Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS

Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS
For alternate box art, see the game's gallery.
Developer	Nintendo Software Technology Corporation Nintendo EPD
Publisher	Nintendo
Platform(s)	Nintendo 3DS
Release date	Original release: December 1, 2016 December 1, 2016[?] December 1, 2016[?] December 2, 2016 December 2, 2016 December 2, 2016[?] December 3, 2016 August 3, 2017[?] Nintendo Selects: June 29, 2018 November 2, 2018 November 29, 2018 February 4, 2019
Language(s)	English (United Kingdom) English (United States) French (France) French (Canada) German Spanish (Spain) Spanish (Latin America) Italian Dutch Portuguese (Portugal) Russian Japanese Korean
Genre	Level editor, Platform
Rating(s)	ESRB: - Everyone PEGI: - Three years and older CERO: - All ages ACB: - General USK: - All ages RARS: - All ages GRAC: - All ages GSRR: - Six years and older Gmedia: - Three years and older
Mode(s)	1 player
Format	Nintendo 3DS: Game Card Digital download
Input	Nintendo 3DS: Gamepad Stylus
Serial code(s)	CTR-AJHJ-JPN CTR-AJHE-USA

Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS is a Nintendo 3DS port of the 2015 Wii U game Super Mario Maker. Despite being a Nintendo 3DS game, it is only playable in 2D. It was initially released in December 2016. As of 2024, this game is recognized as an independent entry in the Super Mario, specifically the nineteenth. The only other rereleases or ports to be recognized by Nintendo as standalone entries are the ones that saw release on the Nintendo Switch.

Changes and new features

The game includes much of the content from the original Wii U release, with notable exceptions being its sample courses, 10 Mario Challenge, the Mystery Mushroom and Big Mushroom power-ups (and thus the Costume Mario and Big Mario forms), and searching for courses by code. It is also possible to play courses made in the Wii U version, though not every course is compatible with the 3DS version due to version differences, such as the removal of Mystery Mushrooms and Big Mushrooms from the 3DS version.

Exclusive to Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS and replacing the Wii U version's sample courses, the game includes 100 new courses designed by Nintendo pre-installed. The courses also include medal objectives, in which the player must fulfill certain criteria, such as collecting every coin in the level, to earn a medal. Players can also send unfinished courses to other players, by way of Local Play, and they can team up, or collaborate, on stages. Stages made in this way have a special icon marked next to it. The editing mode of the game also includes Yamamura's Lessons, an interactive tutorial guided by Mary O. and Yamamura. A similar feature named Yamamura's Dojo would later be included in Super Mario Maker 2.

Super Mario Challenge

The Super Mario Challenge (called Challenge Courses in the Coursebot) is a challenge mode containing 100 levels that replaces 10 Mario Challenge from the Wii U version. It has Challenge Medals to collect that come in handy for accessing the 19th world. Each time one of the first 18 worlds is cleared for the first time, some course parts are unlocked.

Gameplay

The 100 levels are divided up into 19 worlds. However, Princess Peach is taken to World 18. The player needs to go through 88 of the 100 levels to rescue Peach. After the player clears the final level, World 18-8, Peach thanks Mario for saving her and calls him her hero, after which the credits play, which depicts Mario walking down a Ground-themed level in the Super Mario Bros. style while the Time Limit counts down the credits duration.

World 19 is unlocked in the Coursebot when Peach is rescued. The first level in World 19 is dependent on collecting 40 Challenge Medals. The actual mode has the player starting out with ten lives, but they can increase it to 100 lives. If the player receives a Game Over, the player has to restart from the beginning of the world they are on. Lives gained or lost in the Coursebot do not change the lives in the mode. After rescuing Peach, the player can choose to redo the whole challenge with altered text for completing World 19.

The Super Mario Challenge mode also features a map that has 18 worlds. The number of levels start at four (Worlds 1-7, 10-12, 14-16), increases to six (Worlds 8 and 13), then increase to eight (Worlds 9, 17 and 18), and finally to twelve (hidden World 19) with the color of the world map background gradually changing as well (with the exception of World 19 which is exclusive to Coursebot).

