Super Mario Maker

A Nintendo side-scrolling platform creation game that lets players design, share, and play custom Super Mario levels across multiple game styles and platforms.

Overview

Super Mario Maker is a side-scrolling platform creation title originally developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii U. Players build custom courses using elements drawn from several classic Mario eras, then play them, upload them online, or download creations made by others. The original game launched in Japan on September 10, 2015 (Japan release), and reached North America and Europe on September 11, 2015 (North America, Europe), with Australia following on September 12, 2015.

Gameplay and editor tools

The core appeal is the in-game editor: a drag-and-drop interface that enables users to place terrain, enemies, power-ups and special gimmicks to craft linear or exploratory platform stages. Interfaces let creators switch between different physics and tile sets, place triggers and use helper tools such as copy, erase, and undo. Levels can be tested instantly and iterated upon until the designer is satisfied.

Styles, assets, and variants

Courses can be built using art, rules, and object behaviors drawn from multiple Mario games. The available themes recreate the look and feel of Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World, and New Super Mario Bros. U. Each style alters enemy movement, jump properties, and available items, letting creators experiment by mixing visual motifs with different gameplay physics.

Once uploaded, courses become part of a global exchange where players can search, play, and rate levels. Within months of release the community produced millions of courses: by May 2016 more than seven million levels had been created and collectively played hundreds of millions of times. This user-generated model encouraged competitive, puzzle, and artful stage design and sustained long-term engagement through discovery and remixing.

Ports, sequel and legacy

Nintendo later released a handheld adaptation titled Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS on December 1, 2016, followed by a curated inclusion on the Nintendo Selects range. The concept was expanded and refined in Super Mario Maker 2 for the Nintendo Switch, which added online modes, new mechanics, and larger course possibilities. The series demonstrated how familiar franchises can be extended by empowering players to become creators, influencing other games that incorporate level editors and community sharing.

Reception and notable facts

Critics praised the intuitive editor and breadth of creative tools while noting occasional online limits and moderation constraints.
The title blurred the line between player and designer, spotlighting emergent gameplay and community curation.
Its success led to follow-up projects and influenced user-generated content strategies within Nintendo's portfolio.

Today, Super Mario Maker is recognized both as a celebration of Nintendo's platforming legacy and as a flexible toolbox that invited millions of players to invent new Mario experiences. For further official information and updates see material from Nintendo and platform announcements linked above.