We all have dreamed of being the creators of Mario. Imagine the fun of it! You could make a level with a ton of Hammer Bros. like you’ve always wanted to or finally make that haunted sawmill level. Alas, few of these ideas have made it past the phase of being quickly scrawled across one’s math folder and stuffed up in the attic after the school year has ended. But no longer will this be the case. After thirty years, Mario is finally appearing in a brand-new game in which the player gets to become the creator.

In Super Mario Maker, players are given a wide assortment of enemies, platforms, and items to use in creating their own custom Mario courses. Players can even change the graphical style of the game, making it look like Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World, or New Super Mario Bros. U, and upload their courses online for everyone to play.

Super Mario Maker is a phenomenal game. It is the game creator that I have wanted for so many years and it is presented brilliantly. There are plenty of different elements available for use in the game, but they are not presented all at once, which keeps players from being initially overwhelmed. Of these elements, there are also brand-new features never seen in Mario games before. Almost all objects can be given wings, made giant, or stacked on top of each other

Although there are some objects and themes that would surely make the game even more fun, such as other backgrounds like the desert theme and more enemies like Foos, the tools given in Super Mario Maker are still more than sufficient to make interesting and exciting levels. Having so many different level styles and objects, it is hard to have an idea that just won’t work in Super Mario Maker.

The game is fairly simple to use. Menu navigation can be difficult at first, and having semi-solid platforms covering the background can make it difficult to drag elements into courses. However, placing objects into the course is typically extremely easy and shaking objects to change them makes it convenient in finding a bunch of elements without an overly expansive menu.

The game’s soundtrack is also incredibly remarkable. The new level music for the Airship and Ghost House themes in some of the graphical styles is truly amazing and holds up with the rest of the classic Mario music used in the game. Furthermore, when editing the course, the level’s theme is remixed in superb ways. Placing objects onto the course makes a strange voice say the object’s name while styled to fit in with the music. It is not difficult to find oneself placing Koopa Troopas to the beat of the soundtrack.

There are two main, mostly insignificant problems in Super Mario Maker, however. First off, once in awhile, enemies do not behave as they should. For instance, in one level I made, I added in two bouncing Para-Munchers and no matter what I did they could not damage Mario. The other problem is the hand that appears on the TV when placing objects. Anyone watching you design a course isn’t going to be like, ‘oh, that’s an interesting idea!’ or ‘you should try putting a Chain Chomp there,’ instead they’ll say, ‘that hand is big and dang scary’ and they won’t be able to think about anything else.

Despite those faults, Super Mario Maker is an incredible game. It is the Mario course maker everyone has dreamed of and is easy enough for anyone to use but creative enough to allow for truly amazing courses. It is a much different turn than traditional Mario games; we’ve gotten tons of New Super Mario Bros. games and other platformers but it is great to finally be able to create our own courses. I would recommend this game for anyone who enjoys playing Mario games and even for those who never have before.