Super Mario Maker | |
---|---|
Developer(s) | Nintendo EAD Nintendo EPD (3DS) Nintendo Software Technology (3DS) |
Publisher(s) | Nintendo |
Director(s) | Yosuke Oshino Yoshikazu Yamashita Mika Kurosawa (3DS) |
Producer(s) |
|
Designer(s) |
|
Programmer(s) | Rory Johnston (3DS) |
Artist(s) |
|
Composer(s) |
|
Series | Super Mario |
Platform(s) | Wii U, Nintendo 3DS |
Release | Wii UNintendo 3DS |
Genre(s) | Level editor, platform |
Mode(s) | Single-player |
Super Mario Maker [a] is a 2015 platform game and game creation system developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii U, released worldwide in September 2015. Players could create, play, and share courses online, free of charge, based on the styles of Super Mario Bros. , Super Mario Bros. 3 , Super Mario World , and New Super Mario Bros. U .
Upon release, critical reviews praised its user interface and course editing tools. By May 2016, more than seven million courses had been created by players worldwide, which had been played more than 600 million times. Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS [b] was released in December 2016, without the ability to upload levels to the online portal. Super Mario Maker 2 was released for the Nintendo Switch in June 2019. Sale of Super Mario Maker on the Wii U's Nintendo eShop was discontinued on January 12, 2021, and course upload support and the bookmark portal site was discontinued on March 31, 2021. [1] The remaining online services for both the Wii U and 3DS versions of the game, such as playing levels uploaded before the portal site was discontinued, were shut down on April 8, 2024. [2]
Super Mario Maker allows players to create levels in the style of the Super Mario series, and publish them to the Internet for other players. The courses are based on the gameplay and visual style of Super Mario Bros. , Super Mario Bros. 3 , Super Mario World , and New Super Mario Bros. U , which all share the physics of the latter. The gameplay mechanics and enemy behavior vary between game modes. Some elements are limited to specific game styles, and other elements can be merged into other game styles, such as having Boos in Super Mario Bros. [3] [4] [5]
In addition to traditional Mario elements such as Goombas, warp pipes, and power ups, players can uniquely manipulate the behavior of elements. For example, enemies can be stacked, hazards can emerge from question blocks and warp pipes, shells can be worn as protective helmets, and cannons can emit chosen objects. These new combinations are enabled by editing tools working in tandem. Players can enlarge an enemy with a Super Mushroom, give an enemy a pair of flying wings, combine different attributes, and more. The Soundfrog adds audiovisual effects, though microphone-recorded sounds are removed from uploaded courses. New editing elements are unlocked gradually across nine days of course creation. [6] The Mystery Mushroom, exclusive to the Super Mario Bros. theme, has the power-up of a Super Mushroom and dresses Mario in one of 153 costumes. Each of these costumes can be unlocked by playing through the 100 Mario Challenge, by clearing special Event Courses, or by scanning a corresponding Amiibo figurine. The 8-bit Mario figurine adds a Big Mushroom that makes Mario giant while making enemies look like Mario, with hats and mustaches. [7] [8] [9]
After a created course is played to completion, it 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 with a set of randomly selected user-created courses with 100 lives. Alternatively, players can play the 10 Mario Challenge, with a selection of pre-made courses and only 10 lives. [10] Players are initially limited in the number of uploadable courses, but by receiving stars from other players, they can earn medals which allow them to upload more courses. [11]
Before developing Super Mario Maker, Nintendo had previously explored the concept of a video game editor in the 1990s. The company filed a patent in 1994, for console hardware allowing players to pause a game, edit parts of the game, resume gameplay, and to save and share the changes. [12] Super Mario Maker was conceived as a tool for Nintendo's internal development team to make Mario levels. The team, however, quickly realized the tool's potential as a standalone game and pitched the idea to senior game designer Takashi Tezuka. [13] Meanwhile, Tezuka had been wanting to make a Wii U follow-up to Mario Paint that used the Wii U GamePad. [13] Upon seeing the Super Mario Maker tool, Tezuka realized that a course-making tool was more marketable than a mere art program. He noted to Polygon that building courses 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". [13] This game is the directorial debut of Yosuke Oshino, who previously worked as a programmer on Pikmin , Pikmin 2 , and New Super Mario Bros. Wii . [14] The game's soundtrack was composed and arranged by Koji Kondo, [15] [16] Naoto Kubo, and Asuka Hayazaki. [17]
The game was announced at E3 2014 with the title "Mario Maker". [18] Although first revealed officially via Nintendo's E3 Digital Event on June 10, [18] rumors of that title began earlier that month after a photo was taken of Nintendo's incomplete trade show booth which prominently featured the title. [19] The game was rebranded as "Super Mario Maker" at E3 2015 during the Nintendo World Championships.
