Okay, so I know I just did a video gushing
about Mario Maker 2, but there’s so many incredible levels out there that I had to
do another one counting down the ten most creative ones I’ve seen. It’s pretty funny to go back and watch the
last time I did this for Mario Maker 1 because my standards were pretty low - simply making
a cohesive level with a decent idea was good enough to be considered outstanding back in
its infancy. Now the community has seriously blown me away
with the possibilities of what you can make - not just in layout or use of items, but
in theming, unique decor or how it tells a story. So these are the cream of the crop; in no
particular order, let’s take a look at 10 phenomenally designed Mario Maker 2 stages. We’re kicking things off with probably the
neatest use of the darkness theme I’ve seen to pay tribute to the massively popular horror
series Five Night’s at Freddy’s. You’re crammed into a tiny room with one-way
entrances all around you, and the only light you see is from the enemies coming to take
you out. Your method of defense is a P Switch that
you have to kick back and forth to block their way in, but eventually they release more of
their friends to try and overpower you - and they all have different paths and AI to pay
attention to. It increases in difficulty over time so eventually
you’ll have to move really quick in order to survive. The claustrophobic space combined with the
eerie atmosphere and real danger coming from all sides made a fantastic impression on me. One of my favorite new additions to Mario
Maker is the placeable songs from other games, and I can’t think of a better way to utilize
the Mario Kart track than racing against a blazing fast koopa shell for first place. You face off in 3 total races that get harder
over time, but I also love the aesthetic touches like the hyped up crowds before you start,
the other racers getting ready, or the ending celebration as you stand on the podium. Also, when I died in the final stretch of
the last race, I laughed out loud so hard, it just was perfectly executed. It’s a simple concept but one that’s pulled
off really well - it encourages fast reflexes and thinking on your feet, the autoscroll shows you where your opponent is at all times while keeping the pressure on, and it
even uses music blocks as a 3,2,1 countdown before you take off - I love it. The Dry Bones Shell was probably the item
I was looking forward to using more than any other - it seemed to have loads of wacky potential. And the best level I’ve seen that focuses
around its capabilities is one of Carl Sagan’s teaching stages. This one has it all - jumping out of shells
for extra height, how to combo from a stomp into invincibility, and even helpful hints
if you miss a jump or get stuck. As is expected from a Kazio preparation course,
it ramps up the challenge at the end, but the way it tests your timing teaches you how
to be better at using the shell in general, which is a really cool concept. It never stops being creative, and even helped
give me ideas for my own levels. Way to go Carl. I mentioned in my last video that ‘Rising
from the poison’ was the coolest level I’d played, but the truth is that every stage
by Wariuzzo is a work of art. Each one tells a story and has so much detail
and care - but if I had to pick one to show off for you it would be Spiny Pulled Down. It seems like somehow they spawned these spiky
foes on ice blocks that float away leaving them on the terrain around you. To proceed you need to bounce on all of them
in tons of different situations, like leading them to new ledges, swinging from claws and
posts from broken chain chomps, or even as they walk back and forth on moving conveyer
belts. It caps off with a heart pounding final test
of timing and the whole thing just oozes charm and fully explores a mechanic you don’t
really see in other Mario Maker stages. 10/10 course and creator. Much like the Dry Bones Shell, the Seesaw
has so many different functions, and the only way to make highlighting them even better
would be to theme it around Gerudo Valley from The Legend of Zelda. As you explore these desert ruins you’ll
see-saw creative ways to solve puzzles like launching objects out of holes in the ground
or creating new platforms with the help of thwomps. My favorite part is this section where you
have to time the hits to send a shell into the on and off switch to bring another shell
down below and release a key. Things top off with a clever boss fight building
off the main concept and you’re greeted with a magical tune after you conquer its
trials. Now that is epic. With the addition of multiplayer, I was so
excited to see how creators would work in co-op to their stages. But what about when you don’t have any friends
to help you beat levels? Well, Return to Planet Chain-Chomp by Lantis
has your back. Here, you don’t need another player, just
an excited buddy trying to jump their way across a gauntlet of puzzles. Sometimes you’ll move obstacles for them,
and other times they’ll release vines for you or blow up walls, and together you bond
closer than ever - until he gets kidnapped, oh no! And you have to kill the evil chain chomp
to get him back! This is a really creative idea and watching
the AI interact with the changes in the environment was a total joy to watch. Huge props for this one. Similar to the last stage, here you help guide
