Playing the first Super Mario Maker made me realize that I took Nintendo’s approach to 2D Super Mario level design for granted. Contrasted against most of the user-generated levels I played, Nintendo’s approach across multiple Super Mario games showcases a high level of creativity, polish, accessibility, and restraint. It’s great that players are given the tools to create whatever they want, but it turns out that I mainly want more of Nintendo’s secret sauce.

Unfortunately, the Nintendo-made levels were poorly packaged as part of the 10 Mario Challenge. In it, you’re tasked with beating as many levels as you can with only 10 lives. However, unless you beat the entire challenge in one sitting, you’re likely to have to repeat levels before experiencing all of Nintendo’s content. Furthermore, the lack of connective tissue between levels made it difficult to get invested in Mario’s travels. At the very least, prior games sort of gave you the sense of working towards saving Princess Peach. With Super Mario Maker, you were just served levels at random that you’re running through for the sake of it.

Seemingly aware of the first game’s issues with regards to the presentation of Nintendo-made content, Super Mario Maker 2 takes a very different approach. Thus far, it’s made a huge difference in the way I consume and enjoy the game.

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