Levels

World No.	Game Style	Course Theme(s)
1-1
1-2
1-3
1-4
2-1
2-2
2-3
2-4
3-1
3-2
3-3
3-4
4-1
4-2
4-3
4-4
5-1
5-2
5-3
5-4
6-1
6-2
6-3
6-4
7-1
7-2
7-3
7-4
8-1
8-2
8-3
8-4
8-5
8-6
9-1
9-2
9-3
9-4
9-5
9-6
9-7
9-8
10-1
10-2
10-3
10-4
11-1
11-2
11-3
11-4
12-1
12-2
12-3
12-4
13-1
13-2
13-3
13-4
13-5
13-6
14-1
14-2
14-3
14-4
15-1
15-2
15-3
15-4
16-1
16-2
16-3
16-4
17-1
17-2
17-3
17-4
17-5
17-6
17-7
17-8
18-1
18-2
18-3
18-4
18-5
18-6
18-7
18-8
19-1
19-2
19-3
19-4
19-5
19-6
19-7
19-8
19-9
19-10
19-11
19-12

Challenge Medals

The are two types of Challenge Medals that can be collect through the playthrough or Coursebot for each level. Nintendo mentioned some of these challenges in trailers before the game came out. The first medal is the Goomba Challenge Medal. It is available on the first time play. The second harder medal is the Bowser Challenge Medal. This one does not show up until either it is completed or the Goomba Challenge Medal has been earned. The Bowser Challenge medal can be either a more advanced form, a total opposite, or a non-related challenge of the Goomba Challenge Medal. No Challenge Medals can be earned if the player loses a life after touching a Checkpoint Flag.

Assist Items

Assist Items are items that could appear when the player loses five lives. The player can choose not to accept the item, but they would be asked again if they lose five more lives. If the item is activated, the Challenge Medal would become unobtainable. Assist Items can't be activated after the player touches the Checkpoint Flag, as it, too, removes the possibility of collecting Challenge Medals.

Ending

After the player rescues Peach, the credits roll while Mario walks. There are coins at the top-left corner possibly meaning lives added. When Mario enters the castle, the score of all 88 levels is rallied up. After that, a "To be continued..." message appears due to the player needing to play World in order to unlock bonus content.

Differences between versions

• Due to hardware limitations for Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS:
  • The following elements have been removed from the Nintendo 3DS version:
    • Mystery Mushrooms; the Weird Mushroom replaces the Mystery Mushroom as the game theme-specific power-up in the Super Mario Bros. game theme.
      • Without Mystery Mushrooms, amiibo figurine support and Event Courses have been consequently removed from the game, and clearing 100 Mario Challenge will no longer reward a costume.
    • Big Mushrooms.
      • Without amiibo figurine support, scanning the Super Mario Bros. 30th Anniversary amiibo will no longer summon a Big Mushroom.
    • Cat paws and its other hand tones.
    • The Gnat Attack minigame.
    • Course IDs and all courses that involve the Mystery Mushroom and/or Big Mushroom items (although the player can download Wii U courses from the internet and participate in the 100 Mario Challenge).
      • Additionally, searching via the Super Mario Maker Bookmark portal site has been removed from the Nintendo 3DS version.
  • Players can no longer upload their courses, but instead, they can share them with other players via Local Play or StreetPass.
  • The Nintendo 3DS version has seven item interface columns with nine items each, as opposed to its Wii U predecessor, which has five columns with twelve items each. Also, there is no longer a crown column, and all items completely fill each column.
  • It is no longer possible to record custom sound effects.
  • The letters on the title screen can no longer be tapped due to them being on the top screen.
  • There are fewer buttons when searching online courses.
• Checkpoint Flags, Skewers, and Keys are now standalone course elements, meaning they no longer need to be created by shaking an arrow sign, a Thwomp, or a P Switch, respectively.
• The following elements are now available from the start:
  • The Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World game styles.
  • The Underwater, Airship, Ghost House, and Castle course themes.
  • Mario's trail display, the timer and autoscroll settings, the sound effects menu, and the ability to create sub-areas.
  • Donut Blocks, Fire Flowers, 1-Up Mushrooms, Lifts, Cheep Cheeps, Bloopers, Spike Traps, Semisolid Platforms, Checkpoint Flags, the game style specific power-ups (Weird Mushrooms, Super Leaves, Cape Feathers, and Propeller Mushrooms), Super Stars, Bill Blasters, Dry Bones, Fire Bars, Burners, Hammer Bros., and Tracks—however, Coins, Trampolines, Piranha Plants, Warp Doors, Boos, and Bowser can no longer be turned into Pink Coins, Sideways Trampolines, Fire Piranha Plants, P Warp Doors or Key Doors, Boo Buddies, and Bowser Jr., respectively, until certain points.
• Shaking the following elements no longer gives them alternate forms until the player meets certain conditions:
  • Coins can no longer be turned into Pink Coins until all of the secret World 19 courses have been cleared.
  • Trampolines can no longer be turned into Sideways Trampolines until World 9 of Super Mario Challenge has been cleared.
  • Piranha Plants can no longer be turned into Fire Piranha Plants until World 4 of Super Mario Challenge has been cleared.
  • Warp Doors can no longer be turned into P Warp Doors or Key Doors until Worlds 12 and 18, respectively, of Super Mario Challenge have been cleared.
  • Boos can no longer be turned into Boo Buddies until World 9 of Super Mario Challenge has been cleared.
  • Bowser can no longer be turned into Bowser Jr. until all of the secret World 19 courses have been cleared.
  • Rocky Wrenches can no longer be turned into Monty Moles until World 6 of Super Mario Challenge has been cleared.
  • Buzzy Beetles can no longer be turned into Buzzy Shells until World 15 of Super Mario Challenge has been cleared.
  • Spinies can no longer be turned into Spiny Shells until World 16 of Super Mario Challenge has been cleared.
  • Grinders can no longer be turned into Bumpers until World 16 of Super Mario Challenge has been cleared.
  • Koopa Clown Cars can no longer be turned into Fire Koopa Clown Cars until World 18 of Super Mario Challenge has been cleared.
• The Nintendo 3DS version supports the ability for different players to collaborate on courses together via Local Play.
• 10 Mario Challenge has been replaced with Super Mario Challenge, which consists of 100 courses designed by Nintendo in 18 different worlds.
• Half of the 60 course elements are unlocked at the start, compared to the Wii U version, which has a set of elements unlocked at a time each day.

