Mario Maker 2 - The Game of the Year is here!

[A Black Falcon]

That this was the final update is very disappointing and that Mario 2 didn't end up with a full theme is a real shame, but what IS here in the update is amazing, fantastic stuff! All of the new suits add so much to the game, and help to make each theme stand out from the others too. Having costumes you can only use in one theme may seem frustrating, but I do like differentiating them a bit more. And again, they're great. The SMB2 Mushroom (in SMB1) obviously is the standout and it's amazing, but the Frog Suit (in SMB3) and Flying Squirrel Suit (in NSMB) are also really awesome. SMW's P-Balloon suit's okay but not nearly as cool as the others. As for 3D World, it gets five limited-time powerup suits. The propeller hat and Bullet Bill hat are the best of the group, but all five certainly have their uses. The other three are a Goomba hat, POW block hat, and cannon box hat. The mechanic of how you get three spins of the propeller hat before you have to land on something to recharge it is a pretty good one. The POW hat is limited-use, three uses total. The others you can use as much as you want, though cannon shots have a range and you can only use the bullet bill mode for so long per hold of the button before you run out of charge and have to land... but you can land and go again, you don't need a new hat like the POW one. I'm not sure how they decided which ones you keep and which you don't, but it does work. Oh, as for the Goomba hat, it makes enemies ignore you, which is amusing but more useful as an amusement than as something essential for levels... still, it is entertaining so sure, why not have it.

The new minibosses, enemies, and objects really flesh the game out too. The additions of the Koopalings are particularly important, that minibosses were always Bowser Jr. or Boom-Boom really got old... but now there are seven new minibosses, each with their own unique patterns. It's great stuff and a fantastic addition. That you can have seven of them in a level is really cool as well. Sure, none of them are super hard as they are, but that there are seven, each with different mechanics, is very important. Some levels already are using them in really clever ways. The regular enemies, three types of mechakoopas, are a great addition too and the laser ones are particularly useful. Phanto, the mas from SMB2 k who chases you if you get the new cursed key, is alright, but Phanto and the key are only in SMB1 theme, as with the SMB2 powerup, and you can only have one Phanto chasing you no matter how many cursed keys you pick up, so it's a bit disappointing; Phanto's cool but could have been better if available in more themes and if you could face more than one at once. He seems a bit slow at times too, though other times he zooms in for the kill so it's a good mix, in longer levels where you have to stay away from Phanto for a while.

As for the new Super World world maker mode, being able to string levels together into a cohesive whole is something important that Mario Maker has always been missing, so it's fantastic to see them finally put it in here at the end of SMM2. You can always wish for more options in the world maker of course, there are no alternate exits available here, only SMW-themed overworld graphics, limited numbers of background art images to put around your maps, and such, but having it at all is a great surprise and it adds a lot to the game. I'm having fun playing worlds, having levels actually connect together is great! When playing a World the game drops Mario Maker's usual "you can only get three lives per level in endless mode" rule too, so you can get lots of one-ups; that's pretty cool. Now, if you get Game Over all that happens is you return to the world map, so it only matters if you get game over in a tough level with checkpoints since you will now have to start the level over, but still it's a fantastic mode which allows for some great new things. I hope there is a SMM3 someday that builds on all the amazing, and frustrating, things that this exceptional classic does.