5 Ways The First Super Mario Maker is Better Than Its Sequel

Super Mario Maker on the Wii U was unique. It was fun, creative, and just a charming game. Then came the sequel on Switch, which improved on many of the original game’s shortcomings, while also being on the newest console. However, there are some charming details and secrets we miss from the original game that aren’t in its sequel. While Super Mario Maker 2 is great, I still find the first game to be better. So in honor of the Wii U’s tenth anniversary, let’s take a look at 5 reasons why the first Super Mario Maker is better than its Switch sequel.

#5: Overlapping Pipes

This might seem unimportant, but for a troll level creator like me, overlapping pipes was a fun way to surprise players in a level. For example, it could seem like the pipe sticking up from the ground was the right pipe, until you discover a hidden sideways pipe behind the vertical one. It’s pretty fun. There’s not too much to say here, but Mario Maker 2 definitely removed a couple of fun things you could do with items, including overlapping pipes.

#4: Amiibo Costumes

Super Mario Maker released on Wii U shortly after the release of Amiibo. These unique figures based on Nintendo characters could be used on the 3DS and Wii U with an NFC reader to unlock in-game rewards and more. For Super Mario Maker, you could unlock neat Amiibo costumes, which you could use in levels. There was a new power-up called the Mystery Mushroom, which when powered up Mario would become something else. Some of the costumes were really goofy, like a ? block and even a Mercedes-Benz car! Amiibos could let you use specific costumes as well. This wasn’t a huge feature before, but it was more important that Nintendo got rid of them on the Nintendo Switch sequel. Super Mario Maker 2 had no Amiibo costumes, and no real replacement. It didn’t make sense, especially since more Amiibo had come out from 2015 to 2019, especially with the arrival of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Plus, the Switch had an NFC reader built right into the console. While Amiibo costumes and the Mystery Mushroom weren’t a huge part of Mario Maker, it was sad to not get them in Mario Maker 2. We also didn’t get the Weird Mushroom back, which I’m personally a bit more salty about.

#3: Title Screen Details

The big difference I saw with Mario Maker 2 from the first game was that it seemed like a lot of fun details from the first game were removed, making the game less fun. It doesn’t have that Mario Paint feel to it, which the original did. One of these details is the interactable title screen display. If you tapped a letter in the game’s logo on the title screen, a fun little animation would play with the letter. It didn’t need to be there, but it made Super Mario Maker feel more happy and light-hearted. Mario Maker 2 did keep some of the details from the original game, like characters including Undodog and Mr. Eraser, and some of the hidden secrets like the door-knocking secret. However, it was still always fun to click on the letters in the title screen to see what would happen every time I played Super Mario Maker. It makes the game stand out.

#2: Gnat Attack! Minigame

Another charming but unnecessary detail in Super Mario Maker is the Gnat Attack minigame hidden inside. By shaking a muncher, gnats will appear and you have to tap the three that appear to start the game. The minigame has three levels, where you’ll tap gnats and bombs that appear on screen to swat them, and you need to kill a certain amount in the time limit to finish the level. The last level also has a difficult boss gnat that you’ll need to swat multiple times. Once you finish the three levels, you can replay the minigame again in a more difficult mode. The game is pretty fun and addicting, and a nice break in Mario Maker while building a level. Sadly, this minigame didn’t return for Mario Maker 2, and it’s disappointing. It’s another way Super Mario Maker stands out from the rest, but how Mario Maker 2 lacks these unique touches. 

#1: The Wii U GamePad Controls

This feature is inevitable because of the hardware, but it is still something that makes the Wii U game better than the sequel. The GamePad, the Wii U’s main controller, is often said to be built for Super Mario Maker, and it really does seem that way. The Wii U GamePad is one of Super Mario Maker’s biggest positives. Using the stylus and the touchscreen makes building levels simple and easy. Then there’s the Switch, which its touchscreen isn’t compatible with a stylus. This means in handheld mode you’ll need to use your finger to drag items around and make commands. This blocks some of the display since fingers are nowhere near as skinny as a stylus. TV mode is even worse since the control stick makes moving the cursor around very slow. The Wii U GamePad was practically built for Mario Maker from the get-go, since it works perfectly with the game, and it’s something we miss the most with the Switch and its sequel.

Check out our other posts and videos for Wii U Day, including a post on Super Mario 3D World, Mario Kart 8, and Nintendo Land!