Super Mario Maker

Super Mario Maker

Artwork used in all regions except for disc case packaging in PAL regions
Developer(s) Nintendo EAD
Publisher(s) Nintendo
Director(s) Yosuke Oshino
Producer(s) Takashi Tezuka
Hiroyuki Kimura
Designer(s) Shigefumi Hino
Arisa Hosaka
Artist(s) Hirotake Ohtsubo
Kenta Usui
Nobuo Matsumiya
Mari Shibata
Composer(s) Koji Kondo
Naoto Kubo
Asuka Hayazaki
Series Super Mario
Platform(s) Wii U
Release date(s)
  • JP September 10, 2015
  • NA September 11, 2015
  • EU September 11, 2015
  • AUS September 12, 2015
Genre(s) Level editor, platform
Mode(s) Single-player

Super Mario Maker (Japanese: スーパーマリオメーカー Hepburn: Sūpā Mario Mēkā) is a side-scrolling platform video game and game creation system developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii U game console, and released worldwide in September 2015. Players may create and play their own custom levels based on Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World and New Super Mario Bros. U, and share them online. Over time, new editing tools are unlocked, allowing players to download and play levels designed by other players.

Super Mario Maker received critical acclaim upon its release, with reviewers praising the game's user interface and level editing tools. By February 2016, more than 6 million courses had been created.[1]

Gameplay

In-game screenshot showing Mario donning a Spiny Shell helmet, a new gameplay element in Super Mario Maker, as the player guides him through a level created in the style of Super Mario World.
The player creates a Ghost House level in the style of Super Mario Bros. 3, with Super Mario Maker's level creation tools. A user-selectable hand appears on the television screen each time edits are made on the Wii U GamePad.

Super Mario Maker is a game creation and publishing tool and video game, which allows players to create their own levels from the Super Mario series using the Wii U GamePad, and then publish those levels to the Internet. Players can base their levels on the gameplay, and visual style of Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World, and New Super Mario Bros. U, with their corresponding styles of physics, gameplay mechanics and enemy behavior. Some elements are limited to specific game styles while others can be added to game styles that previously did not have them in the original game, such as Boos in Super Mario Bros.[2][3][4]

In addition to traditional Mario elements such as Goombas, warp pipes and power ups, players are able to manipulate the behavior of various elements in unique ways. For example, they can stack enemies, have hazards come out of question blocks and warp pipes, use shells as protective helmets, and make cannons and Lakitu emit any chosen objects. These combinations are possible because editing tools in the game work in tandem with one another. This allows players to enlarge an enemy by giving it a mushroom, grant an enemy the ability to fly by giving it wings, combine different attributes, and more. The Sound Frog adds audiovisual effects to particular locations, including microphone-recorded sounds, though user-generated sounds are removed from uploaded courses. Editing elements are introduced gradually, over a course of nine days, with new elements unlocking as the player spends more time creating levels.[5] (Players can now unlock all of the course elements in about an hour by placing at least one of every course element they currently have and then placing a lot of blocks or coins, then repeating that until they have unlocked every element.) The Mystery Mushroom, which can only be used in the Super Mario Bros. theme, dresses Mario in one of about 150 costumes. A Mystery Mushroom has the same effects as a Super Mushroom, except Costume Mario is the same size Small Mario. Each of these costumes can be unlocked by playing through the 100 Mario Challenge, clearing special Event Courses, or by scanning a corresponding Amiibo figurine. Additionally, the 8-bit Mario Amiibo figurine adds a Big Mushroom that makes Mario giant while making enemies look like Mario characters.[6][7][8]

Once the user is able to play through one's own newly created level, that level is then allowed to be published to the online Course World. There, all players can browse and play various user-generated courses, or participate in the 100 Mario Challenge, where they can play through a set of randomly selected user-created courses with 100 lives. Its difficulty levels are Easy, Normal, Expert, & Super Expert (which was released in the last major update). Alternatively, players can play the 10 Mario Challenge, where they play a selection of the game's pre-made courses with only 10 lives.[9] Players are initially limited in the amount of courses they can upload online, but by receiving stars from other players, they can earn medals which allow them to upload more courses.[10]

Development

The game was first announced at E3 2014 with the name Mario Maker. The game was originally conceived as a tool by Nintendo's internal development team, to be used only within the company. The team, however, quickly realized the tool's potential as a game and pitched the idea to senior game designer Takashi Tezuka.[11] Meanwhile, Tezuka had been wanting to make a Wii U followup to Mario Paint that utilizes the Wii U GamePad.[11] Upon seeing the Mario Maker tool however, Tezuka realized that a level-making tool was more marketable than a mere art program. He noted to Polygon that building levels is "not as difficult or out of reach as drawing is" but that he "was inspired to bring the fun of Mario Paint into this course editor".[11] The game was directed by Yosuke Oshino, who previously worked as a programmer on Pikmin, Pikmin 2, and New Super Mario Bros. Wii.[12]

