There is a brand new 2D Mario game for fans to play, except this wasn’t made by Nintendo, but rather a dedicated creator in Super Mario Maker 2. Since Nintendo hasn’t been in any rush to release a new 2D Mario game, one fan, who goes by Metroid Mike 64 on Twitter, has effectively done it himself, having completed an entire game’s worth of levels in Mario Maker 2 and dubbed it Super Mario Bros. 5.According to him, the project has been in the works since 2015, starting in the original Mario Maker on the Wii U. Although the sequel’s release in 2019 led to the hassle of having to recreate all of his Mario Maker 1 levels “block-for-block,” the move ultimately proved vital to realizing his vision for an unofficial Super Mario Bros 5., as Super Mario Maker 2’s eventual World Maker update makes it possible to group levels together into a singular experience, complete with world maps.The result of all of this hard work is 40 levels spread across eight worlds, all paying homage to Mario’s NES/SNES days. The gameplay is described as “classic Mario,” devoid of the troll or instant-death mechanics commonly seen in Super Mario Maker 2’s user-made levels, but with new twists on the classic games’ hallmarks. These include end-of-world boss fights featuring all seven Koopalings, puzzle courses, and more. Anyone with a copy of Mario Maker 2 who’s interested in trying it out can access it by typing in the ID 0G9-XN4-FNF.
Metroid Mike 64’s announcement was met with loads of praise, and among those who’ve already started playing, the reception has been similarly positive, with many players lauding the attention to detail and satisfyingly challenging gameplay. It’s as much a testament to Mario Maker 2’s versatile toolset as the realization of what “something Nintendo should’ve done already,” according to Metroid Mike 64, that being “make a full Mario game within Super Mario Maker 2, that’s fun as heck!”
The last decade has been a strange one for 2D Mario games. The last proper entry was 2012’s New Super Mario Bros. U, and since then, Nintendo has seemingly relied on the Mario Maker series to fill the side-scrolling niche while it focuses on Mario’s 3D adventures. While players have found countless ways to remix classic elements in the Mario Maker games, it’s safe to say that the series hasn’t really experimented with or innovated its 2D gameplay for a long time.
That may change soon, though, as rumor has it that a new 2D Mario game is in development. Details are scarce currently, but noted Nintendo leaker Zippo has claimed that this title won’t be another New Super Mario Bros. game and will feature Foreman Spike, a character from the NES title Wrecking Crew, who’ll be making an appearance in next year’s Super Mario movie.
Super Mario Maker 2 is available for Nintendo Switch.