Southwest Airlines, one of America's favorite budget airlines, attempts to promote itself as a fun company every chance that it can get. That's why the airline partnered with Nintendo to create its own course in Super Mario Maker.
"Beginning today, Wii U users can play the Southwest Air Adventure level by visiting Course World in Super Mario Maker," wrote Southwest on its blog. "Users will take to the skies in an air-travel adventure, with unique Southwest-themed obstacles, before ending at our signature Southwest Heart, made out of coins, of course!"
Not only can players now work their way through an air travel adventure with Mario, but the course also offers a chance to unlock the Sky Pop costume in the game by finding a mystery mushroom within the level. Also, players who complete the level unlock the ability to use the costume in any future courses they wish to play.
Super Mario Maker released on the Wii U last year. However, it's not just a game: Super Mario Maker allows players to create and play their own Super Mario levels and courses, similar to the Little Big Planet games on the PlayStation 4. Users can also share their levels with the world, allowing others to play their creations.
Super Mario Maker became so popular that only a few weeks after its release, Nintendo had already sold over 1 million copies of the game. Since then, the game has seen over 1 million courses made by fans uploaded to its servers.
"We think this is a game that will showcase people's sense of imagination," said Takashi Tezuka, the executive officer of Nintendo's entertainment analysis and development division, to Polygon. "Seeing the courses made by [those folks] made us realize it had much more potential than even we imagined."
This isn't the first time that a corporate tie-in has come to Super Mario Maker. Last year, Mercedes-Benz partnered with Nintendo to create a special costume that transforms Mario into an 8-bit version of the company's GLA SUV.
The Southwest Airlines level of Super Mario Maker is available on the WII U, starting today.
"Play and enjoy Southwest Air Adventure, and share your clear time with us at @SouthwestAir!" writes Southwest. "If you're up for an even greater challenge, you can also try to set the World Record for fastest clear time!"