The game's soundtrack was composed and arranged by Koji Kondo,[13][14] Naoto Kubo, and Asuka Hayazaki.[15]

Marketing and release

In May 2015, Nintendo announced that people could try out Mario Maker at Best Buy stores across North America on June 17 and 20, 2015.[16] The game was demonstrated under a new name, Super Mario Maker, on June 14, 2015, during the final round of the Nintendo World Championships event preceding E3 2015.[17] The four levels created by Nintendo Treehouse for the Championships are available to play in the final game.[18]

Prior to the game's release, Nintendo partnered with Facebook to host a special "hackathon" event. 150 Facebook employees were tasked with constructing levels using Super Mario Maker, and the winning team was given the opportunity to create a level to be featured in the game on its launch.[19] Several notable video game designers showcased levels they had created, such as Michel Ancel, Koji Igarashi, Tim Rogers, and Derek Yu.[20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28] Ancel's level is included in the base game as an Event Course.[29]

Super Mario Maker was released worldwide in September 2015, with a corresponding Wii U bundle.[30] Each copy of the game is packaged with a 96-page booklet of creative ideas, which is also available as a PDF download.[31][32] Alongside the release of Super Mario Maker, Nintendo launched an 8-bit Mario Amiibo figurine, available in two different color variations. The figurine is sold alone, and within particular Super Mario Maker game bundles.[33]

Post-release updates

The game was originally intended to require players to wait each day to unlock new elements, but a patch was released on the game's launch date which delivers new elements corresponding to the player's content creation efforts.[34] Destructoid noted that there were many elements missing from the game that had appeared in past entries of the series,[35] but following its release, the game received free updates that added new features.[36] The first major update, released on November 4, 2015, added mid-level checkpoints, conditional power-ups, and Event Courses.[37] Clearing certain Event Courses unlocks additional Mystery Mushroom costumes, such as Super Mario-kun and GameCenter CX presenter Shinya Arino.[38][39] The game's second major update was released on December 22, 2015 which, in addition to records listing a course's fastest clear time, launched the "Super Mario Maker Bookmark" website, which allows players browse through uploaded courses through any web browser and bookmark them to play in the game later, allowing for easier sharing of levels.[40] The third update added more Mystery Mushroom costumes that are unlocked by completing Normal- and Expert-level 100 Mario Challenges, as well as a new Super Expert mode. It also patched the "Bleeding Mario" glitch, which occurred in courses with the Super Mario Bros. 3 style and Castle theme when Mario collected coins while other coins fell into lava.

Reception

Critical reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic88/100[41]
Review scores
PublicationScore
Destructoid8/10[42]
EGM9.5/10[43]
Game Informer9/10[44]
Game Revolution[45]
GameSpot9/10[46]
GamesRadar[47]
Giant Bomb[48]
IGN9/10[49]
Nintendo World Report8/10[50]
Polygon9.5/10[51]
VideoGamer.com8/10[52]

Super Mario Maker received critical acclaim. IGN's Jose Otero praised the game's social elements, commenting on Super Mario Maker's online features and highlighting positively the 10 Mario Challenge, stating that players would "see a genuine reverence for Mario’s history" in the online modes. He also gave positive comments on the level editor itself and its user interface, writing that "[n]o matter which style you choose, creating levels is an intimidating task but the well designed interface makes learning easy and intuitive" and that it "gives us a fun, flexible toolbox to build and play Mario levels like never before".[49]

GameSpot's Justin Haywald praised the game's level editor and its features, stating that "the mix-and-match nature [of gameplay elements] allows for exciting and anachronistic additions to familiar scenarios". In contrast, he also expressed disappointment in particular limitations, such as the absence of a checkpoint as seen in Super Mario World, and the vertical and horizontal limits of each stage. He ultimately concluded that "the game won't necessarily turn you into the next Shigeru Miyamoto, but you can almost feel a little bit of that magic rubbing off every time you upload a new creation".[46]

Polygon's Griffin McElroy wrote positively of the game, saying he had "a tremendous amount of fun playing, but the way it developed that newfound appreciation for something I've known my whole life was the game's biggest accomplishment".[51]

