Nintendo rolled out a Direct dedicated to Super Mario Maker 2 this week and, for folks who enjoy playing or building 2D platforming games, it looks like an absolute treasure trove of possibilities.
The original Super Mario Maker had one major flaw: It launched for a console practically nobody owned. So when they announced a sequel would be heading to the hugely popular Nintendo Switch, folks started questioning whether this would be just a glorified port of an under-played game from last generation or an offering worthy of that “2” at the end of its name.
Based on this week’s Direct, it’s definitely the latter. I’ll be hitting some of the highlights below but, if you’re even remotely interested in playing Super Mario Maker 2, I’d recommend you just watch the 17-minute video. They manage to cram a hell of a lot into a relatively short runtime.
Honestly, this Direct felt like a direct response to fans’ concerns. Folks were concerned that Mario Maker 2 wouldn’t offer much new content, so a huge chunk of the above video is a rapid-fire trek through a bunch of the fresh elements being introduced to the game.
For starters, there’s going to be a campaign this time around boasting more than 100 levels. It sounds like some of these levels will be meant to show you how the various world-building elements work, but the occasional glorified tutorial will be worth it if a sizeable chunk of the levels are hand-crafted offerings from developers who know what the hell they are doing.
It’s also worth noting that online multiplayer will be in the mix, allowing you to compete through runs of random levels for high scores, team up with other players for cooperative challenges or try to race your opponents to the finish line. You can also build levels with a second player, which is a pretty cool addition.
As for the world-building elements, there are simply too many to list here. From new enemies and interactive elements to new themes, altered nighttime effects and more, it looks like Super Mario Maker 2 will be doubling the number of possibilities found in the already-stuffed original game.