Pre-order box art for the 3DS port of Super Mario Maker reveals that the game won’t make use of the 3D functionality that the handheld device is named for.
The Wii U has had a rough run since its release, but it’s nonetheless had some great games, including Super Mario Maker. It comes as no surprise that Nintendo is bringing the game to its far more popular device, the portable 3DS, but what is unexpected is its reported lack of 3D functionality.Although one of the Nintendo 3DS’s main selling points is the ability to play games in 3D without 3D glasses or cumbersome headsets, Super Mario Maker allegedly won’t support the feature. This information comes via a pre-order listing on the Canadian EB Games website, which displays box art that clearly stipulates that it can only be played in 2D.
Super Mario Maker 3DS isn’t set to release for several more months, but it’s unlikely that this box art is inaccurate. Nintendo hasn’t officially announced that the game will only be playable in 2D, nor provided any reason for this choice. However, keeping the game in the same 2D format that the Wii U version was in most likely means that porting it to a new device was an easier task than rebuilding the game to appear in 3D via the 3DS’s stereoscopic display.
Gamers who love Super Mario Maker for the ability to create every zany level they can think of probably won’t be too bothered by the lack of 3D functionality, but it’s one more feature that the 3DS version lacks. Unlike the Wii U version, players won’t be able to easily access other players’ courses, as the Course ID functionality won’t be included in the 3DS version of the game. However, it’s not all bad news, as gamers will be able to share courses with other players over wi-fi connections, as well as participate in creating courses together with friends.
It’s hard to say why Nintendo chose to make the 3DS version of Super Mario Maker only playable in 2D, but the power – or lack thereof – of the 3DS could be to blame. Gamers have created impossible Super Mario Maker courses that are loaded with multitudes of traps, monsters, and effects. The developers may have discovered that the 3DS couldn’t handle everything gamers could potentially build in a level. Although the New Nintendo 3DS is more powerful and might have been able to handle the strain, choosing to only release Super Mario Maker for the newest version of the handheld would surely alienate some Nintendo fans.
Is the lack of 3D visuals in Super Mario Maker 3DS a deal breaker for you, Ranters? Let us know in the comments below.
Super Mario Maker for the Nintendo 3DS will release on December 2nd, 2016