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Nintendo continues to ride high after a strong first half of 2015 with the surprising success of their messy ink-based shooter, Splatoon .
. While Nintendo’s Wii U lineup may have taken a hit this year after the delay of The Legend of Zelda , marketing efforts have clearly moved on to the upcoming level editor title, Super Mario Maker .
Featuring the ability to craft custom stages built using the style of previous Mario games like Super Mario World and Super Mario Bros 3 ,lets players tap into their creative sides while also creating mayhem by placing enemies within question blocks or giving power ups to characters like Bowser. In a brand new trailer, even more information about the title has been revealed, further expanding the amount of items the player has access to.
Through the trailer, Nintendo provides a handy overview of the upcoming game, detailing elements previously discussed at events like E3. Fortunately, the seven minute video also reveals previously unannounced details such as the ability for level creators to add visual or sound effects, which are set to different types of triggers, as seen through a Mario Paint inspired level. Players can even record a short clip and then insert it into a custom level, which is shown off through a birthday inspired rave dance creation in the trailer.
Interestingly enough, Nintendo isn’t giving every usable item to players right off the bat. In a somewhat controversial move, new course elements and themes need to be unlocked by the player before they can first be used. Thankfully, the unlock process seems fairly straight forward, as just spending five minutes in the game’s editor will unlock new elements through a “delivery” method, adding unlocked content the next day you play. This slow-drip of new content could also be viewed as a way to prevent players from being overwhelmed by the amount of items to use while also keeping gamers coming back day after day.
Amiibos continue to be a hot trend for Nintendo with the next wave being readied for release at the start of next month. While Amiibo functionality was previously highlighted during E3 this year, gamers now have confirmation that most, if not all, currently available amiibo will be compatible with Super Mario Maker , including third party characters like Mega Man and Sonic. That gives players well over 50 amiibo to utilize within their levels.
Through games like Splatoon , Hyrule Warriors , and Mario Kart 8 , Nintendo has embraced downloadable content this generation from supporting games through free contentto bigger paid expansions. Considering the delivery method being used for unlocking new content in Super Mario Maker , this is a title that could really benefit from small updates and an infusion of new content. Perhaps new themes could eventually be added to the game as well from other 2D Mario titles such as Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island . There appears to be a lot of potential here for Nintendo to utilize to keep this community oriented game fresh.
What’s your take on the news? Is this a game you can see yourself buying a Wii U for? Let us know what you think down in the comments.
Super Mario Maker will be available for Wii U on September 11, 2015.
Source: Nintendo YouTube