Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS Reviews
Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS is in almost every way a better quality release to the already-superb Wii U game. A better introduction and tutorial, and the superb Super Mario Challenge mode show that there’s been significant work done to this version to improve it over the Wii U title. However, the inability to upload and share levels that you’ve created is unforgivable. It rips the soul of the original Mario Maker right out of the game, leaving a shell of a game that does very little to encourage you to make interesting courses
Super Mario Maker is a thoroughly self defeating product in every sense of the word, and as it exists, it simply should not have been pushed out to the market.
At the end of the day, Super Mario Maker 3DS excels at the level editing the Wii U game was known for. Sadly, that was only a fraction of the full Wii U package. While the game does boast to have a hundred built in levels, I feel like that they should have just taken those and repacked the game as New Super Mario Bros 3, as the sheer lack of online functionalities makes this game very hard to recommend. If you can still find a Wii U, or already have one and are debating on whether or not you should pick up this game, I would say just get it on Wii U.
Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS is a delight to play and create with, but it's got some disastrous barriers to entry. The inability to share 3DS courses online is a painful limitation, as is the choice to gate creation tools behind 18 worlds of platforming. If you can overcome these issues, you've got a portable version of Nintendo's best game from last year, but I fear most users' patience will run out before then.
It is unfortunately hampered by its limitations on this platform. While its social elements are severely lacking, the act of playing, and most importantly, creating a level from your own mind is still really fun. If you find yourself not able to be creative, the 100 Mario Challenge and Super Mario Challenge provide the inspiration you’ll need to make fantastic levels and share them for the world to play.
Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS does tick the boxes when it comes to core solo play, serving up an assortment of Nintendo's own crafted creations and also a handful of compatible user-made courses. The tool maintains the Wii U's edition's flexibility and has a good majority of tiles to play with. However, where the game truly is lacking is in the online component - no course sharing and searching is a big oversight and does dampen the selling appeal of the 3DS edition, something that Nintendo should resolve.
If you don’t have a Wii U, Super Mario Maker on 3DS is still a great way to get a never ending stream of interesting Mario levels. If you do have a Wii U, however, you might be better off just sticking with the console version.
We loved the original Super Mario Maker last year, and, in many ways, this is a seamless port, with a fantastic, complete 2D Mario game thrown in to boot. However, the gutted online capabilities cut this port off from a lot of what makes the game special, leaving the 3DS version in an odd position.
Sadly the scope for this game is severely limited by the lack of online sharing of levels, which was one of the main qualities of the original and overall this feels like a downgrade. It's still an appealing title and it succeeds in what it offers but it's impossible not to shrug off a certain sense of disappointment.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Mario die-hards that only have a 3DS will find some enjoyment in playing the new mode, and the limited selection of online courses, but without the ability to share your created courses with the world, it seems like a waste of time.
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
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.
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.
Super Mario Maker is every bit the engrossing, feature rich creation tool that it is on the Wii U, but only if you plan on sharing your creations with a very limited pool of people. Its lack of real course-sharing rips out the heart of what made this title so captivating on the Wii U, making it a clear second best choice.
The problem with Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS is that while it does everything it needs to be a fun title, it does still have a bigger and better older brother. It comes around as a sleeker model that offers much of the same experience but it, unfortunately, left the popular features of the older model behind.
The local level creation is nice when it’s available, but that’s probably not going to be very often. The ''Maker'' part of the title seems less to matter. While I never made too many levels to begin with, having the possibility missing is something that can't be denied.
This is one scenario where Nintendo should have been generous, instead of making players work for everything. You can tell that it’s just not the playground it used to be, despite some options still being present.
With all that said, Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS is still a great holiday buy for gamers that only own a Nintendo 3DS. The game acts like a quick Super Mario campaign with an accompanying endless collection of levels — and endless Super Mario levels is never a bad thing. Despite a fantastic new delivery system found in Super Mario Challenge, too may of the downgrades strip the components of Super Mario Maker that made it a breakaway success on Wii U.
Following 2015’s excellent Wii U version, Super Mario Maker 3DS takes the fun of Mario level design on the go. The portable version brings the fun of the original’s creation tools as well as modes like the 100-course and 100-Mario challenges. Although the visual downgrade is expected, however, the limited level-sharing options are more surprising and take out the teeth from an otherwise solid game that’s centered on creation.
Super Mario Maker 3DS is a great port, with creation tools that work wonders on the touchscreen and the Challenge mode is a brilliant addition. It's only besmirched by the fact online sharing is so very limited. Perhaps with a future update? We seriously doubt it. If you've not tried Super Mario Maker on Wii U and aren't bothered by sharing your creations with the world, it's still very much worth your time.