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In an effort to help alleviate the massive amount of horrible levels that have made it into the Super Mario Maker universe, Nintendo tasked its pigeon friend/Mario Maker extraordinaire Yamamura-san to show us how to correctly create a level. In the first comic, Yamamura-san literally poo-pooed all over novice-creator Mashiko’s level, and then gave her some homework to help her become a better builder.

But the first comic did little to alleviate the amount of terrible levels online, so Nintendo Japan has put out a sequel comic to try and clean up the mess. This time around, Yamamura-san checks on Mashiko’s homework and continues to offer sage level-building advice.

Does he give her level a star? Or is it an insta-skip? Read on to find out!

In this episode, Mashiko turns in her level-building homework assignment from last time. She was limited to only using a few items so that she wouldn’t abuse them like before, but something is still a little off….

▼ Here’s the course that Mashiko designed this time. (You can even play it yourself using the code shown.)

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▼ Yamamura: “So, I went over your level and marked the places that need work with a number. By the way, what are your thoughts on making the course?”
Mashiko: “In my first level, I had way too many pieces to work with, and had no idea where to start. But this time, once we limited what I could use, it was a breeze!”

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▼ Yamamura: “And that’s exactly why we limited the items. When you have fewer options, you tend to think more carefully about how to use them and how they come together. When you build, you have to ask yourself, ‘How do I want the player to maneuver Mario through this?’ Now let’s have a look at your course.”

3

▼ Yamamura serves us some on-point advice for Mashiko’s level: First, don’t overload the player with too much on the screen. How about just one pipe that spouts Goombas, and just one Goomba on the ground instead of six?

4-1

▼ There’s no point in having that Goomba-making pipe there, they just fall into the hole. How about instead put a red Koopa that will move back and forth to make the jump more interesting?

4-2

▼ Having a mushroom this late in the stage is a little weird, but if you’re going to have it at least make it safe for the player to get it and don’t put enemies right underneath.

5-1

▼ You have a pretty good ending, but that big Koopa is unnecessary. Most players would jump right over him, and those that don’t might get killed by it right at the very end. Let’s get rid of him so the player can safely reach the goal.

5-2

▼ There, all cleaned up. You can play the course that Yamamura made with this code:

5-3

▼ Mashiko: “Oh! It’s so much smoother to play now!”
Yamamura: “Yes. Why don’t you give it a shot and try jumping from pipe to pipe on top of that Goomba at the end?”

6

▼ Mashiko: “Oh, the giant Goomba? Okay. Here. We. Gooo!  Wow! That was awesome! I feel like I can take on the world!”

8

▼ Yamamura: “Yeah, yeah. Don’t get too cocky. Anyway, you did a good job. Here’s your homework for next time.”

9+10

▼ Next lesson’s homework: Make a course that is centered on fun and doesn’t force the player to scroll up the screen too much. Think horizontal, not vertical.

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Will Yamamura’s lessons have an impact on the Super Mario Maker world? Will it help clean out some of the troll levels in the 100 Mario Challenge? We certainly hope so, and if you want to be a part of the pigeon revolution, then try out Yamamura’s homework for yourself and upload your best levels. Together we can make a difference!

Source: Nintendo News via My Game News Flash
Images: Nintendo News