There's something just a little off-kilter about these levels. Whether it's the inherent strangeness of another franchise rendered so well in Mario's clothing, the inspired, or the just plain slightly mad... we've collected some of the weird and the wonderful from the newly-released Super Mario Maker for your pleasure. Included with each level is an ID, so you can download each level on this list and play them for yourself. Be sure to let us know how you go in the comments!
Super Shmup Bros.
ID: 4EDD-0000-0013-6E08
Ever wanted to engage in a daring aerial battle with your foes, reminiscent of the aerial dogfights of yore? Then hop into the Koopa Clown Car, grab a Fire Flower, and be prepared to battle your way through masses of well co-ordinated enemies to complete the Super Shmup Bros. stage. It's a fiendishly difficult stage with a distinctively weird end boss, as seen above.
Press right, run, and enjoy!!
ID: 7CA1-0000-0011-1B5D
There's only one competitor to outrace on this track -- a Spiny Shell! Per the straight-to-the-point title of this level, you only need to press right to complete this stage. It's all about the journey, though: fraught with neat stunts and well-crafted scenery. An underground sequence does wonders for extending what would otherwise be a fairly short stage.
Automatik Epic!!
ID: 0598-0000-000F-8D66
There are few things that can like up to Kumikyoku, the last word in automatic Mario levels, set to a medley of songs popular on Japanese video-sharing service NicoNico (formerly Nico Nico Douga).
Given its limited resources, this level makes a damn good attempt.
There's an immensely satisfying line-up to the level's music at a couple of points, peppered with details that must have taken a boggling amount of time to assemble -- as well as a healthy dose of weird.
Super Meat Bros.
ID: BA34-0000-0015-F84C
As of writing, this level has a completion rate of 0.04 percent. Just one look at the screen is a great indicator of why -- it is a fiendishly, lovingly, completely crazily crafted tribute to Super Meat Boy. As a reminder, you must beat your own Super Mario Maker level before uploading it to share with others. This means that somewhere out there is a level creator with frame-perfect walljump timing and a penchant for round saws, and I bet they're laughing.
Full disclosure: I never made it past the first walljump. A sea of crossed balloons said to me that not many others did, either, taking a little of the sting out of it. Only a little.
Premiére Création
ID: 7180-0000-000F-AF5D
The best way to appreciate this level is through a pulled-back perspective. Just look at the amount of content squeezed into the limited space provided so soon after the game's release. Perhaps the weirdest aspect of this level is the wheel of fire embedded in a wall towards the right of the level. During ordinary gameplay, it isn't visible, leaving me filled with questions but impressed by the creator's devotion to dangling hidden content right in front of my face, tauntingly.
Splatoon?
ID: EA73-0000-000F-86C2
Enable the comments to get the best experience out of this Splatoon-themed zone. There's something about that crowd that seems to draw in the artists and the jokers alike.
"Are you a kid or a squid?" asked a bemused drawing of Professor Oak. I zoomed past him, tentacles undulating gently.
Things only got better from there, as I polished off the remainder of this quirky Super Mario Maker level and was confronted by a shoal of unhappy squid.
Green Hill Zone (amiibo mod)
ID: 47BE-0000-000F-66FE
Younger gamers might not bat an eye, but this faithful Super Mario Maker re-imagining of Green Hill Zone absolutely floors me. Don your blue spikes and tan arms (there's not a weirdly controversial blue arm to be seen!) and navigate springs, admire loops, and go fast! The themed sound effects that accompany the Sonic costume really help to sell this enjoyably absurd level.
P-Block Dash
ID: B9FA-0000-001C-A251
Make no mistake: this level is difficult. Hit the P-block and take off over a landscape of transformed coins, racing the clock through difficult terrain in order to make it to the next P-block. In a weird way, this Super Mario Maker level reminds me old checkpoint-based arcade racing games like Daytona.
The Great Bar Fight
ID: CB44-0000-002A-0192
It's just so satisfying to see a level accomplish exactly what it says it's going to in the title. Play as Peppy Hare and engage in a series of no holds barred fights with rowdy Goombas, all inside imaginatively set up bars. Bright lights and plenty of music mean that this fun level borders on a ballroom blitz.
song
ID: 50CE-0000-0026-7FC4
What.
Just... what's happening here? I'm just a writer, I didn't sign up for this psychotic cacophony, this aural bombardment, this... admittedly cleverly designed level.
There's no real gameplay to speak of. Head to the right and jump occasionally to clear this level. Constant movement is required, prompted by stray hammers falling from above. All around you, enemies jump, spring, and otherwise cavort on Note Blocks. At the start of the level, it seems like there's the shadow of a melody, but it quickly descends into something altogether weirder.
Nintendo has always embraced the bizarre and the strange -- from baffling microgames in the Warioware series to more recent presentations. It's no surprise that fans have responded with some pretty weird Super Mario Maker levels! Be sure to give your favorites a go by using the IDs listed on each slide, and let us know how you go!
Published: Sep 15, 2015 03:31 pm