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Super Mario Maker

Overall Rating: 4.12 • 140 reviews
The Sprint Player The Investment Gamer

Super Mario Maker turns Mario into a fast, flexible course hopper, with short levels that are easy to sample and a near-endless supply of player-made ideas when you want something new. Its real hook is the editor, which lets you build clean little obstacle runs or weird joke stages in minutes, then tweak and share them without much setup.

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Details

Some of the particulars and information about Super Mario Maker.
Developer: Nintendo
Release Date: September 11, 2015
How Long to Beat: 36 hrs

Great for:

The Sprint Player The Investment Gamer

Ratings

Some of the ratings and scores for Super Mario Maker.
80 Metacritic
9 IGN
-- Our Score

Genres

Action
Side-Scrolling

Systems

Here's where you can find Super Mario Maker and play.

ESRB: Everyone

Comic Mischief
Overview
Why Play?
How Much Time?
Overview

Super Mario Maker lets you build side scrolling Mario courses, test jumps and hazards in real time, then share and play community levels for endless platforming variety

Why Play?

Super Mario Maker keeps platforming fresh with quick, satisfying courses and a steady stream of inventive player-made levels, plus simple creation tools when you want to build instead

How Much Time?

Super Mario Maker breaks play into quick custom courses, with instant retries, endless community levels, and a steady loop of building, testing, sharing, and replaying creations

Quick Runs, Clear Feedback

Super Mario Maker is built around short platforming bursts. Most levels are easy to jump into, read quickly, and finish in a few minutes, so it works well when you want a complete play session without committing to a long campaign stretch.

The moment to moment play is classic Mario, with tight jumps, enemy placement, moving platforms, and hazards that are meant to be understood on the fly. Because courses are usually built around one idea at a time, you get fast feedback on what a level is asking from you, whether that is precision timing, puzzle-like routing, or pure chaos.

Build While You Play

What sets Super Mario Maker apart is how directly creation feeds into play. You place blocks, enemies, and traps on a simple grid, then test the course instantly, which makes level design feel more like active tinkering than a separate mode you have to study first.

That quick edit-and-retry loop is the real draw if you like shaping your own experience over time. You can sketch a simple obstacle course in minutes, keep refining jumps until they feel right, or lean into strange joke stages and surprise setups that would never appear in a standard Mario release.

Endless Community Variety

When you are not building, the community side keeps the game fresh. Player-made stages range from straightforward traditional Mario courses to gimmick-heavy experiments, speedrun challenges, and levels designed around a single clever mechanic, so it is easy to sample a few and stop whenever you feel satisfied.

There is also a long tail to the game if you enjoy gradually finding creators or styles that match your taste. Instead of working through one fixed set of worlds, you are dipping into a huge pool of ideas, which gives Super Mario Maker a flexible rhythm that can feel both casual in the moment and rewarding over the long run.

Fresh Levels On Demand

Super Mario Maker is easy to recommend if you want platforming that rarely feels stuck in one rhythm. You can jump from a clean, traditional Mario course to a clever puzzle stage, then into something chaotic or funny, all in a short stretch.

That constant change gives the game real staying power. Instead of replaying the same handful of developer-made levels, you get a huge pool of community ideas that can surprise you even when you only have time for a few runs.

Short Sessions Still Satisfy

One of the best reasons to play Super Mario Maker is how quickly it gets to the good part. Pick a course, learn its trick, make a few attempts, and either clear it or move on without feeling like you have lost an evening to it.

That structure makes failure easier to accept, because most stages are built around a single concept or challenge. You spend less time on buildup and more time on sharp little bursts of timing, problem solving, and improvement.

Build Without Commitment

The editor gives Super Mario Maker a second layer of appeal that most Mario games simply do not have. You can place enemies, platforms, and hazards, test them instantly, and reshape an idea in minutes rather than learning a complicated toolset first.

That makes creating feel playful instead of demanding. Whether you want to design a fair obstacle course, a goofy trap level, or just see how one mechanic changes a jump, the game lets you experiment, share, and come back later without losing momentum.

