If you've never created a level in Super Mario Maker before, the game offers a slew of tutorials that serve as proper introductions to every crevice of the creator. This can feel awfully clunky, and is definitely a less-preferable experience to handheld mode. You can also create levels while the console is docked, but the game forces you to use button controls instead of the more obvious pointer controls. While the game certainly works without a stylus, having a capacitive stylus on-hand can't hurt. Need an enemy? Pop open the wheel and drag them to your task bar or directly onto the level planning grid. The grid-style drag-and-drop of the first game has been simplified to a task bar and wheel-select screens. The creation suite has been updated to make things a little more seamless, although some might disagree. RELATED: Super Mario Maker 2 Won't Allow Online Play With Friends Thankfully, the sequel supports both of those goals in extremely meaningful ways. Of course, chances are you came to Super Mario Maker 2 for two specific reasons: to create levels and to play created levels. To solve, you have to use enemies, moving blocks and more to your advantage and move along without leaving the ground. Even one of the game's first courses has a "clear condition" that you cannot jump for the entire level. While the levels in this mode are meant to introduce elements you'll be building with or experiencing in user-created courses, a handful of them put up quite a challenge. It's perfect for pick-up-and-play sessions, and certainly doesn't ask for real money in exchange for progress.
This part feels a bit F2P mobile game-y, but isn't all that egregious. You do so by taking jobs from the Toad Taskmaster, completing courses and earning coins and then using those coins to kick up construction projects. The story is fairly simple, with surprising appearances from the Undo Dog and Reset Rocket as Peach's Castle is wiped from existence, and it's up to you and a team of Toads to rebuild the Mushroom Kingdom.
It also provides a lovely introduction to the game's newest tile set, Super Mario 3D World, which feels extremely weird to play exclusively in 2D, but offers a layer of flexibility the other tile sets do not. This mode won't have you crafting levels from scratch, but it wades into mechanics new and old, like Ghost Houses, puzzle-like courses and twisted takes on classic Mario stages. The first major change noticed when booting up Super Mario Maker 2 is the game's newly added Story Mode, a fun little adventure that introduces players to creation tools in an organic way. RELATED: Fans React to Super Mario Maker's Small Level Unit Still, it's difficult not to miss the quirkiness of the Wii U's GamePad - and its stylus. However, Super Mario Maker 2 does just that and more, with new options, enemies, tools, online functions (sans online co-op with friends, for now), and modes to fill out the sequel.
Since the Switch's initial reveal in 2016, it was clear the game would feel right at home in the console's library, although many expected a simple port, with portability and a touch screen able to emulate the original's tools at the least, and expand on them in meaningful ways at the most. It was a no-brainer that Super Mario Maker would end up on the Nintendo Switch at some point.