The increasingly rich online library of user-generated content has been individually showcased and praised by reviewers, and has been praised by Mario series co-creator Takashi Tezuka. He described Nintendo's restraint in the gameplay difficulty of its own content, in the interest of mass appeal. He expressed both appreciation and caution for the fact that the users do not necessarily share the same restraint in their creations.[53]

I expected that the users who wanted to play more of the hard courses would be attracted to Super Mario Maker. ... It was quite a surprise how much fun it was to watch the videos, without even playing myself. There are so many intriguing and inventive courses, like one which you couldn’t beat if you picked up a mushroom. It’s been a huge motivation for us developers to do better.[53]

However, there have been many players criticizing Nintendo for deleting their online levels without warning or explanation.[54] Patrick Klepek of Kotaku wrote that "Ultimately, the lack of communication is what’s frustrating. If Nintendo wants to have strict policies, that’s fine, but let creators know what they’re dealing with, so they can work around it."[55]

Sales

Super Mario Maker debuted in Japan with more than 138,000 physical copies sold; it had sales of 245,000 copies in its first three weeks, by the end of September 2015.[56][57] It was the second best-selling game in the UK in its first week of release, debuting at No. 2 on the UK software retail chart. It was the fourth fastest-selling game for the Wii U since the console's debut in 2012.[58] In its first three weeks on sale in North America, 445,000 copies had been sold, with over 500,000 sold by the end of September 2015.[59] Sales in the United States reached 1 million in mid-January 2016, making the game the sixth Wii U title to do so in the country.[60] As of the end of March 2016, 3.52 million copies had been sold worldwide.[61]

Awards

List of awards and nominations
Year Awards Category Result Ref.
2014 IGN's Best of E3 2014 Awards Best Wii U Game Runner-up [62]
Best Platformer Runner-up [63]
2015 E3 2015 Game Critics Awards Best Console Game Nominated [64]
Best Family/Social Game Won [65]
IGN's Best of E3 2015 Awards Best Platformer Won (tie) [66]
Best Wii U Game Won [67]
Game of the Show Nominated
Gamescom Award Best Console Game Nintendo Wii Won [68]
Best Family Game Nominated
Best Social/Casual/Online Game Won
The Game Awards 2015 Game of the Year Nominated [69]
Best Family Game Won
Amazon Games Best of 2015 Best Game of 2015 Won [70]
2016 Giant Bomb's 2015 Game of the Year Awards Best Game Won [71]
IGN's Best of 2015 Wii U Game of the Year Won [72]
2016 Kids' Choice Awards Favorite Video Game Nominated [73]
D.I.C.E. Awards Family Game of the Year Won [74]

