Super Mario Maker 2 isn’t just a simple little Mario platformer — it’s a creation engine with an insane amount of creativity baked in. There are so many features, gimmicks, and tools that there’s no way the game can even explain them all. Some features are left totally unexplained, so you can discover them for yourself. If you’re looking to learn about all those weird hidden features, we’ve got a bunch below, starting with the most obvious and getting into the obscure down below.
For example, did you know that On / Off switches effect more than just those dotted-line blocks in Haunted Houses? The switches can change how lights work, how conveyors spin, and whether spikes are sticking out or not. Then there are the music note blocks, which change depending on which enemies bounce off them. You can create a one-man symphony stage just using an army of bad guys.
Learn about those features and more with the guide below. We’re putting on our builder hats and digging into Super Mario Maker 2.
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#1. Useful Controls You Might Not Know About
Hold [Y] to move the cursor faster, press [X] to hide the UI, press [B] to undo and press in the thumbpad to zoom in / out. These controls are especially hand when you’re playing in docked mode.
#2. You Can Use Touch Controls When Undocked
While there are lots of handy controls for using a controller, you can remove the Switch from the dock and use touch controls instead. This mirrors the touch controls found in SMM1 — you can use a stylus if you have one, which makes things a bit less greasy for your Switch screen.
#3. There’s A Hard 32 Level Upload Limit
You can only have 32 levels on your account in SMM2. That’s the current top limit, and while it may change in the future, we’re stuck with it for now. This is both a blessing and a curse — Nintendo won’t delete your levels if they’re unpopular, you’ll have them forever, but you’re stuck with only 32 of them. Here’s hoping that can change.
#4. The On / Off Switch Changes More Than You Might Realize
The On / Off Switch doesn’t just make blocks appear or disappear. It also changes other items in levels — one of the more interesting features you might not know about is that the On / Off switch actually dims lights. It works on all light sources in the level, including any light source on Mario.
On some styles, like 3D World, there are no On / Off blocks, but the switch still changes things — you can swap spike blocks or change conveyor belt directions.
#5. Want To Play Music? Use Orange Music Notes
Here’s how music notes work; place Orange Music Note blocks — when bounced on, they make a noise. The pitch is different depending on the height you place the block, and each enemy makes a different sound when bouncing off the block. To make your very own music, it’s all about selecting different enemies for different sounds and setting the pitch with height. Experiment and you’ll find tons of fun possibilities!
#6. Win Conditions Can Be Swapped By Jumping On An Opponent’s Head
If you’re playing on a Versus map, even if you fail the win condition, you haven’t really lost yet. By jumping on an enemy’s head, you can steal their Win Condition Status — that makes it a lot more fun, and it’s an important detail you should know if you’re designing a Versus map.
#7. You Can Stop The Camera Vertically / Horizontally With Blocks
If you don’t want sneaky players seeing ahead in a level, there’s a way you can ‘stop’ the camera and block view of certain areas — you just need blocks. A solid walls of blocks, either vertically or horizontally, will stop the camera in its tracks. You’ll need to extend the wall across the entire width / height of the level, too.
#8. Clear Conditions Aren’t Always ‘Clear’
You can now add Win Conditions to levels — they’re basically objectives, and you won’t be able to win if you don’t complete the conditions. For example, you can force Mario to defeat a certain enemy type in the level. But, the game doesn’t tell you that every variant of whatever enemy type you selected also counts.
It’s important to know that enemies that fall offscreen or that get eaten by Yoshi currently don’t count toward your enemy defeat total. These oversites are clearly bugs, so they’ll probably (hopefully!) get fixed in the near future.
#9. Don’t Forget To Signpost & Spread 1-Ups
Even after completing a level, it’s important to make them fun. You can ease players into your world with a few simple solutions — place lines of coins to draw the eye of players, letting them know they can jump across a gorge.
As a standard tip, you should always use coins to help lead players, and you should always include at least three 1-Ups in your levels. They can be anywhere, but a few hidden (or easy to find) 1-Ups will make your level much more inviting, and give players something to strive for. Even if it’s an easy level, everyone loves getting 1-Ups.
That’s all the tips we’ve got so far! There’s still so much to learn in Super Mario Maker 2, so check back for more guides, secrets, and tips.