Main Story Playtime

If you treat Super Mario Maker like a play first package, expect roughly 6 to 10 hours to work through a solid chunk of Nintendo-made content and sample the main tools and modes. Progress is not built around a long adventure map. Instead, it moves through individual courses, short challenge runs, and the steady process of unlocking parts by playing and creating.

That structure makes sessions very flexible. A single level can take only a few minutes, retries are instant, and building time can be as short as testing one idea before saving and leaving. It works well in 15 to 30 minute stretches because you can finish a course, upload a draft, or clear a few attempts without losing your place.

Completion and Replay Time

For a more complete run, plan on 20 to 40+ hours, and much more if the creation side clicks with you. Extra time comes from unlocking every tool, clearing tougher challenge content, experimenting with different course themes, and revising your own levels until they play the way you want.

Replay is where Super Mario Maker stretches out almost indefinitely. Community stages keep feeding you new puzzles, gimmicks, joke maps, and precision platforming tests, while your own courses invite constant tweaks after each test run or after other players try them. You can stop after one clever stage or sink an evening into making a single course feel right.

Trailer

A Quick Look at Super Mario Maker

Curious what Super Mario Maker is all about? The trailer gives you a great first look at the world, the vibe, and the kind of story you're stepping into.

Super Mario Maker Trailer
Videos

Related videos for Super Mario Maker

These videos give some tips and pointers on getting started with Super Mario Maker

Mario Maker 2 - Before You Buy

gameranx

Everything Super Mario Maker 3 NEEDS!

Switch Stop

Game Theory: Super Mario Maker, BIGGER than the UNIVERSE!

The Game Theorists

Mario Maker - My kid's levels - Episode 1

Cinemassacre
Backbone One

Competing For the TV at Home? No Problem! Here's How You Can Play Super Mario Maker on your phone.

You don't have to compete with the family for the TV to play console games anymore. With the Backbone One, your phone becomes your Xbox or PS5 controller, giving you the freedom to pick up and play when life gives you a spare moment. It's how we get most of our playtime in.
Backbone Backbone
Get Yours Today
Screenshots

Screenshots of Super Mario Maker

Want to see what Super Mario Maker actually looks like in-game? These screenshots will hopefully give you a feel for what the world of Super Mario Maker is like.

Super Mario Maker
Super Mario Maker
Super Mario Maker
Super Mario Maker
Super Mario Maker
Frequently Asked Questions

Have Questions About Super Mario Maker?

What actually comes with Super Mario Maker besides the editor?

It includes Nintendo-made sample content, challenge-style play, and online access to player-created courses. That means you can treat it as a game to play first and a toolset to explore later. The package is broader than just making levels from scratch.

Is Super Mario Maker multiplayer or co-op?

The original Wii U release is mostly a solo experience for creating and playing courses. You can share levels online and compare how others handle them, but it is not built around full campaign co-op. If local multiplayer is a priority, this is not the strongest Mario option.

How hard is Super Mario Maker if you are not great at platformers?

Difficulty swings a lot because community levels range from simple traditional stages to very demanding challenge maps. The good news is the controls are classic Mario, so the basics are easy to understand even when a course gets tricky. Sticking to Nintendo-made content and more straightforward user levels gives you a smoother start.

Do you need to be creative to enjoy Super Mario Maker?

No. You can ignore the building side completely and still get plenty out of browsing and playing courses. If you do try creating, the tools are approachable enough for simple ideas like a short obstacle run or themed gimmick stage.

Are there important version differences to know before playing Super Mario Maker?

Yes. Super Mario Maker was released on Wii U, and that version leans heavily on the GamePad for editing. There is also a Nintendo 3DS version, but it has more limited sharing features, so it is less appealing if browsing community content is a big part of why you want the game.

Franchise

Explore More From Super Mario

Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Super Mario Maker 2
Super Mario Odyssey
It's Never Too Late to Start Playing.

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