Other media

A downloadable, Super Mario Maker-themed stage for Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U was released on September 30, 2015.[75]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Nintendo of Europe [NintendoEurope] (February 3, 2016). "More than 6 million courses have been created in #SuperMarioMaker worldwide! Thanks so much for sharing them! #WiiU" (Tweet). Retrieved February 10, 2016.
  2. ↑ "New Zelda, Star Fox, Splatoon trailers – Nintendo @ E3 2014". Metro.co.uk. June 10, 2014. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
  3. ↑ Sliva, Marty (June 10, 2014). "E3 2014: Nintendo Unveils Mario Maker for Wii U". IGN. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
  4. ↑ Parish, Jeremy (June 12, 2014). "E3 2014: I'm Unreasonably Excited About Mario Maker [Updated]". US Gamer. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
  5. ↑ Wii U - Let's Watch! Super Mario Maker Overview!. Nintendo. August 12, 2015 – via YouTube.
  6. ↑ Farokhmanesh, Megan (June 16, 2015). "Here's one way amiibo will work in Super Mario Maker". Polygon. Vox Media. Retrieved September 8, 2015.
  7. ↑ Sliva, Marty (June 16, 2015). "E3 2015: 8-Bit Mario Amiibos Announced, Will Work with Super Mario Maker". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved September 8, 2015.
  8. ↑ Patricia Hernandez. "Every Costume In Super Mario Maker". Kotaku. Gawker Media.
  9. ↑ "Wii U - Super Mario Maker E3 2015 Trailer". Nintendo. June 16, 2015. Retrieved June 16, 2015 – via YouTube.
  10. ↑ Otero, Jose. "E3 2015: 9 EXCITING THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SUPER MARIO MAKER". IGN. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
  11. 1 2 3 Lien, Tracey (June 13, 2014). "Mario Maker started out as a tool for Nintendo's developers". Polygon. Retrieved September 22, 2014.
  12. ↑ Bivens, Danny (June 16, 2014). "Team Behind Mario Maker Consists of Individuals from Multiple Nintendo Teams". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved October 11, 2015.
  13. ↑ Otero, Jose. "How Mario Maker Mixes Music With Level Creation". IGN. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
  14. ↑ Nintendo Minute -- Chatting with Koji Kondo. Nintendo. Retrieved October 11, 2015 – via YouTube.
  15. ↑ "Super Mario Maker credits". Nintendo. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
  16. ↑ Nintendo- Get Ready For E3 2015!. May 13, 2015. Retrieved October 11, 2015.
  17. ↑ "Nintendo's cruel, perverse remix of Super Mario Bros. World 1-1 is mandatory E3 viewing". Polygon. Retrieved June 15, 2015.
  18. ↑ Seedhouse, Alex (June 18, 2015). "Super Mario Maker to include Nintendo World Championship courses". Nintendo Insider. Retrieved October 11, 2015.
  19. ↑ McHugh, Molly (July 30, 2015). "Facebook Codes Compete to Build the Ultimate Mario Level". Wired. Condé Nast. Retrieved September 8, 2015.
  20. ↑ Phillips, Tom (August 7, 2015). "Rayman creator Michel Ancel has made a Super Mario Maker level". Eurogamer.
  21. ↑ Casey (September 8, 2015). "Shigeru Miyamoto Takes On A Super Mario Maker Level By Rayman Creator". Siliconera.
  22. ↑ Inverno, Julien (September 27, 2015). "Super Mario Maker: Miyamoto Joue À Un Niveau Créé Par Michel Ancel". IGN France.
  23. ↑ Robinson, Nick (September 9, 2015). "Watch Castlevania Designer Koji Igarishi Build a Level in Super Mario Maker". Polygon.
  24. ↑ Lamoreux, Ben (September 9, 2015). "Watch Castlevania’s Koji Igarashi Design a Super Mario Maker Level". Gamnesia.
  25. ↑ Luster, Joseph (September 10, 2015). ""Castlevania" Designer Koji Igarashi Tries His Hand at "Super Mario Maker"". Crunchyroll News.
  26. ↑ Robinson, Nick (September 16, 2015). "Watch Mario expert Tim Rogers create a stage in Super Mario Maker". Polygon.
  27. ↑ Robinson, Nick (August 26, 2015). "Watch Spelunky's creator build a hellish stage in Super Mario Maker". Polygon.
  28. ↑ Hozesk (September 23, 2015). "El creador de Spelunky, Derek Yu, hace un nivel de ‘Super Mario Maker’". Nintenderos.
  29. ↑ Doolan, Liam (August 7, 2015). "Rayman’s Creator Is Designing One Of The 60 Levels In Super Mario Maker". Nintendo Life. Retrieved October 15, 2015.
  30. ↑ Karmali, Luke (June 16, 2015). "E3 2015: Super Mario Maker Release Date Announced". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved September 8, 2015.
  31. ↑ Whritenour, Jacob (June 16, 2015). "E3 2015: Super Mario Maker Comes with Sample Booklet". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved September 8, 2015.
  32. ↑ McWhertor, Mike. "Download Super Mario Maker's digital idea book now for some helpful design tips". Polygon.
  33. ↑ Karmali, Luke (July 22, 2015). "8-Bit Mario Amiibo Release Date Announced". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved September 8, 2015.
  34. ↑ Copeland, Wesley (September 11, 2015). "Super Mario Maker Patch Makes Unlocks Easier". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved October 11, 2015.
  35. ↑ Rowen, Nic (September 3, 2015). "An easy guide to the things NOT included in Super Mario Maker". Destructoid. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
  36. ↑ "How To Update Super Mario Maker". Nintendo Support. Nintendo. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
  37. ↑ Makuch, Eddie (October 27, 2015). "Super Mario Maker Getting Major Update, Introducing Checkpoints and More". GameSpot. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  38. ↑ Candorniga, Carlos. "Super Mario Kun Author Creates Levels In Super Mario Maker". Anime News Network. Retrieved November 2, 2015.
  39. ↑ Jenni. "Super Mario Maker Gets A Gamecenter CX DLC Costume". Siliconera. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
