The second thing you’ll notice is somewhat heartbreaking, honestly – Super Mario Maker 3DS doesn’t allow you to search for and download stages from the Internet, and some stages won’t be compatible whatsoever – usually ones which feature a Mystery Mushroom, which is missing from this 3DS release. Mario looks smaller and stumpier than he ever has, almost dwarfed by the sheer screen real estate – it all makes sense on an HDTV, but it looks a bit absurd on the minuscule 3DS. The game keeps the Wii U’s widescreen, zoomed-out perspective, though when this is translated to a smaller screen it feels remarkably squashed.

Perhaps this goes without saying, but I didn’t expect the 3DS’ smaller screens to impact the way the game felt to play. One of the very first things you’ll notice coming off of Super Mario Maker’s Wii U big brother is that everything feels a bit cramped. It’s a welcome addition, though one clearly aimed at a younger audience, and it’s sure to ease younger players into the swing of creating their first levels. Yamamura and Mashiko are here to help – one a pigeon, one a Japanese lady, both ready to help you get started with creating great Mario levels. To add to that, making stages is easier than ever. Levels that play themselves? It’s all totally possible! A short underwater stage following a coin trail? Easy as pie. A long marathon run with several Bowsers standing in your way? Doable. Scenarios that are simply unimaginable for a mainline Mario game are available here. With Super Mario Maker, you can create incredible levels. The sheer number of options is truly staggering. Floor first, blocks to jump over, enemies, etc. From there level creation is a simple matter of dragging and dropping various elements onto the stage. You can flick between four styles of Mario (Original, 3, World and New) and a variety of backgrounds and stage music. Super Mario Maker is, essentially, a level creation tool for 2D Mario stages. Is it still an absolute essential? Well… No. Now that same game is making its way over to 3DS, with a few tweaks. The classic 2D Mario creation tool captured the imaginations of thousands, evidenced by a massive selection of original levels created by users that you can download and play online. Last year Super Mario Maker launched for the Wii U, and it’s only fair to say that the game was a smash hit.

Super mario maker 3ds review