Mario can finally catch a breather in his latest game.
Nintendo revealed today that it is bringing mid-level checkpoints to Super Mario Maker. In a free update that should launch November 4, players will get a new tool (which you can activate by shaking the arrow item) that enables them to break up courses into two parts. If players reach certain mid-level checkpoints, they will no longer have to return all the way to the beginning. This is a major change to the structure of Super Mario Maker, as players will no longer have to complete every level from beginning to end without making mistakes.
Mario Maker has tons of megadifficult stages that require pixel-perfect runs and jumps. But now, the checkpoint means that people can build those kinds of levels and open them up to slightly less-skilled players.
Another change deals with status-dependent powerups. In Mario Maker now, a fire flower will always give you the full fireball-throwing abilities even if you are small Mario when you grab it. But after this patch, if you combine a mushroom and a fire flower, small Mario will only grow into Super Mario but Super Mario will get the fireballs. This is how it worked in the original Mario games, and this is another major shift that should empower creators to build totally new kinds of stages.
The Mario Maker update will also include a new category in the Course World mode that will highlight levels that Nintendo’s partners and friends have created. For example, Facebook developers built several stages, and now you will all have a chance to find those immediately.