Prior to release, Nintendo allowed customers to play Mario Maker at Best Buy stores across North America on June 17 and 20, 2015. [20] It was demonstrated with a new name, Super Mario Maker, on June 14, 2015, during the final round of the Nintendo World Championships event preceding E3 2015. [21] The four courses created by Nintendo Treehouse for the Championships are playable in the final game. [22]
Nintendo partnered with Facebook to host a special "hackathon" event. 150 Facebook employees were tasked with constructing courses using Super Mario Maker, and the winning team created a course to be featured in the game on its launch. [23] Several notable video game designers showcased courses they had created, such as Michel Ancel, Koji Igarashi, Tim Rogers, and Derek Yu. [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] Ancel's course 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 a PDF download. [31] [32] Nintendo concurrently launched an 8-bit Mario Amiibo figurine, in two different color variations. The figurine is packaged alone, and within particular Super Mario Maker game bundles. [33] A downloadable, Super Mario Maker-themed stage for Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U was released on September 30, 2015, and is in the sequel, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate . [34]
The game was originally intended to require players to wait each day to unlock new elements, but a launch day patch delivers new elements corresponding to the player's content creation efforts. [35] Destructoid noted that there were many past Mario series elements missing from the game, [36] but the game was updated with new features. [37] The first major update, released on November 4, 2015, adds mid-course checkpoints, conditional power-ups, and Event Courses. [38] Clearing certain Event Courses unlocks additional Mystery Mushroom costumes, such as Super Mario-kun and GameCenter CX presenter Shinya Arino. [39] [40] The game's second major update was released on December 22, 2015, which adds a speedrun leaderboard, and launched the Super Mario Maker Bookmark website, which allows players to browse uploaded courses and bookmark them to play, allowing for easier sharing of courses. [41] The third update adds more Mystery Mushroom costumes that are unlocked by completing Normal- and Expert-level 100 Mario Challenges, and adds Super Expert mode. [42]
A sequel, Super Mario Maker 2 , was announced in a Nintendo Direct on February 13, 2019. [43] It was released for the Nintendo Switch on June 28, 2019, with a new level theme based on the Wii U game Super Mario 3D World , new features including slopes and modifiable auto scroll direction, and new enemies, themes, and items. [44]
On November 25, 2020, Nintendo announced that they were discontinuing support for uploading new courses on March 31, 2021. As a result, the game was removed from the Wii U eShop on January 12, 2021. [45]
Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS was developed by Redmond-based subsidiary Nintendo Software Technology, with some features adapted or removed. It was released for the Nintendo 3DS in Japan on December 1, 2016, in North America and Europe on December 2, and in Australia on December 3. [46] It includes 100 new built-in courses designed by Nintendo. Players can exchange courses directly to friends or through StreetPass.[ citation needed ]
Aggregator | Score | |
---|---|---|
3DS | Wii U | |
Metacritic | 73/100 [47] | 88/100 [48] |
Publication | Score | |
---|---|---|
3DS | Wii U | |
4Players | 70/100 [49] | 80/100 [50] |
Destructoid | 6/10 [51] | 8/10 [52] |
Edge | N/A | 9/10 [53] |
Electronic Gaming Monthly | N/A | 9.5/10 [54] |
Famitsu | N/A | 37/40 [55] |
Game Informer | 7.75/10 [56] | 9/10 [57] |
GameRevolution | N/A | [58] |
GameSpot | N/A | 9/10 [59] |
GamesRadar+ | [60] | [61] |
GamesTM | 8/10 [62] | 9/10 [63] |
GameTrailers | N/A | 8.7/10 [64] |
Giant Bomb | N/A | [65] |
Hardcore Gamer | N/A | 4.5/5 [66] |
IGN | 7.2/10 [67] | 9/10 [68] |
Nintendo Life | [69] | [70] |
Nintendo World Report | 7/10 [71] | 8/10 [72] |
Polygon | N/A | 9.5/10 [73] |
Shacknews | N/A | 9/10 [74] |
USgamer | 4/5 [75] | 5/5 [76] |
VideoGamer.com | 8/10 [77] | 8/10 [78] |
Super Mario Maker received generally favorable reviews. IGN's Jose Otero praised the game's social elements, including its online features and the 10 Mario Challenge, stating that players would "see a genuine reverence for Mario’s history" in the online modes. He praised the course editor 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 courses like never before". [68]
