especially considering this is a sequel, even if the first SMM was on Switch they wouldn’t do that because they’d be taking away reasons to buy the sequel.
This is the game I want more than anything else! Jeez, a two player mode where you can throw a bunch of crap on there and then race each other to the end could be so fun! Imagine if it allows 3 or 4 players! The Switch library will be complete in June!
I really wonder if we will be able to adjust the angle of hills? Can we have curved hills? From the trailer it looks like maybe only 2 selectable angles? Even if it's just two angles I'm really happy to finally have slopes in Mario Maker!
Oh, I really hope they include even more amiibo style customization of the character you play through the level as. Actually, I'd love a create a character mode, maybe along the lines of Mii maker. And the ability to link levels together with an overworld!
As someone who has been editing all the represented games in there, this one actually looks nice! I disliked the previous one on how lacking it was.
However, with the inclusion of slopes and more themes as well as props and items (the inclusion snake blocks really took me by surprise), will give the series a try again (besides, people seem to have forgotten about ROM-Hacking, so might as well make levels where the bigger audience is...)
@Lizuka There's certainly a lot of creativity that comes with this game, but with anything with vast amount of content, filtering to find stuff that appeals to you can be very difficult. I agree there was a lot of troll-y stages, too many.
I think this could be solved if they gave a way for community to tag and vote on specific aspects of stage (i.e. rate level of difficulty, rate level of fairness, etc), and provide easier ways to follow certain stage creators or the like
You forgot side thwomps! They are clearly visible on the official artwork of the game
@Lizuka I might be mistaken but isnt that a Mario Land theme at 0:41? It is just colored.
This is awesome. While I really enjoyed Mario Maker, it was obviously missing some features, but MM2 feels like it fills in the holes.
Seeing as I missed out on the first one. This is a must get.
Mario Maker 1 looks like a beta for Mario Maker 2.
Online subscription required equals no sale.
@GloverMist
4 player coop!? That would be so crazy and fun haha.
I kinda figured they'd give an option to build in portable mode with the touch screen and then you can play the levels on your TV when docked.
Probably a day one purchase, but I was still kinda hoping for SMB2/USA assets added in on this one. It still could happen maybe as DLC or something, but Mario Maker got played a ton on my Wii U. This one will probably as well on Switch. I just hope they make all the Mario Maker 1 levels automatically playable ala a LBP style compatibility.
Would be cool if they added the theme world for SMB 2.
I hope if they do add coop, you can invite friends to play together (couch coop or online).
Excited to see more of the game
most of the serious mario maker streamers have recently moved on to creating and playing mario rom hacks. Im so happy that they’ll all be coming back for this game! So much creativity with all the new mechanics.
Some of the rom hacks they’ve been creating recently are incredible!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6lRFlsPE5sg
@Denoloco there is room for both really.
I like mario maker solely to either test/grow my level design skills and to remake favorites from past games but some people just want well designed premade levels and mario maker, land of troll levels out to kill you and only one narrow way to beat them, isn’t always the best source for that.
Sometimes you just want to sit down and enjoy a well designed and playtested game. Game editors, while sources of interesting options, are not always the best source for that.
I swear, if I have to buy NSO to share my levels...
@riChchestM I did like the art book i got with the first super mario maker..
My daughter loved the firsts probably will buy it...
and port or a deluxe edition or a sequel..(is word 2019 a sequel to word 2018?) . is just some semantics... .good that there is a new and improved mario maker..
I'm also guessing the trailer isn't showing us every version of the new themes. If it's like SMM1 then each theme has a version for each game style. SMM1 started to feel pretty limited after a while, but if we now have the full set of ground/desert/forest/jungle/snow/night along with the more specific ghost/castle/airship/underwater ones, that'll really help break up the repetition. Add in all the new elements we'll have to work with and it gets much closer to providing nearly everything a regular Mario game has.
The new 3D World theme looks like it will take things to a whole new though. It will be the only one that's not replicating an existing Mario title. I suspect it will have some unique mechanics that won't be shared with the other themes (like throwing shells upwards only in SMW or wall jumping only in NSMB U). And it has it's own look that hasn't been used in an official title.
It does make me wonder if a port of SM3DW is planned, though. They are now presenting the game as part of the series history to the Switch user base, many of whom wouldn't know it first hand. Seems like they may want to let those players have a crack at the real thing. If not, then why didn't they try doing a 2D take on elements of Odyssey?
