Super Mario Maker

Super Mario Maker is a single-player and multiplayer platform game creation tool that allows players to design, share, and play custom levels using assets from across the Super Mario series. Released to mark the 30th anniversary of the franchise, the game lets players assume both the role of designer and participant by creating stages and then attempting to complete them.

The core of the game is the editor, where players use the Wii U GamePad touchscreen to drag and drop terrain, enemies, power-ups, and interactive objects into place. Level designs can switch between four distinct graphical styles: Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World and New Super Mario Bros. U. Each style brings its own rules and physics, such as wall jumping in New Super Mario Bros. U or spin jumps in Super Mario World. Objects often behave differently depending on the style, allowing designers to experiment with classic mechanics in new ways.

Stages can include familiar elements like ? Blocks, pipes, moving platforms, and power-ups, as well as enemies such as Goombas, Koopas, Cheep Cheeps, and Bowser. The editor supports unique interactions, such as stacking enemies, enlarging them with Super Mushrooms, or placing foes inside items like pipes or question blocks. Designers can also assign alternate behaviors by combining objects, leading to unpredictable and creative level scenarios.

Players may share their creations online through the Course World hub, where stages can be browsed, downloaded, and rated. To encourage variety, the game features the 100 Mario Challenge, a mode where players attempt to complete a series of randomly selected community-made levels with a limited pool of lives. A separate 10 Mario Challenge contains a curated set of Nintendo-designed courses that demonstrate possible uses of the editor’s tools. Additional modes and unlocks gradually expand the range of tools available, providing new enemies, stage features, and decorative options as more levels are created.

Beyond level design, the game integrates features that expand its scope. Amiibo compatibility allows characters from across Nintendo franchises to appear as costumes for Mario when using the Super Mushroom in the Super Mario Bros. style. Miiverse support enables players to comment on and share courses directly.