Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS Reviews

Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS is ranked in the 48th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
IGN
Top Critic
7.2 / 10.0
Nov 30, 2016

The core idea behind Super Mario Maker is the ability to create, play, and share your creation, but the 3DS drops the ball on the last part of that credo. It’s worth noting that designing stages is as easy at it is convenient on the portable 3DS, but not having a larger platform to showcase unique creations will left me wondering what the point is. It’s still an excellent way to play a bottomless pit of classic-style 2D Mario, though, and that makes it worth keeping in your pocket.

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Metro GameCentral
GameCentral
Top Critic
7 / 10
Nov 30, 2016

Some of the best 2D Mario levels in years, but the lack of online options means the construction aspect is unnecessarily limited.

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Nov 30, 2016

Still a magical creative toolkit with an outstanding interface

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7.8 / 10.0
Nov 30, 2016

Mario Maker 3DS is missing some core features from its Wii U counterpart, but it absolutely works as a portable Mario creation suite

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Nov 30, 2016

Super Mario Maker for 3DS comes pretty close to being a perfect portable adaptation of an incredible Wii U game. It certainly works a lot better than previous ports had led me to expect! That said, the absence of one of the original game's most important elements truly diminishes this conversion. The new format and new pre-baked content go a long way toward making up for the loss... but while this version is worth owning for the 100 (!) new levels alone, it's still not the definitive Super Mario Maker.

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6 / 10.0
Dec 13, 2016

On the other hand, the 100 included levels from Nintendo aren't to be missed if you want some of the best Super Mario Bros. levels released to date; they just aren't worth the $40 price tag alone. Super Mario Maker for 3DS isn't a bad game or even a bad creation tool, but without its online heart continuously pumping life into it, it feels more like a useless skeleton, and nobody likes skeletons. NOBODY.

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7 / 10
Nov 30, 2016

Worth picking up for fans of Mario games, but there are too many jarring limitations that I really hope Nintendo see fit to address.

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8 / 10.0
Nov 30, 2016

The infinite Super Mario that was Super Mario Maker on Wii U is quite limited in this portable version.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

8 / 10.0
Nov 30, 2016

18 worlds full of beautiful levels, pure Nintendo quality, with interesting achievements, are the main selling point of the game. The editor is nice, but it's crippled by the limited sharing options.

Review in Italian | Read full review

Unscored
Nov 30, 2016

Buy it for the excellent collection of built-in Nintendo-made levels. Get the Wii U version if you want to actually make your own.

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Nov 30, 2016

If you’re looking for endless side-scrolling action on a handheld, you aren’t going to do better than Super Mario Maker on 3DS. It’s the most Super Mario we’ve seen packed into the handheld to date with a seemingly endless number of levels to tackle that will keep you busy as long as you let it.

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7 / 10.0
Nov 30, 2016

A good Mario game with a fun single player, but one that lacks the tools to make it fully worthwhile from a creation point of view.

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VideoGamer
Top Critic
8 / 10
Nov 30, 2016

Super Mario Maker for 3DS is a perfect fit for the handheld, with loads of content and excellent creation tools, but why can't you share levels online? That decision is baffling.

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8 / 10.0
Nov 30, 2016

Nintendo's brilliant course creator is ready to come to a 3DS near you, but with a couple of notable limitations

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70 / 100
Dec 2, 2016

Super Mario Maker 3DS is a subpar port of a great game. While a lot of the fun is still there, the lack of sharing and search features make for an overall inferior experience.

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Nov 30, 2016

Nintendo's port of Super Mario Maker is a great distraction for those that missed out on the Wii U installment, but it is lacking when compared to the console iteration.

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80 / 100
Nov 30, 2016

Super Mario Maker for 3DS is a great addition to the 3DS library.

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M3
Top Critic
6 / 10
Dec 1, 2016

Super Mario Maker For Nintendo 3DS is a good recreation of the Wii U classic, but the lackluster online capabilities makes this conversion severely inferior to its console counterpart.

Review in Swedish | Read full review

GameMAG
ASarafanov
Top Critic
8 / 10
Feb 6, 2017

Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS is a great game for platformer fans thanks to an interesting set of episodes and a deep level editor. Test of Super Mario Mode will be the outlet for the hardcore audience. Besides, the game is just perfect in order to pass the time in between daily activities and trips.

Review in Russian | Read full review

8 / 10.0
Dec 13, 2016

Super Mario Maker for the 3DS is enjoyable but it has its drawbacks.  While the 100 Mario Challenge and Super Mario Challenge are both fun to play through, the lackluster search function of the Recommended Courses, having to go through the Super Mario Challenge to unlock most of the stuff for stage creation, and the quizzical lack of ability to upload courses and share them with the world outside of locally and via StreetPass make this a hard game to recommend at $40 for a lot of people.

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