GameSpot's Justin Haywald praised the course editor, stating that "the mix-and-match nature [of gameplay elements] allows for exciting and anachronistic additions to familiar scenarios". He was disappointed in particular limitations, such as the absence of checkpoints originating Super Mario World , and the vertical and horizontal limits of stages. 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". [59]
Polygon 's Griffin McElroy praised 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". [73]
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 overall 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. [79]
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. [80]
The game would contribute to a resurgence in the Kaizo level designing community, which creates extremely difficult levels to test patience and skill. [81]
Many players criticized Nintendo for removing their online courses without warning or explanation. [82] Patrick Klepek of Kotaku wrote that Nintendo should have made sure anyone creating levels for the game was aware of the company's strict policies regarding level creation so they would know what Nintendo would not find acceptable. [83]
In May 2016, Nintendo announced that more than 7.2 million courses had been created worldwide, which had been played more than 600 million times. [84] At the announcement of the discontinuation of the 3DS and Wii U online servers, an online community dubbed "Team 0%" attempted to complete any remaining uncleared levels from the game before the shutdown in April 2024, [85] a goal which was achieved on March 15. [86] At the time of the discontinuation announcement, 25,000 levels remained uncleared, with 1,000 of which being completed in the first seven days. By March 2024, only 178 remained. [87] The final level to be cleared was "The Last Dance". The level "Trimming The Herbs" was previously regarded to be the last; however, it was revealed to be completed by the level's creator using TAS tools. [88] [89] [90] Despite this, the level would eventually be cleared legitimately on April 5, three days before the shutdown. [91]
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. [92] [93] 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. [94] 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. [95] Sales in the United States reached 1 million in mid-January 2016, making it the sixth Wii U game to do so in the country. [96] By March 2021, 4.02 million copies had been sold worldwide. [97] The Nintendo 3DS version had 162,180 copies sold within its first week of release in Japan. [98] As of December 23, 2016, the Nintendo 3DS version had 448,160 copies sold in the region. [99] As of December 31, 2016, 2 million copies had been sold for 3DS. [100] By the end of March 2017, total 3DS sales reached 2.34 million. [101]
Year | Awards | Category | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2015 | Gamescom Awards | Best Console Game Nintendo Wii | Won | [102] |
Best Family Game | Nominated | |||
Best Social/Casual/Online Game | Won | |||
The Game Awards 2015 | Game of the Year | Nominated | [103] | |
Best Family Game | Won | |||
NAVGTR awards | Control Design, 2D or Limited 3D | Won | [104] | |
Game Engineering | Nominated | |||
Game, Franchise Family | Won | |||
Use of Sound, Franchise | Nominated | |||
2016 | 2016 Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite Video Game | Nominated | [105] |
19th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards | Family Game of the Year | Won | [106] | |
British Academy Children's Awards | BAFTA Kids' Vote - Video Game | Nominated | [107] | |
2017 | 20th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards | Family Game of the Year (3DS version) | Nominated | [108] |
Super Mario World, known in Japan as Super Mario World: Super Mario Bros. 4, is a 1990 platform game developed by Nintendo EAD and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). The player controls Mario on his quest to save Princess Peach and Dinosaur Land from the series' antagonist Bowser and the Koopalings. The gameplay is similar to that of earlier Super Mario games; players control Mario through a series of levels in which the goal is to reach the goalpost at the end. Super Mario World introduces Yoshi, a ridable dinosaur who can eat enemies.
Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels is a 1986 platform game developed and published by Nintendo. A sequel to Super Mario Bros. (1985), it was originally released in Japan for the Family Computer Disk System as Super Mario Bros. 2 on June 3, 1986. Nintendo of America deemed it too difficult for its North American audience and instead released an alternative sequel, also titled Super Mario Bros. 2, in 1988. It was remade and renamed The Lost Levels for the 1993 Super Nintendo Entertainment System compilation Super Mario All-Stars, serving as its first international release. It has been rereleased for Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Wii, Wii U, Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo Switch.
Star Fox is an arcade style rail shooter, space flight simulator, and third person action-adventure video game series created by Shigeru Miyamoto, developed and published by Nintendo. The games follow the Star Fox combat team of anthropomorphic animals, led by chief protagonist Fox McCloud. Gameplay involves many adventures around the Lylat planetary system in the futuristic Arwing fighter aircraft, in other vehicles, and on foot. The original Star Fox (1993) is a forward-scrolling 3D rail shooter, but later games add more directional freedom.
Pikmin is a real-time strategy and puzzle video game series created by Shigeru Miyamoto, and published by Nintendo. The games focus on directing a horde of plant-like creatures called Pikmin to collect items by destroying obstacles, avoiding hazards, and fighting fauna that are hazardous to both the player character and the Pikmin.
Super Smash Bros. is a crossover platform fighting game series published by Nintendo. The series was created by Masahiro Sakurai, who has directed every game in the series. The series is known for its unique gameplay objective which differs from that of traditional fighters, in that the aim is to increase damage counters and knock opponents off the stage instead of depleting life bars.
Super Mario is a platform game series created by Nintendo starring their mascot, Mario. It is the central series of the greater Mario franchise. At least one Super Mario game has been released for every major Nintendo video game console. However, there have also been a number of Super Mario video games released on non-Nintendo gaming platforms. There are more than 20 games in the series.
A Mii is a customizable avatar used on several Nintendo video game consoles and mobile apps. The name Mii is a portmanteau of "Wii" and "me", referring to them typically being avatars of the players. Miis were first introduced on the Wii console in 2006 and later appeared on the DS, 3DS, the Wii U, the Switch, and various apps for smart devices such as Miitomo. Miis can be created using different body, facial and clothing features, and can then be used as characters within games on the consoles, either as an avatar of a specific player or in some games portrayed as characters with their own personalities. Miis can be shared and transferred between consoles, either manually or automatically with other users over the internet and local wireless communications.
Mario is a Japanese multimedia franchise created by Japanese game designer Shigeru Miyamoto for Japanese video game company Nintendo, which produces and publishes its installments. Starring the titular Italian plumber Mario, it is primarily a video game franchise but has extended to other forms of media, including television series, comic books, a 1993 feature film, a 2023 animated film, and theme park attractions. The series' first installment was 1983's Mario Bros. even though Mario made his first appearance in 1981's arcade game Donkey Kong and had already been featured in several games of the Donkey Kong and Game & Watch series. The Mario games have been developed by a wide variety of developers. Mario games have been released almost exclusively for Nintendo's various video game consoles and handhelds, from the third generation onward.
New! Super Mario Bros. Wii is a 2009 platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii. A follow-up to New Super Mario Bros., it was first released in Australia, North America, and Europe in November 2009, followed by Japan a month later. It was released on the Wii U's Virtual Console in 2016, though only in Europe, Australia and Japan. A port in high definition resolution for the Nvidia Shield TV was released only in China in December 2017. Like other side-scrolling Super Mario games, the player controls Mario as he travels eight worlds and fights Bowser's henchmen to rescue Princess Peach. New Super Mario Bros. Wii was the first Super Mario game to feature simultaneous cooperative multiplayer gameplay; up to four people can play in cooperative and competitive multiplayer modes, taking control of Mario as well as Luigi and one of two multicolored Toads. The game also introduced "Super Guide", which allows the player to watch a computer-controlled character complete a level.
