The Super Mario Maker 2 Nintendo Direct revealed plenty of new features for the upcoming build-your-own platformer coming out on June 28 on the Switch. In addition to the expected and returning features, Nintendo unveiled a whole swath of new enemies, themes, level types, vehicles, and more.
While it seems small, Nintendo has added the ability to add slopes and players can determine if they sharp or shallow grades. The Angry Sun is also back from Super Mario Bros. 3 and will follow Mario through the stage and attack him. It can even be flipped to the Moon, which changes the course in different ways. For example, Goombas float in one theme while the water becomes poisonous in another theme.
The Snake Block is also making a return and players can draw the pattern it moves in. There is even a faster and slower variant. On and Off Switches are also in the game, which let users turn certain parts of a level on or off. This can be linked to blocks, conveyor belts, and more.
Seesaws have also been added and respond to weight, meaning you may need to balance yourself on them to survive. Speaking of momentum, Nintendo has even added claws that Mario can grab onto, swing, and jump off of.
Water levels can also be tweaked in a number of different ways if you, for some reason, love water levels. Custom scrolling, a much more likable option, can also be applied to stages and customized accordingly. This feeds into hiding parts of the level via a scroll stop (so the camera doesn’t move past part of a wall to show other parts of the stage) and vertically scrolling subareas.
There are also some new enemies like Banzai Bill, which can shoot in the four cardinal directions or home in on Mario. He can even hide in a Dry Bones shell to withstand lava and can even hide in it to temporarily become invincible. You can even hide new 10, 30, or 50 coins around, but it wasn’t clear if there are more denominations.
New sound effects, clear conditions (like beating the level with a certain amount of coins), twisters that suck up everything, conveyor belts, icicles, Red Yoshis, parachutes that go on almost anything and slow their descent, and more have been put into Super Mario Maker 2 as well.
These enemies match the new course themes like desert, snow, forest, and sky, which can all even have new music by legendary composer Koji Kondo. There’s even a story mode with over 100 levels from Nintendo where Mario must earn coins to rebuild the castle. The levels are meant to show people how to make levels.
The Super Mario 3D World is also finally in Super Mario Maker 2 but will clear the course you’re working on if you choose it since it is so different from the other styles. There are tons of unique aspects of this theme like Cat Mario, clear pipes, crates that float, warp boxes, spiky blocks, ! blocks that extend when hit, a tracking block that moves where you draw (like the Piranha Creeper), Skipsqueaks that follow Mario’s movements, a Koopa Troopa Car, and more.
And there are a ton of different multiplayer options in Super Mario Maker 2 as well, which you can read about here (link coming soon).
Mario Maker 2 Missing Enemies
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Top 10 Mario Enemies We Want in Super Mario Maker 2
One of the thrills of Super Mario Maker is seeing a mix of elements you've never seen before in styles you've never dreamed of. The first game hit a lot of the heavy hitters, but not all of them, and there's plenty of room to expand in Nintendo's upcoming sequel. -
Boomerang Bro
The slightly less annoying cousin of the Hammer Bro, the Boomerang variety does offer one unique trick. One of the fun level design tricks in Mario Maker is having projectiles come from other rooms as you navigate a tricky corridor. What better opponent for this trick than this particular turtle. -
Chargin' Chuck
The guardians of most of the level gates in Super Mario World, this football Koopa is talented in all manner of sports. He can charge with his helmet and throw baseballs in his original game, so who knows what changes Mario Maker could bring. Some hockey stick action perhaps? -
Koopalings
Since their grand return to the Mario canon, some fans have grown tired of Bowser's original children but we are not some of those fans. These seven wand-waving brats are some of the best enemy designs in all of Mario, and their unique boss design would add great variety to Mario Maker stages. Iggy 4 Life. -
Mechakoopa
The Koopa Clown Car was in Super Mario Maker, but its inclusion isn't truly complete without Bowser's own personal robot army. The Mechakoopa may only have a limited appearance, but that boss fight is significant enough to get these guys in as a projectile once again. -
Mouser
Super Mario Bros. 2 is highly underrepresented in Mario Maker, mostly due to Nintendo of Japan's dislike for anything remotely related to Super Mario USA. However, that's ancient history, and Mouser is a mouse with sunglasses that throws bombs. He's too cool to be relegated to a single NES game from 30 years ago. -
Ninji
Of course, not every Mario 2 character is trapped in the past. Ninji recently appeared in Super Mario Run, the mobile game that's still getting updates in case you didn't notice. With a new fully 3D look, it only makes sense to put this jumpy little guy into Mario Maker. -
Phanto
One of the most unique Mario enemies, Phanto is a spooky ghost face that guards keys. He'll follow any thieves to the end of the Earth, or at least the end of the level. Entire stages could be built around this mechanic alone, so it seems like a slam dunk to have this scary face drop in alongside the Angry Sun. -
Pokey
Pokey is a tall cactus that just wants to move along. He's always smiling and he doesn't seem to care when Yoshi eats one of his middle sections. He also provides a dynamic barrier to get past in level design, one that Mario Maker designers can take full advantage of if given the opportunity. -
Rex
The tall Dinosaur Land inhabitants haven't appeared much outside of their debut in Super Mario World, and that's a shame. He's like a double tall Goomba, only he's a dinosaur and he takes two stomps to vanquish. Dinosaurs are automatically cooler than walking mushrooms. Sorry, Goomba. -
Spike
Whether he's throwing spiked balls or spiked pipes, Spike is always throwing something. He also stores his projectiles in his stomach, meaning he must have one hell of a pain resistance. In any case, his projectile spewing would be a welcome addition to the Super Mario Maker toolbox.
