One of the new features is a "story mode" which is probably better described as an extremely long tutorial, but with some unique things currently only found in this mode. Our plot? Peach's castle gets completely erased because the Underdog presses a reset button lying around. As a result, Toadette needs your help in getting the money to rebuild the castle. I did not think they could get more basic than "Bowser kidnaps Peach"... Anyway, the levels themselves are interesting, showing off a wide variety of assets and themes, along with interesting ways to use them, however, due to how varied the playstyles are, people playing will find some levels harder then others (I for one saw a lot of failed attempts at the first "Don't Jump" challenge). For myself, I hated levels like BUZZY: The Book: The Movie: The Ride, along with a vertical scrolling level where you have to guide flying Buzzy Beatles to the end without falling off or being crushed. For those moments though, with no major penalty, you can add elements into levels, like extra power-ups, and 99 blocks that you can use to fill in pits if you need too. Just wished it actually did stop poison mushrooms though because those things are always a pain in the ass. One problem I do have with it is that there are elements that aren't very clear. The final Soundfrog level comes to mind, where I did not expect the shoe to kill the ghost rings (nothing else solid that isn't full of star power can), and unless you know that, you can't clear that level. Granted, you don't have many options to try, but it still feels like a "this shouldn't work" rather than a guide to how to do it.
On the subject of elements, a lot of the new tools are exclusive to the new game theme, Super Mario 3D World, and though I find it fun, there are some things I find annoying, particularly Meowser, and how the pouncing is handled when you're Cat Mario (for some reason the control mapping feels unnatural here compared to the WiiU game). Meowser is a slow fight, and due to how he moves, the only option is to throw stuff at him, which can take a while depending on how Meowser decides he wants to fight, and how often he'll jump into the unreachable third dimension. Hard? No, just tedious. When not fighting Meowser though, the 3D World theme is a lot of fun to mess around in thanks to how versatile Mario is in it. New elements like the swinging claw and the Koopa Car are fun to use and versatile enough to lead to interesting course designs. I'm personally not a fan of the controller controls for Maker mode when the console is in docked mode, with a large chunk of it coming down to my experience with the Wii U gamepad. As a result, I recommend this mode more like a handheld game rather than a console game.
That being said, this is not a game to leave the house with unless you want to make levels on the go, because playing them requires an internet connection and Nintendo Switch Online. I haven't had much time to play online, and have really only sunk time into Endless Mario, the replacement for the 100 Mario challenge of the first game. I have not had issues with getting levels from Nintendo servers, I would not be surprised if the online multiplayer has more issues, if it's a P2P network like Smash. As with online though, your mileage will vary depending on the state of your internet, it's the reason why I tend to gloss over online services in games. As for Endless Mario though, I don't find this as satisfying as the 100 Mario challenge because there's no clear goal, it's just a constant stream of levels. As simple as they were, I liked the structure of the 100 Mario challenge, and I felt rewarded when I cleared the challenge, compared to something like Endless Mario, where you keep going until you run out of lives (which depending on the difficulty setting, and your skill with Mario games, may not happen for a while). What's also a shame though with it is the removal of the Amiibo costumes for Super Mario Brothers 1, as I did get a kick out of seeing all these characters represented in the game, while also giving an interesting reason to use Super Mario Brothers 1 as a gameplay style. Instead, you get Mii costumes to use in game, and while I think they're ok, it does make me wish that they would make the Mii Costumes universal, and link them to your account to use on your main avatar, if not be used in other games that use the Miis (if that can be done at all).
The big issue with Super Mario Maker 2 is that your enjoyment is going to come from how much you put into it. At its core, it's a level maker tool, and if you're not a fan of making Mario levels, you're not going to enjoy it, and if you're not paying for online, there's nothing else really for you to do once you finish the story mode. Levels are always going to be hit and miss too, based on the fact that they are fan made. You could get something really good, something really interesting, or you can get something full of instant death if you fail moments. It's all luck of the draw. Due to needing Nintendo Switch Online, a service that still has some large flaws with it, I can't really recommend it for people who just want to play Mario Levels, you're better off getting Super Mario Odyssey, or the recently ported New Super Mario Brothers U Deluxe. It'll be interesting to see what kind of support this game gets going forward though.
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