The Wii U is a home video game console developed by Nintendo as the successor to the Wii. Released in late 2012, it is the first eighth-generation video game console and competed with Microsoft's Xbox One and Sony's PlayStation 4.
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, both commonly referred to together as Super Smash Bros. 4 or Smash 4, are 2014 crossover platform fighter video games developed by Bandai Namco Studios and Sora Ltd. and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U video game consoles. It is the fourth installment in the Super Smash Bros. series, succeeding Super Smash Bros. Brawl. The Nintendo 3DS version was released in Japan on September 13, 2014, and in North America, Europe, and Australia the following month. The Wii U version was released in North America, Europe, and Australia in November 2014 and in Japan the following month.
New Super Mario Bros. U is a 2012 platform game developed and published by Nintendo as a launch title for the Wii U. The game is a sequel to New Super Mario Bros. Wii and the fourth and final entry of the New Super Mario Bros. series, following New Super Mario Bros. 2. It is also the first entry in the Super Mario series to feature high-definition graphics.
New Super Mario Bros. 2 is a 2012 platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS. It is the third title in the New Super Mario Bros. series, following 2009's New Super Mario Bros. Wii, and is a direct sequel to the original New Super Mario Bros. released in 2006 for the Nintendo DS. It is the first Nintendo-published game to be released simultaneously in both downloadable and physical forms.
Nintendo Direct is a series of online presentations or live shows produced by Nintendo, where information regarding the company's upcoming content or franchises is presented, such as information about games and consoles. The presentations began in Japan and North America with the first edition on October 21, 2011, before later expanding to Europe, Australia, and South Korea.
Super Mario 3D World is a 2013 platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii U. It is the sixth original 3D platform game in the Super Mario series and the sequel to Super Mario 3D Land, a 2011 title for the Nintendo 3DS. The game was also re-released for the Nintendo Switch in Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury on February 21, 2021.
The Year of Luigi was the 30th-anniversary celebration of the fictional character Luigi. He was created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto for the 1983 arcade game Mario Bros. and has appeared frequently as a minor or supporting character in the Mario franchise since. Due to Nintendo's decision to develop Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon and Mario & Luigi: Dream Team at the same time, they declared 2013 the Year of Luigi. According to Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto, Nintendo staff members also had the urge to develop games focused on Luigi, and considered the character underrepresented compared to Mario. It was announced via Nintendo Direct on February 14, 2013, by Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata and ended on March 18, 2014.
Amiibo is a toys-to-life platform by Nintendo, which was launched in November 2014. It consists of a wireless communications and storage protocol for connecting figurines to the Wii U, Nintendo 3DS, and Nintendo Switch video game consoles. These figurines are similar in form and functionality to that of the Skylanders, Disney Infinity and Lego Dimensions series of toys-to-life platforms. The Amiibo platform was preannounced to potentially accommodate any form of toy, specifically including general plans for future card games. Amiibo use near field communication (NFC) to interact with supported video game software, potentially allowing data to be transferred in and out of games and across multiple platforms.
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker is a 2014 action puzzle video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii U. The game was re-released for the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo 3DS in 2018 with additional content. It is a spin-off of the Super Mario series and a part of the larger Mario franchise. The game stars Captain Toad and Toadette as they complete levels, defeat enemies and save each other from the antagonist Wingo. Each level is contained within a miniature diorama-like environment that requires puzzle-solving and platforming challenges to complete. The player also uses the Wii U GamePad to rotate the camera and reveal new information and interact with the environment.
Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games is a 2016 crossover sports and party game in the Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games series, released for the Nintendo 3DS in February 2016 in Japan, March 2016 in North America, and in April 2016 for Europe and Australia, and for the Wii U worldwide in June 2016. The game is officially licensed by the International Olympic Committee, as are the other games in the series. It was developed by Sega, with assistance from Arzest and Spike Chunsoft, and published by Nintendo. It is the fifth title in the Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games series. The game is a collection of Olympic sports themed mini-games featuring characters from the Mario series and the Sonic the Hedgehog series.
Team 0% is a community project with the aim to ensure that every user-made course in Super Mario Maker and Super Mario Maker 2 has been completed by at least one person other than the original uploader.