Mario Maker is for anyone who has ever had an idea for a Super Mario Bros. level, Nintendo announced today during its Digital Event from E3 2014.
The upcoming Wii U title will allow players to design side-scrolling stages and swap between 8-bit Super Mario Bros. graphics and New Super Mario Bros. visuals on the fly. In a presentation to the press, Nintendo showed off level editing such as the ability to alter the height of green pipes and place objects such as springs and coins. This all takes place on the Wii U GamePad, with players using the device's stylus to move and edit objects.
Mario Maker's existence was reported last week, based on what appeared to be a photo of Nintendo's under-construction E3 2014 booth. Nintendo noted that Mario Maker is a working title.
Nintendo actually discussed possibility of a Mario level maker a while ago. New Super Mario Bros. U, which was a Wii U launch title in 2012, had a Coin Battle mode that allowed players to create custom layouts of coins that other individuals could then play through. In an interview with GamesTM magazine (via Nintendo Life), game director Masataka Takemoto noted that the Coin Battle feature was "a step closer" to the idea of a level editor in a Mario title.
"It has to be something that is uniquely Nintendo. Where a beginner can easily make something and have a good time, and simultaneously, someone who is really into Mario can delve into it deeper and make something more complex," said Takemoto. "So that is a challenge we will need to tackle in the future."
It's unclear at this point if Mario Maker will be a full retail release or a Wii U eShop title, but it is currently set for release in the first half of 2015.