little buddies through various obstacles, but this one has a bit more of a story - the
mama Spiny has been abducted and you need to reunite the family that’s been torn apart. I really liked this one because once you complete
each section, the baby spinies get caught in a claw until you release them at the bottom
one by one as you make your way back to the beginning to overpower the evil piranha plant
with their help and throw it into the lake. It’s very satisfying, but don’t celebrate
yet - in a last ditch effort they try to make their escape while you burn away the henchmen. Afterward, the family is together again and
bouncing for joy. I mean this is just adorable, how do you not
love this? If I play a stage and am not even sure how
they pulled off their crazy shenanigans, I know it’s going to be a memorable one. And Burning Feet Syndrome by Julian is no
exception. Things start out simple enough, but when an
immovable wall pushes you off a ledge, you realize that somehow you can walk on lava. Yeah you heard that right! Once you trust that you’ll be safe, all
sorts of weird things start happening, like pillars shooting out of the flames or vines
leading to new areas. It wraps up with a fancy ferry ride, but this
level gets bonus points for such a one-of-a-kind idea and defying expectations. Oh and just so you know - apparently you can
walk on cannons even when they’re submerged in bubbling magma. Genius. Okay what’s next, ‘Don't turn left area’
by a Japanese creator that I can’t pronounce, I’m sorry. As the name would suggest, this is a stage
you must complete while always looking to the right. If you turn around, the floor will fall out
from underneath you and you’ll need to start over, but luckily it has pseudo-checkpoints
throughout so you don’t lose too much progress. I have to assume they pull this off by the
same method that Ceave Gaming showed off in one of his videos, but what’s really cool
is that once you finish the first section, you get to decide if you want to reach the
exit, or attempt the more challenging EX section of the stage - I like that your given the
option to opt in. And this part does not mess around – there’s
no springs, so to gain momentum you have to slide down slopes and keep bouncing while
avoiding lots of dangers. This time there aren’t checkpoints though,
so you need to make it all the way to the end without turning around to win. Nice indeed. Before we get to #1 let’s take a look at
a few honorable mentions – there’s just way too many stages to limit to 10. You’ve probably already seen Super Mario
Sunshine’s Sand Bird but it gets major props for such a cool idea of floating blocks resembling
a moving creature. So awesome the first time you see it. ‘Quiz who is hiding’ shows us how we can
utilize different enemies’ patterns to create various knowledge tests or game shows. Don’t guess wrong, ah dang it! Stone-Age by Lea96 isn’t exactly challenging
but really blew my mind with the hidden thwomp physics highlighted to solve creative puzzles. Like, I have no idea how they figured this
out. Super Guitario Bros is basically Guitar Hero
but with POW blocks destroying munchers, and I love that there’s 3 different tracks to
choose from with increasing difficulty. Incredible use of placeable songs. And finally, Create your own Robot Boss Fight
lets you pick and choose the different body parts of the mega baddy you’ll face off
against at the end, and even shows off the other possibilities in a museum afterward. I frickin’ love this game. Alright, our last well-designed course for
today is 3D maze house by yet another Japanese creator…sorry again. To everyone saying slopes weren’t that big
of an addition to Mario Maker 2, feast your eyes on THIS. Instead of a 2D platforming stage, this one
shows you a picture of the current room you’re in along with a map made out of on/off blocks
and doors to explore the different directions. As you reach the ends of hallways, there’s
various guardians protecting pink coins, which eventually lets you reach the attic containing
an angry Wiggler that cleverly grows in size as it comes closer to the camera – that
is so awesome. While the layout and execution isn’t anything
incredibly deep, the presentation sets it a cut above and is exactly what I was hoping
to see out of Mario Maker 2 – pushing limits with the tools we were given. The creativity I’ve seen in such a short
time from this community is amazing. If you’re on the hunt for great courses
like I am, what are some of the best ones you’ve played? Leave your level codes in the comments below
and why you like them, I may just have to play ‘em myself. I also want to plug my latest stage, an homage
to Shadow of the Colossus, where you climb the beast and collect its blood along the
way. I tried to include as many elements from the
real game as possible. Give it a try, it’s super hard though - fair
warning. I hope you’ve enjoyed and gotten some cool
ideas for creating stages in the future, maybe I’ll have to do another one of these if
there’s more to see out there. Thanks for watching and I’ll see you guys
next time, stay frosty my friends! If you want to help support the channel and
get a ton of awesome rewards in the process you can chip in at patreon.com/snomangaming!
