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Arguably one of the best features to include in a video game is the ability to create your own levels. As a gamer I thoroughly enjoy having to create my own levels so that I can test myself in game design. Experimenting with customization is a surefire way of attracting the attention of gamers, and in most cases, keeping their attention throughout the process. In addition to this, it gives you more control over the game, which some people appreciate. This example is shown through Diablo II, and how people visit the unique d2 store design to purchase items that accentuate the game which in turn gives them more control over how the game runs. However, being able to create your own levels is a new and bigger amount of freedom for gamers.
Super Mario Maker was recently released for the Nintendo Wii U and the glowing reviews of this game have rushed in like a raging river. This Mario game happened to be one of the things that gamers have been looking for, and it included many things about the Super Mario franchise that we have come to know and love through the years. If you want your level setting to take on the look of Super Mario Bros. 3, for example, then you have that option in Super Mario Maker. If you want to go really retro and have an original Super Mario Bros. look to your level, then you can do that too. Creating levels in Super Mario Maker is exactly as it sounds. You are creating your own Super Mario adventure by placing platforms, enemies and power-ups wherever you like!
There is pretty much no limit as to what you can do with your custom levels. You can be conservative and throw in just a few things to keep your straightforward, or you can go all out, stack enemies on top of each other, create big gaps between platforms, create a maze full of blocks, and put in an abundance of power-ups.
Super Mario Maker is one way of allowing passionate Mario fans to express their creativity and show other gamers how they would design a single level. Some custom levels are made just right on the first try while other levels need a few rounds of editing before they hit the spot. I believe this was Nintendo’s way of acknowledging that a good chunk of their fan base are talented individuals who can create some interesting content with level creating tools like Super Mario Maker’s.
I have watched some YouTube videos of some fans creating their own Super Mario levels using Super Mario Maker, and I have to say that I’m very impressed with some of the designs and layouts that are being thrown out there. Many gamers are being imaginative and some are definitely being methodical when placing certain elements of a level in certain spots. When it comes to putting in secrets such as invisible coin blocks, this is where the art of discovery is interpreted differently in one sense. If you are desperately looking for a green 1-up mushroom to keep playing, you will have a tendency to jump all over the place and you will hit the blocks that you can see. However, if you find that 1-up mushroom by hitting an invisible block, then it makes that moment of discovery satisfying.
Overall Super Mario Maker looks like a big hit with gamers all across the board and if you are into customization, you might want to consider picking it up!