@nab1
Round of thunderous applause for you, my friend.
@leo13
That's the same strategy I've adopted for 3DS, and at one point my parents gave me a hand in buying my first few games in digital format. As a result, at a time, Theatrhythm Final Fantasy - the first one - and Kingdom Hearts 3D were the only 3DS cartridges I owned among a bunch of black, DS game cards. Then I clogged up most of my 32GB micro SD card and, finding myself unable to copy (for copy protection reasons or because of actual corrupted data, who knows) the data on a bigger microSD, the 7th generation Pokémon games joined their ranks. As a result, I'm going to go really light on the digital craze this time around. If a physical game I wanted on a game card ends up crazy stupid cheap on the eShop, however, I will get it in digital format. Mario + Rabbids is proof of just that (during the holidays the sales were kind of insane). Now I have something around 60 more GBs on my 200GB microSD - if that fills up, I'll try to regroup and come up with different strategies (because, correct me if I'm wrong, everyone, 200GB appears to be the max supported size for Switch).
@AlexSora89 Thanks, but careful with that, I've heard that's how liberty dies
@MH4
Look at that Thwomp. It's moving sideways.
@nab1
Dat reference.
@AlexSora89 Holy crap you’re right!! That’s going to lead to a lot of frustration. 😂
Hopefully any item or enemy or etc. can be moved in any direction!
@MH4
A lot? Dude, this is just straight-up I Wanna Be The Guy territory. (Hypothetically.)
Either that, or Limbo. Limbo had this kind of traps.
Maybe everyone can share their levels and play user generated ones, and then nso subscribers additionally get weekly or monthly level packs by nintendo designers. I can see something like that working.
Did someone mention the Fire Bro (1:17), Red Pipe (1:13), poison (1:14), the starting area that is now connected to the other ground tiles (0:02) or View Mode (0:19)?
Also, that Bully enemy from Super Mario 64 (the round purple one, mentioned at #42), is it in Super Mario 3D World as well? Can't remember. If not, maybe there's a Super Mario 64 theme as well?
@AlexSora89 not true. It can handle 2Terabytes
I have a 400GB micro SD card in my Switch and it registers correctly
Not a fan, it's a no from me dawg
@leo13
Now that's a nice confirmation to have.
@USWITCH64
It's a Mario game you can bend to your will, what's not to love?
@AlexSora89 Ironically I usually buy digital Switch games but this is one of the few I'm buying physically lol
I wouldn't try to talk anyone out of whichever option they feel more comfortable with, but the biggest benefit of physical is the box it comes in. A Switch cart is little more than a dedicated SD card with the same game code on it, but it's something that can get physically lost or damaged. Either way it's probably a bigger hassle to replace it than the couple button presses needed to re-download a lost digital version.
The other issue with physical, which certainly applied to the Wii U version, is if they add in some more DLC content. From that moment on, the physical copies become incomplete versions of the game. Mario Maker is actually an "incomplete" game to begin with, since the courses you play are saved to the memory or SD card or loaded from online. All the cart would come with are the initial tool set and whatever built-in levels they put on it. It's also the type of thing that's handy to always have at the ready, for whenever inspiration hits.
On the other hand, if they package the game with a book like the first one came with you'd probably have to go to extra lengths to get a copy of it by mail. I'm still inclined to go digital with it myself, but I still feel the old pull towards getting a tangible, physical version. The problem is, you always have to make the choice upfront. Once you choose one or the other, there's no need to get it the other way.
@MushHill_Act1-1
Why? If anything, it's one of the few games that straight-out makes more sense in digital format!
@AlexSora89 probably because A) my Sd card is gettin full B) I'm too cheap to grab a new one C) if there's gonna be a special edition, I͍͕̭̱͖̖̱ ̢͈̬̗̟W͎͚͜A̮̝̜N̛̟͚͓T̞̠͚ Ị̜̰̻͔̜̩T͎̣͓̰͝ and D) the case will look superb in my relatively small physical game collection
@MushHill_Act1-1 also I totally agree with wanting to boot it up straight away, which is why i usually get digital
In the artwork there is also cat bullet bills, Toad, Toadette, a car for Koopa Troopers to ride in, crates and a bouncy mushroom platform. I am SOOO hyped for this game.
@MushHill_Act1-1
I was about to congratulate you for your genius username but that demonic reverb in your voice made me black out for a second.
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