Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS Reviews

Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS is ranked in the 48th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
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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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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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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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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3.6 / 5.0
Dec 9, 2016

Super Mario Maker 3DS is a fun game on this console that offers some really fun gameplay and more importantly, the ability to create your own 2D arcade worlds with an intuitive creation system. However the downside of this title is the lack of sharing your creations with other players from the around the world and if this was included in Super Mario Maker 3DS, it would have been a fantastic game on this console. It’s still a fun game but is missing that final piece of the gaming puzzle!

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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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7.3 / 10.0
Nov 30, 2016

Super Mario Maker 3DS is not a hurried porting. The efforts made to ensure the title could have a place in the 3DS line-up are tangible. The single player mode, for instance, is finally interesting and funny. The lack of online, on the other way, deprive the project of a substantial dose of appeal.

Review in Italian | Read full review

7.8 / 10.0
Dec 31, 2016

The fact that players cannot share and play others' courses on the 3DS through a complete course browser is the single thing that holds this version back. With the Super Mario Challenge and the fluid mechanics intact, we still have a solid product in Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS.

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Dave Aubrey
Top Critic
7.8 / 10.0
Nov 30, 2016

Super Mario Maker is a great game, but this handheld version is missing a couple of features that made the Wii U version essential. Loads of fun to be had, just far too familiar.

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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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7.9 / 10.0
Dec 2, 2016

If you’ve messed about on the Wii U game and simply need to make 2D Mario Levels on the bus or in your bathroom, the 3DS version fits the bill. Otherwise, you’ve seen most of this circus before. If, however, you have never participated in the glory that is mucking about in an interactive toolkit for one of gaming’s most revered franchises, Super Mario Maker on 3DS becomes something like an essential backpack, or deserted island, companion. Long may you run.

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8 / 10
Nov 30, 2016

Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS continues to delight with wacky and unexpected creations. It falters in not looking to foster an online community of its own but remains the perfect construction kit to live out your Mushroom Kingdom dreams.

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8 / 10
Dec 15, 2016

Super Mario Maker 3DS isn’t definitive, but the exhilaration of making a Mario level wherever you are in the world is a pretty amazing thing, as is one of the best 2D Mario experiences in recent memory.

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8 / 10.0
Nov 30, 2016

Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS is not just a shrunken-down version of its Wii U counterpart, but a title that puts more emphasis on the single player and on local sharing of contents. It's a pity, then, that no online sharing is included and that some features are missing. Still, a worthy episode for long time fans of the franchise.

Review in Italian | Read full review

games(TM)
games™ Team
Top Critic
8 / 10
Feb 7, 2017

Missing features, but not missing class

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Stevivor
Top Critic
8 / 10.0
Dec 7, 2016

Ultimately, Super Mario Maker is paired down on 3DS, but not to ridiculous levels. Editing is as easy on a 3DS touchscreen as a Wii U touchpad — though decidedly easier on a 3DS XL than a 3DS — and gameplay is largely the same. If you own a copy on Wii U, it’s probably better to stick with that. For most of us — who either don’t own a Wii U or who mothballed it a while ago — this entry’s a great little package to pick up for Christmas.

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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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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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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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