Hey, there’s a hidden game in here!ĭespite all the problems with Super Mario Maker's core level-sharing design on 3DS, I'm still rather happy with the game. The lack of some very basic online sharing functions at this point, though, doesn't fill me with hope on this score. Perhaps some of these functions will be added in post-release updates-even the Wii U version didn't have so many curation options at launch. Even simply browsing the most recent creations from everyone isn't possible.Īll of these carefully crafted, self-curation tools that Nintendo set up for the Wii U version of Super Mario Maker have been inexplicably thrown out for the 3DS, replaced with a limited random lottery. It's also impossible to search for courses based on the course theme, or the overall popularity with other players, or via the tagging system Nintendo has set up to differentiate "puzzle" levels from "speedrun" levels from "autoscroll" levels. What is impossible to do on the 3DS, for some reason, is load up a specific course that you see a friend mention on Twitter. It's not impossible to find good player-created courses at random with the 3DS' mostly randomized search tools, if you're willing to sift through the occasional clunker. If you're going to a place with a lot of 3DS owners, maybe you'll luck into a few levels through Streetpass.īut even the Wii U level downloading is frustratingly limited. And you could always just pass the 3DS to someone nearby and say "hey, check out these Mario levels I made," I guess. For the vast majority of players, though, being disconnected from online uploads makes the level editor start to feel like a pointlessly personal time-waster.
For sure, there will be some players that can share their creations with 3DS-owning friends or family members they see regularly in real life, or they can pass levels via Streetpass at a gaming convention or subway commute. This is, frankly, a baffling omission for a game that has come to be defined by its online community on the Wii U. You can explicitly pass a level to someone in the same room or do so more passively through the 3DS' Streetpass feature (which will automatically broadcast a single course to any other Super Mario Maker 3DS owners you might pass by during the day).
Super mario maker nintendo 3ds portable#
The only way to share a course made on the portable system is via a local wireless connection. That's when you'll find that Nintendo has, for some reason, removed the ability to share courses created on the 3DS with the wider Internet. The 3DS version's limitations only become apparent when you try to share those constructed courses with others. The 3DS version includes the post-release updates to the Wii U game, like mid-level save spots, fire-breathing clown-copters, red coins, keys, bumpers, and more. And the creative possibilities that can be crafted from these simple building blocks are still nearly endless, as the Wii U level-making community has already shown. Overall, though, the level-construction kit is just as functional and creativity-inducing as it was on the Wii U. Occupancy rates in Piranha Plant Tower are way down since rent skyrocketed in the downtown section of the Mushroom Kingdom. Switching from editing to playing is a tad more annoying on the 3DS, too, since you have to wait for the level to shift from the bottom screen to the wider top screen and back with each switch.
The level-crafting interface feels a tad more cramped on the 3DS' smaller touch screen, but you can temporarily move unnecessary elements off screen to get more real estate to work with. 3, Super Mario World, and New Super Mario Bros.), each with slightly different physics, items, and moves for Mario to use. You can still choose between four classic Mario games for core themes ( Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros.
Super mario maker nintendo 3ds series#
As with its console cousin, you use a stylus to place blocks, coins, items, enemies, doors, pipes, and all manner of other Mario series staples to create the levels of your dreams. At its core level-building base, Super Mario Maker for 3DS is a pretty faithful reconstruction of the Wii U original. When I actually played the game this week, though, I ended up surprised that the limited level builder also came packed with built-in levels that form one of the most enjoyable 2D Mario experiences in years.īut I'm getting a little ahead of myself. When I heard that the 3DS version of Super Mario Maker would severely limit the online sharing functions that helped make the Wii U version so special, I was skeptical. Further Reading Super Mario Maker pulls the curtain back on game design’s promise and perilWhen I first heard that Nintendo was porting what is likely my favorite Wii U game to the fully portable Nintendo 3DS, I was excited.