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• When placing an object down in the course creator, instead of a distorted voice saying the name of the object, there is simply a small sound that sounds like two sticks tapping each other.
• Upon starting the game for the first time, the player no longer needs to play though an unfinished course and a guided tutorial before being able to access the Main Menu. Instead, the player is greeted with an introductory speech from Yamamura and Mary O.
• It is now possible to skip one of the seven intros upon starting up the game.
• If the game card is used on another Nintendo 3DS system, a message will appear saying the player will need to delete all data from the game card.

Updates

Version 1.02

Release date: December 2, 2016

• The two network features of Course World, "Recommended Courses" and "100 Mario Challenge", are now supported.
• Fixed various issues leading to improved overall gameplay experience.

Version 1.03

Release date: April 27, 2017

A number of issues have been fixed to make for a pleasant playing experience.

This update was released alongside the version 1.46 update for Super Mario Maker.

Version 1.04

Release date: November 7, 2017

A number of issues have been fixed to make for a pleasant playing experience.

This update was released alongside the version 1.47 update for Super Mario Maker.

Version 1.05

Release date: March 23, 2021

Addressed an issue involving StreetPass functionality.

Profiles

• Nintendo 3DS eShop description:
  • English (American):
    Get ready to play a near-infinte number of side-scrolling 2D Mario courses anytime, anywhere! Earn in-game medals in 100 built-in courses and access recommended courses from the Super Mario Maker™ game on the Wii U™ console. Plus, design courses and share them with other players via the StreetPass™ feature and local wireless!
    
    Want your cannons to shoot coins? Go for it! In this game, you call the shots, and simple touch-screen controls and interactive tutorials make designing courses a snap. Learn design tips and tricks from Mary O. and Yamamura, then share your masterpieces via the StreetPass™ feature and local wireless. Collaborating has never been easier now that you can share incomplete courses with other players. Finish off a course together and a special icon will commemorate the collaboration. That's one of many reasons that this is the must-play portable Mario™ game for inventive groups of friends and anyone yearning for never-ending Super Mario™ magic.
  • English (British):
    Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS is all about playing courses anytime, anywhere.
    
    There's lots to play right out of the box, with 100 built-in courses designed by Nintendo. Those levels have extra challenges too, such as collecting every coin or defeating every enemy before reaching the goal. Completing these extra challenges earns you medals.

Gallery

For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS.

