Celebrating 30 years of Super Mario with Super Mario Maker!

The big three- o! 30 years old. Who would believe that Mario has reached the grand age of 30 already. It seems like yesterday that my brother was playing Super Mario Bros on the NES (Nintendo Entertainment System for those not as old as me) and then later the SNES (Super Nintendo Entertainment System) - gosh that's really showing my age!

The tune would get stuck in our heads for days and the game was so easy to get into that me and my mum would sneak a go on it when my brother wasn't around.

Now that famous Mario music is back again on a new game for the Wii U. A game that should have been invented sooner. It is a game that is so brilliant that I can't believe it wasn't invented sooner.

Super Mario Maker for the Nintendo Wii U is a game featuring Mario and some other familiar characters where you get to BUILD your own games and then play them.

I've loved seeing the boys work together on plans for the game and chatting about what to call the new levels they create. They discuss what is working well and what is proving impossible (D actually made a level he called the 'impossi-level'). They plan what changes to make.

When we are expecting visitors, they even create levels with specific visitors in mind for them to play.

Enough of me and my reminiscing over Mario. I'm going to hand over to 11 year old J who has been putting this new game through its paces:

Super Mario Maker is awesome. You get to create your own levels. You get new packs with new platforms, enemies and power-ups like an underwater pack and a castle pack. The castle pack has a Bowser that you can use in the levels you make.

You can also play the '10 Mario challenge'. The '10 Mario challenge' is where you have to complete 10 pre-set levels with only 10 lives. Every level you complete gets added to the saved levels and you can play it again or edit it.

You can add springs to your level and you can add wings to enemies. You can also stack enemies.

I have also made a Labyrinth level where I  have put down three Bowsers with wings and I have sub areas. A sub area is a pipe that Mario can go through to get to another area in the level. I have spiked balls and sound effects. I have put in doors that lead to another part of the level. There are pre-set bombs and I will also put in a Kamek. Kamek is a wizard. There are chain chomps and caterpillars and I have put in a Yoshi egg.  Because it is in the castle you have to run to the axe to complete the level. I really enjoy it. 

So you've heard it from our family's no.1 gamer 'Super Mario Maker is awesome'. We were also sent this special 30th anniversary edition Amiibo of Mario - How cool is that!

And this little flip book was a great way of the kids seeing just how Mario has evolved over time. We made a quick little video to show you too...


Here's to the next 30 years Mario. Somehow I think you will keep looking better and better whilst the rest of us gets wrinkles and grey hair.

Disclosure: As Nintendo Family Bloggers, we were sent a Mario 30th Anniversary Amiibo, a Mario flip book and a download code for the game for the purposes of review. All opinions are our own.