Super Mario Maker gives Nintendo fans the power to make the Mario levels of their dreams. In the weeks leading up to the game's release we saw plenty of awesome creations made by those who had early access to the game. Now that the title is out in the wild, even more impressive fan courses have been created.
But in the immortal words of Uncle Ben, with great power comes great responsibility. Just because you can make a Mario level that is a seemingly never-ending series of almost impossible jumps, falling platforms and hundreds of hammer tossing Koopas doesn't mean you should.
Oh, wait, you totally should. While Super Mario Maker's rule that you must be able to complete your creation before you can upload it prevents levels that are downright impossible, that hasn't stopped fans from creating some seriously mind-blowingly difficult stages. Or ones that recreate other games, like Sonic and Frogger. Some stages are created just for laughs, and others are just cool to watch play out.
That's the beauty of Super Mario Maker. Players can create to their hearts content, and while there are sure to be plenty of mediocre or downright bad levels out there for fans to play, there are sure to be plenty of levels that will surprise and delight Nintendo fans the world over as well. So without further ado, here are some of the craziest, most difficult or just downright funny stages we've come across so far.
Recreations
Sonic
The ability for Mario to transform into other characters in Super Mario Maker by using amiibo is pretty cool. It was only a matter of time, then, before somebody created a stage inspired by the games of Mario's greatest rival: Sonic. Of course this stage doesn't function exactly like the iconic Green Hill Zone. Even though players play as Sonic, there is no way to recreate the speed and loop-de-loops of the Sonic series here. But YouTuber TheRealSonicFan comes close. For the purposes of the video they even removed all of the Mario sound effects and replaced them with sounds and music from Sonic.
Frogger
What happens when you combine classic Frogger with Super Mario Maker? Star Frogger. This course transforms Mario into Star Fox's trusty (and annoying) companion Slippy Toad and tasks players with making it from the top of the stage to the bottom. It's not exactly like the original Frogger – players dodge caterpillars instead of trucks – but the core concept is the same.
Donkey Kong
Another course from the folks over at GameXplain, this one a recreation of the original Donkey Kong arcade game: only this time players play as Donkey Kong instead of as Mario. Instead of barrels rolling down the slanted platforms, players must leap over sawblades and climb vines to reach the top. It's not a 100 percent accurate recreation (that's impossible in Super Mario Maker), but it is an impressive recreation that is true to the spirit of the original game.
Mario Kart
Everybody loves Mario Kart 8, so why not play some Mario Kart while you play Super Mario Maker? This creative course puts players in a cart and takes them for a ride, up, down and around at blazing speeds. It's short but definitely sweet.
Extreme Challenges
Super Meat Bros.
You may have heard of Super Meat Boy: it's an absolutely brutal indie platforming game that requires levels of precision Mario has only dreamed about. It didn't take long for somebody (cough GameXplain cough) to bring that same design philosophy to Super Mario Maker, and the results are horrifying. The course is near-constant wall jumping and wall sliding, with jumps needing to be near pixel perfect in order to avoid death by sawblade. With an abysmal .38 percent completion rate, you'll definitely need to brush up on your skills before conquering this stage.
10 Seconds 1
Just no. Every jump, every movement in this course must be perfect if you're going to make it to the end. And even if you manage to make the jumps and seem to get the timing down, you realize that there are only 10 seconds on the clock for you to finish the stage. Get hung up for even a fraction of a second and you'll make it to the end of the course only to find you are inches away from completing the stage when time runs out.
"Kaizo" Mario
If you've been watching Super Mario Maker videos or diving into user-created stages, no doubt you've come across Kaizo-inspired levels. This name refers to a series of ROM hacks for the Super Nintendo that reworks the level design of Super Mario World to make it incredibly difficult. Using these as inspiration, some users have crafted some truly infuriating courses, filled with obnoxious hidden block placements and no-win scenarios. For an idea of what kind of levels we are talking about, upon spawning into the level if players don't immediately jump to hit a hidden block, a Goomba will land right on Mario's head. Hardcore doesn't even begin to describe it.
Funny
Torture Slippy
Poor Slippy Toad. He is the least-liked member of team Star Fox, thanks in large part to the character's annoying voice. This particular stage lets players take out their frustration on the amphibian fighter pilot. Whether it's death by chain chomp or crushed to death by a thwomp, Slippy can't catch a break. Adding insult to injury is the fact that at the very end of the stage, after Slippy has finally overcome so many terrible trials, Fox swoops in to steal the spotlight.
Rickroll
This course is the definition of trolling. The name of the course is "All the costumes unlocked! :)". With a name like that, one might assume it to be a course that would demonstrate all the various costumes available in the game. Wrong. Instead, players are forced under blocks as a rendition of Rick Astley's infamous "Never Going To Give You Up" made using various Mario sound effects plays in the background. Genius and infuriating all at the same time.
Waluigi's Unbearable Existence
This one may cross the line from being funny to downright creepy, but it's still worth mentioning. Players eventually transform into Waluigi for what seems to be an ordinary Super Mario Maker course. It soon becomes apparent that this stage is anything but, as messages spelled out in coins tell the player that "Coins Will Never Fill The Void" and to "Sacrifice Yourself." Uhhhhhh, moving on. Note that the creepy music in the video has been added and isn't actually a part of the course.
Just Plain Cool
A Song Of Ice And Fire
Though this course takes its name from George R.R. Martin's fantasy book series on which HBO's Game of Thrones is based, don't expect to see any dragons, White Walkers or gratuitous nudity here. Instead, this clever stage makes good use of both elements to create a satisfying level that is worth checking out.
Disco
Who doesn't love a good disco? Pulsating lights? Rainbows? And possibly the accidental ingestion of the wrong kind of mushrooms? Looks like a good time all around.
Math Test
Hope you know all your multiplication tables, because this Super Mario Maker course turns the game into a math exam with potentially deadly consequences. It's pretty simple, really. Players leap onto a moving platform that will scroll to the right. Overhead a math problem will be spelled out in blocks. Upon reaching the end of the problem, players must choose the correct answer from three possible choices by leaping down the respective tunnel. Choose the wrong answer and Mario will meet his end. That's one way to teach math.
Nintendo is already celebrating the fact that more than 1 million Super Mario Maker courses have already been created. With so many to choose from, there is no way we've seen all of the best user-created levels the game has to offer, so why not help us out? Leave your favorite Super Mario Maker courses that you've encountered in the comments below.
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