Man vs. Mario Maker 2: Saving Yoshi, Surfing the Wave, and Tasting the Rainbow
How much do you love Yoshi?
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After last week's themed roundup, we're back with another Man vs. Mario Maker 2. As always, this series brings together some of the most interesting and intriguing courses from the Super Mario Maker 2 community. This week, we're going to be starting on the easier side in terms of difficulty, before throwing you into the deep end. Buckle up.
Yoshi's Choice
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This first course got a little pop on social media, when the course creator offered it up to the world. As Mario, you're faced with a decision that has plagued Yoshi lovers in past games: do you bring your dinosaur friend along the harder path, or sacrifice Yoshi for the easy way forward? I tried the harder path, but at the end of the day, I can make more Yoshis. Sorry, friend. Some did make their way through the Yoshi route though, and I applaud their skill.
Fire Puzzle Blooms Twice
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This course creator has a number of puzzle-based courses in Super Mario Maker 2, but this is their most popular one. You have to navigate through various puzzles twice, once using the Fire Flower and again using the Super Ball. Not every course needs hard precision movement or pinpoint platforming. Sometimes you just want to relax and solve some puzzles. If you have the time I recommend trying the creator's other courses as well.
CYOA: Mario and the Desert Gold
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Continuing on the theme of light, puzzle-focused levels, this one sends Mario into the depths of an ancient temple to recover some gold. The course objective is to collect 120 coins, and you can do that by going over any of the six paths. There are two for each denomination of coin: 10, 30, and 50. The 50 coin paths are harder than the other two, but this isn't a super difficult level to complete. I'd say if you want a slight challenge, start with the 50 coin paths. "Slight" being the operative word.
Mirror Levels on a Nintendo DS
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In terms of inventive courses, this is probably one of the highlights for this week. The level is meant to look like a Nintendo DS, where the player controls the top screen with the action mirrored on the bottom. You have to pay attention to both sides, because while Mario exists in one screen, the hidden blocks needed to move forward only show up in the bottom screen. These aren't really puzzles, and it's a pretty easy level, but the presentation is top-notch.
Rainbow Rush Galaxy
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Another course that leans heavily on a specific theme. In this case, each room you can traverse is all made of level items and enemies of a single color. You're literally crossing the veritable rainbow of colors on the way to the finish line. Again, sometimes having an actual theme or vision for your level is all you really need to stand out.
Just Run
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If you've ever wanted to feel like you're running a Kaizo Mario course without having the precise skills to do things like POW and shell jumps, this is the course for you. As the level's title suggests, all you need to do is hold Y and move to the right. The level will take care of itself. It's a shower of Boos, Bobombs, spikes, and other obstacles; a cornucopia of nonsense, but a lot of fun nonsense. I'm a bit surprised that the course clear rate is only 44% though…
Spectacular Sky Sprint
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I'm turning up the difficulty with this course. This is a pretty common course type: a speedrun level with on-off switches that have to be hit with precise timing. The level has a short timer and you're expected to blaze through it without stopping. Unlike some of the speedrun courses I've recommended before, this is actually on the easier side. Many tend to have clear rates under 10%, but this is up around 25%. If you want to get in the groove with these types of speedrun courses, this is a good place to start.
Night of the Astral Stormrider
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Maybe you thought the previous courses in this roundup were a bit too easy? Let me rectify that with this course, which uses multiple skull platforms to create a wave that you have to ride through multiple obstacles. There's a lot of timing and deft dodging needed to make it to the end of this course, and you have to face the waves multiple times. Can you end up as one of the 3% who have cleared it?
If you're looking for more on Mario Maker 2, be sure to head over to our page on Mario Maker 2 Outfits. Else where there's also walkthroughs for Mario Maker 2 Buried Stones , and Mario Maker 2 Keymaster Stages . If it's the fastest way of farming Coins you're looking for, there's our Mario Maker 2 Coins Guide.