Super Mario Maker 2 Review: Is It Worth Playing?

What is Super Mario Maker 2?

Super Mario Maker 2 is a platform game and level creation suite, developed and published by Nintendo. It is the sequel to the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS title, Super Mario Maker. The premise is straightforward yet potent: it provides players with the digital tools to design, build, and share their own courses.

Players can create across several classic Mario styles, including the original Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World, and the 'New' Super Mario Bros. series. The sequel expands the toolbox considerably, adding new items, enemies, and course themes like desert, snow, and forest at night with unique effects. A long-requested feature, slopes, is also included.

A new single-player Story Mode is included, offering over 100 Nintendo-made levels. These serve as both a campaign and a tutorial for the creation mechanics.

Gameplay

The gameplay experience is split into two distinct but connected halves: playing and creating. When playing courses, whether Nintendo's in Story Mode or user-generated content, the feel is quintessential Mario. The physics and controls are faithfully recreated for each game style, meaning a level made in the Super Mario World style handles with the weight and momentum of that SNES classic.

Creating Courses

The creation process is where the game's depth is fully realised. Using a largely intuitive interface, either with a controller or the Switch's touchscreen in handheld mode, you place blocks, enemies, and items. The learning curve is gentle for basic construction, with the game introducing concepts through its Story Mode.

Mastering advanced techniques, such as utilising on/off switches or creating complex contraptions, requires significant time and experimentation. The interface can feel slightly cumbersome with a controller compared to the precision of a stylus. The 'play-test' function, which lets you jump into your creation at any point, is fundamental to the iterative design process and works very well.

Multiplayer

A significant addition is support for both online and local multiplayer. Playing co-operatively or competitively in other players' levels can be chaotic fun, though the experience is heavily dependent on the level's design. Performance in online multiplayer can suffer from lag, which is detrimental in a precision platformer.

Who is Super Mario Maker 2 for?

This game casts a wide net. It is for the nostalgic Mario fan who wants to explore new, cleverly designed challenges that evoke the spirit of the classics. It is for the creative individual who enjoys game design and the satisfaction of building something others can enjoy. The community aspect is strong, with endless content to browse via the Course World.

• Casual players can enjoy the Story Mode, play easier community levels, and dabble in simple creation.
• Hardcore players, often referred to as the 'Kaizo' community, will find a deep well of extremely challenging levels that push Mario's mechanics to their limit.
• Multiplayer fans will find another social dimension, though it is best experienced with friends locally.

It is worth noting that a Nintendo Switch Online subscription is required to upload or download courses, which is a significant gate for the full experience.

Graphics and performance

Visually, Super Mario Maker 2 is a clean and colourful homage to Mario's history. Each game style is rendered with care, replicating the look and sound of its source material while outputting at a consistent modern resolution. The new night themes add visual variety and interesting gameplay modifiers, like low gravity or reversed scrolling.

In single-player, the game runs at a smooth frame rate, which is essential for precise platforming. However, online multiplayer can be plagued with latency issues, making some levels frustrating to navigate. Furthermore, very complex levels with a huge number of moving elements can cause noticeable slowdown, which is a technical limitation creators must sometimes design around.

Value for money

The value proposition of Super Mario Maker 2 is almost entirely dependent on how you engage with it. The Story Mode alone offers a respectable amount of content, but it is not the main attraction. The true value lies in the near-infinite pool of community levels and the creative suite.

If you enjoy creating levels or sampling the endless creativity of others, the game offers hundreds of hours of engagement. Regular updates with new items and features post-launch extended its lifespan considerably. However, the requirement for a Nintendo Switch Online subscription to share and access the majority of user content is a significant ongoing cost.

Without a subscription, you are limited to the Story Mode and levels you create yourself. At full retail price, it is justified for players who intend to dive deep into the creation and sharing ecosystem. For those who only want a curated single-player Mario experience, a traditional mainline title may represent better value.

The bottom line: Super Mario Maker 2 is a powerful creation suite with endless content, but its full value depends on a Switch Online subscription and a passion for building or playing community levels.

Verdict

Super Mario Maker 2 is a successful and substantial evolution of the original concept. It provides a powerful, mostly accessible toolkit for creation and a vast repository of levels to play. The new items, themes, and Story Mode are meaningful additions that address fan feedback.

Who we recommend it for

• Tinkerers and aspiring designers who will find joy in the process of building and sharing their ideas.
• Dedicated Mario enthusiasts who crave a constant stream of new, community-driven challenges beyond what official games provide.

Who should be cautious

• Players seeking a traditional, polished Mario campaign, as the Story Mode, while enjoyable, is not the core focus.
• Players without a Nintendo Switch Online subscription will be accessing only a fraction of what the game is designed for.
• Players frustrated by unstable online performance may find multiplayer and some aspects of community browsing disappointing.

In summary, when its conditions are met, Super Mario Maker 2 offers a uniquely generative and enduring platform game experience. It is not without its technical and service-based drawbacks, but its core design achieves something special: it turns players into creators and offers a celebration of Mario's enduring design legacy that is constantly being rewritten by its community.