Is just getting to Peach’s Castle not doing it for you anymore? Do you wish there were some more enemies in a certain section of the stage, or perhaps a few more power-ups to help you take out those enemies? What if you wanted a few bonus stages as well? These things will all be possible with the new WII U title, “Mario Maker”.
That’s right! Everyone’s favorite overalls wearing plumber is back, this time with some added fun for fans of the popular platforming game. The game entitled “Mario Maker” is a Wii U exclusive and allows players to build, edit and conquer their own created levels. Players can create enemies, edit power up availability, and even build steeper obstacles, all while racing to the flag pole at the end of each level.
For example, say you’re at the end of a stage and forgot to speed jump in time to get the flag at the end. With Mario Maker, you can now just edit in a nifty little trampoline right where you need it, and boom, you’re off in the sky with the flag in sight. Victory is yours! All thanks to the Mario Maker. Bored with a level? Spice it up by making the stage longer, putting more enemies in your path, and only give yourself one power-up for the entire stage. This will not only be great fun for players, but will also allow them to break the game down piece by piece and figure out how to clear a level in a variety of different new and exciting ways.
On another note, say you’re playing this game with a younger sibling and he keeps getting killed during a really bad enemy section. You can easily change the difficulty of the game by simply taking some enemies out of the stage entirely, or even just create a row of power-up blocks to give your younger sibling the advantage. Or maybe a sky level is your type of game. Just build blocks up to the sky, choose a few enemies to try to spoil your victory, throw in a few power-ups, and you’re well on your way to an amazing adventure in the world of Mario.
According to The Nintendo website, players will use The Wii U touch screen to edit their stages. Players will have the power to drag and drop enemies, power blocks and even pipes with Piranha plants in them. If you’re not satisfied with your current creation, the touchscreen interface gives you the option to edit your stage during any point during gameplay. It even gives you a choice between retro 8-bit backgrounds, and newer 3D backgrounds.
Editing your stage is only the beginning. Players can also share their creations online and download other player design to try. Not only will this create more replay ability within the game, it will also be fun to send your friends your latest stage for them to master. You can even throw in a few more enemies into the stage to raise the challenge bar a little, but don’t expect them to be happy with you the next time you meet.
Not only will Mario Maker have great replay ability, it will also allow players to challenge themselves to some of the toughest stages ever to be put in a Mario game. Like The Zelda series, Mario games also have a level of strategy to it as well. This will allow players to create the most difficult and time-consuming stages possible, all to try to break the record for the toughest and fastest speed runs.
Mario Maker won’t be the first time that Nintendo strayed from the original formula of a Mario game. In 2012 the gaming world was introduced to Mario 3D Land, a game that not only combined 2D side-scrolling levels with free-roam 3D environments, but also possessed new game mechanics and new power-ups for the red-hatted plumber.
Nintendo announced that Mario Maker will be released on The Wii U in September of this year, and also teased fans with a report that the company was planning various activities surrounding the 30th anniversary of the franchise this year. No word yet on what those will be. However, it’s going to be tough to wait another six months to get your hands on this game, especially since this game will allow you to do things that have never been possible in the context of a Mario game.
At the end of the day, players will always love Mario no matter what new style or form he takes on next. Whether it’s designing new levels and sharing them for all your friends to try, playing some Mario Tennis on a Saturday night with friends, or doing a speed run to rescue the princess in record time, one thing is certain. Players will always love to play Mario games. Now more then ever!
