Super Mario Maker 2 (Nintendo)
Nintendo’s Super Mario Maker 2 is one of the Switch‘s most anticipated titles this year, and it will launch on June 28. Today, Nintendo aired a 17-minute Nintendo Direct presentation dedicated to Mario Maker 2, unveiling more tools players will be equipped with as they design challenging, intuitive courses.
Some of the information covered was of details already known, such basics from the first Mario Maker or how players now have the ability to add slopes or snake blocks into their level layouts. However, the majority of the time was spent covering new elements, such as how Super Mario. Bros. 3‘s Angry Sun and Super Mario World‘s Banzai Bill have joined the roster of enemies. ON and OFF switches are another new trinket, letting players swap between red and blue blocks on the fly.
As with the traditional 2D Super Mario titles, Mario Maker 2 features new aesthetics: desert, snow, forest, and sky, all of which feature new music from legendary Nintendo composer Koji Kondo. A new Moon course part can unlock night variants of each of these backdrops, which may affect certain level elements. Moreover, players can now construct water levels and scrolling levels, other Mario mainstays. An updated Course World will allow users to sort through and download levels, and Mario Maker 2 offers cooperative play with a friend online or locally. Four players can also play together cooperatively or against each other, controlling Mario, Luigi, Blue Toad and Toadette.
Unlike the first Mario Maker, the Switch installment houses a full-blown story mode. Here, Mario and the Toads are aiming to rebuild Princess Peach’s castle, and require Coins to do so. Mario can complete missions from a new group of side characters, and there are over 100 courses for him to clear. But perhaps the biggest addition is the inclusion of a Super Mario 3D World theme and the unique set pieces and elements that come with it, such as the Cat Suit and Clear Pipes. Nintendo’s press release also teases how a “cast of other familiar faces” will appear.
Those without a Nintendo Switch Online subscription may be enticed by the Super Mario Maker 2 + Nintendo Switch Online Bundle, a $69.99 package that will include the game and a 12-month subscription. Speaking of Nintendo’s online service, subscribers are entitled to purchase two Nintendo Switch Game Vouchers. As described by Nintendo, “For a limited time, players can redeem these vouchers for two eligible digital games in Nintendo eShop. For example, players can pre-purchase Super Mario Maker 2 and also grab another fun game like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Super Mario Odyssey, Yoshi’s Crafted World or The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. By redeeming these vouchers, users are saving up to $19.99 on the combined suggested retail price of two games. Vouchers are redeemable for one year from the date of purchase and don’t have to be used at the same time.”
Finally, Nintendo will host a Super Mario Maker 2 Invitational on June 8. Four chosen members of the community will “compete in a variety of wild and unpredictable Super Mario Maker 2 courses designed by Nintendo’s Treehouse team.”
The entire Mario Maker 2 Direct can be seen below:
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