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ISince we launched Devs Make Mario two months ago, Polygon readers have (per our request) inundated us with the names of countless developers they'd like to see try their hand at Super Mario Maker — but if there's one demand we've received more than any other, it's Yacht Club Games, developers the Polygon 2014 Game of the Year nominee Shovel Knight. While visiting Los Angeles last weekend, we met up with Yacht Club level designer Michael Herbster, the man responsible for many of the stages you see in Shovel Knight, to make this request a reality.
Initially, Mike wanted to challenge himself by building a fun water level — an idea he quickly abandoned, since, as we all know, there is no such thing as a fun water level. Instead, he pivoted toward making a sleek, minimalist airship stage using only a select few course elements. The result: a stage that feels more like an authentic Super Mario Bros. 3 level than any Mario Maker course we've seen yet.
If you'd like to play Mike's stage, entitled "Rocky Wrench's Doom Ship," the Course ID is 768A-0000-00D4-D0D6. For more of Mike's work, check out Shovel Knight, which just saw a physical retail release earlier this week on 3DS, Wii U, PlayStation 4 and PC.
Got a game developer you'd like to see try their hand at Mario Maker? Let us know in the comments and they may appear in a future episode!
(Music: NΣΣT - "Empyrean")