• 

  Logo

• 

  Mario holds a New Nintendo 3DS XL

• 

  Mario and Toad on a New 3DS XL

Media

It has been requested that more audio and/or video files related to this section be uploaded. Specific(s): More samples of tracks composed for this version Please upload all related music, sound effects, voice clips, or any videos for this section. See the help page for information on how to get started.

Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS - The music for even-numbered worlds. An arrangement of Donut Plains from Super Mario World.

File infoMedia:SMM3DS SuperMarioChallenge EvenNumberWorlds.mp3 0:30

Help:Media • Having trouble playing?

Glitches

NOTE: All names are conjectural unless otherwise specified.

Headless Bowser Jr.

NOTE: This glitch only works on the New Super Mario Bros. U game style.

For this glitch, the player must have a Bowser Jr. and a Koopa Clown Car, regardless of which type it is. When Bowser Jr. takes any form of damage or is far away from Mario, he hides into his shell and starts speeding towards Mario. If he falls into a Koopa Clown Car while inside his shell, his head will be jammed inside, giving somewhat of a headless appearance.

There is also another way to experience this glitch by using a Spiny Shell on Mario. When Bowser Jr. hides into his shell, the player should wait until he jumps back out to attack. When he is in mid-air, Mario needs to run under him so he takes damage. When he jumps from the damage, Bowser Jr. is headless for a second before retreating into his shell. It is recommended to use Big Bowser Jr.

Wrong Bob-omb Color

In all game styles except New Super Mario Bros. U, if the player places a lit Bob-omb in the level's main area in the editor, it is colored red as it should be. However, if the player goes to the sub-area and places a lit Bob-omb, it is incorrectly colored gray in the editor. (The color is fixed when play-testing the course, or when the player taps an object while in editing mode.)

Reception

Reviews
Release	Reviewer, Publication	Score	Comment
Nintendo 3DS	Jose Otero, IGN	7.2/10	"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 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."
Nintendo 3DS	Thomas Whitehead, Nintendo Life	9/10	"Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS doesn't match the Wii U original in terms of visual polish or amiibo support, nor does it have the vibrant online scene that defined that title. Despite this, there are smart design choices that compensate for these inevitable shortcomings, with additions that enable quicker and more educated level design, along with Super Mario Challenge, a large set of official levels that's more structured and enjoyable than equivalent modes in the HD iteration. For those without a Wii U, Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS is a no-brainer, as it's a lot of Mario on one cartridge and a terrific creative toolset. For those with a Wii U it's a tougher call, as the HD original offers smart online features and sharing, even though the portable iteration offers a strong offline and solo playing experience. On its own merits, however, avoiding those comparisons, this 3DS version of an elite Wii U title deserves plenty of credit - it's a big success for small screens."
Nintendo 3DS	Jed Whitaker, Destructoid	6/10	"If the 3DS version would have came out prior to the Wii U version, I think we would all feel very differently about it, but that isn't the case. While the main features are there, the lack of online rips the heart out of the game making it little more than a glorified way to play a random selection of levels, most of which aren't very good, even with Nintendo's curation. 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."
Aggregators
Compiler		Platform / Score
Metacritic		73
GameRankings		72.42%

Staff

Main article: List of Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS staff

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	スーパーマリオメーカー for Nintendo 3DS[?] Sūpā Mario Mēkā fō Nintendō Surī Dī Esu	Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS
Chinese (traditional)	超級瑪利歐創作家 for Nintendo 3DS Chāojí Mǎlì'ōu Chuàngzuòjiā for Nintendo 3DS	Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS
Korean	슈퍼 마리오 메이커 for 닌텐도 3DS[?] Syupeo Mario Meikeo for Nintendo 3DS	Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS

Trivia

• By way of a glitch or a possible developer oversight, it was possible to spawn Mystery Mushrooms using a Big Magikoopa prior to version 1.0.3. Touching the Mystery Mushroom will turn Mario into Small Mario with the same abilities as Super Mario.
• The New Super Mario Bros. U template lacks the same quality as in New Super Mario Bros. 2, which is also a Nintendo 3DS game. 3D elements do not have anti-aliasing effect, and 2D elements are blurrier than in the original game featuring the same art style, being more akin to the original New Super Mario Bros., for the original Nintendo DS.

External links

• Mario Portal Game Archive (EN)
• Mario Portal Game Archive (JP)
• Japanese website
• English e-manual
• French e-manual
• Spanish e-manual