  40. ↑ Klepek, Patrick. "Finding Good Levels In Super Mario Maker Is Way Easier". Kotaku. Retrieved December 23, 2015.
  41. ↑ "Super Mario Maker for Wii U Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
  42. ↑ Carter, Chris (September 2, 2015). "Review: Super Mario Maker". Destructoid. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
  43. ↑ Schaefer, Emma (September 2, 2015). "Super Mario Maker review". Electronic Gaming Monthly. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
  44. ↑ Hilliard, Kyle (September 2, 2015). "Build The Mushroom Kingdom Of Your Dreams - Super Mario Maker - Wii U". Game Informer. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
  45. ↑ LaBella, Anthony (September 2, 2015). "Super Mario Maker Review". Game Revolution. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
  46. 1 2 Haywald, Justin (September 2, 2015). "Super Mario Maker Review". GameSpot. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
  47. ↑ Roberts, David (September 2, 2015). "Super Mario Maker review: Let's-a-play/create/share". GamesRadar. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
  48. ↑ Gerstmann, Jeff (September 7, 2015). "Super Mario Maker Review". Giant Bomb. Retrieved September 7, 2015.
  49. 1 2 Otero, Jose (September 2, 2015). "Super Mario Maker Review". IGN. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
  50. ↑ Ronaghan, Neal (September 2, 2015). "Super Mario Maker (Wii U) Review". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
  51. 1 2 McElroy, Griffin (September 2, 2015). "Super Mario Maker review: The Blueprint". Polygon. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
  52. ↑ Miller, Simon (September 2, 2015). "Super Mario Maker Review". VideoGamer.com. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
  53. 1 2 Reseigh-Lincoln, Dom (October 10, 2015). "What does Mario Maker’s producer think of all those super hard levels?". GamesRadar. Retrieved October 11, 2015.
  54. ↑ Monroe, Nick (March 23, 2016). "Super Mario Maker Speedrunner has Stages Deleted". Retrieved March 23, 2016.
  55. ↑ Klepek, Patrick (January 15, 2016). "Nintendo Is Deleting People's Mario Maker Stages Without Telling Them Why". Retrieved March 23, 2016.
  56. ↑ McFerran, Damien (September 16, 2015). "Super Mario Maker Tops The Charts In Japan, Causes Wii U Sales To Double". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on September 21, 2015. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
  57. ↑ Whitehead, Thomas (September 30, 2015). "Super Mario Maker Back on Top in Japan as 3DS and Wii U Sales Increase". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on September 30, 2015. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
  58. ↑ "Super Mario Maker almost beats Metal Gear Solid V for UK number one". Metro. September 14, 2015. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
  59. ↑ Whitehead, Thomas (October 20, 2015). "Super Mario Maker Grabs Sixth Place in NPD US Results and Boosts Wii U System Sales By Over 100%". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on October 19, 2015. Retrieved October 19, 2015.
  60. ↑ Grubb, Jeff (January 14, 2016). "Super Mario Maker surpasses 1M copies sold in the U.S.". VentureBeat. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
  61. ↑ "IR Information : Sales Data - Top Selling Software Sales Units - Wii U Software". Nintendo Co., Ltd. March 31, 2016. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  62. ↑ "IGN's Best of E3 2014 Awards (page 1)". IGN. Ziff Davis. June 12, 2014. Archived from the original on June 30, 2014. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
  63. ↑ "IGN's Best of E3 2014 Awards (page 3)". IGN. Ziff Davis. June 12, 2014. Archived from the original on August 26, 2014. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
  64. ↑ "2015 Nominees". Game Critics Awards. Archived from the original on July 5, 2015. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  65. ↑ Calvert, Darren (July 8, 2015). "Nintendo Enjoys Success in the Game Critics E3 Awards". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on August 8, 2015. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  66. ↑ "IGN's Best of E3 2015 Awards (page 2)". IGN. Ziff Davis. June 16, 2015. Archived from the original on August 24, 2015. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
  67. ↑ "IGN's Best of E3 2015 Awards (page 1)". IGN. Ziff Davis. June 16, 2015. Archived from the original on June 22, 2015. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
  68. ↑ Whitehead, Thomas (August 8, 2015). "Nintendo Scoops Three Gamescom Awards". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on August 21, 2015. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
  69. ↑ "Nominees | The Game Awards 2015". The Game Awards. November 12, 2015. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
  70. ↑ "2015 Nominees".
  71. ↑ "Giant Bomb's 2015 Game of the Year Awards: Day Five Text Recap". Giant Bomb. January 1, 2016.
  72. ↑ "Wii U Game of the Year". IGN.
  73. ↑ Harrison, Lily. "Kids Choice Awards 2016 Nominations Are In Jennifer Lawrence Chris Pratt Anna Kendrick More Favorites Named". E Online. Retrieved February 2, 2016.
  74. ↑ Crecente, Brian. "Dice Award Winners Announced". Polygon. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  75. ↑ Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and Nintendo 3DS - Super Mario Maker Stage Incoming!. Nintendo. Retrieved September 15, 2015 – via YouTube.

External links

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