Strangely enough, Super Mario Maker was originally going to be a Mario Paint game. When speaking to Time, Nintendo video game designer, Takashi Tezuka, shared some origin tales of the now-critically acclaimed Wii U exclusive. “Originally we wanted to make a Mario Paint game, using the Wii U GamePad,” said Takashi. This makes a whole lot of sense; the gamepad is usually cited as an unnecessary input method, but it sure does lend itself well to these sorts of experiences.

He continues, “And that was where the idea originally started, but at the same time, we wanted to take the Super Mario Bros. toolset that we use to create the levels, and we wanted to move that toolset over to the Wii U GamePad to make it easier to create the levels with the touchscreen.”

He further clarified that the toolset in Super Mario Maker is not the same toolset used by the developer, “The tools that we use internally on the developer team for creating levels are much more complicated than what you see from an interface standpoint–our tools use a keyboard and mouse,” says Tezuka. “By moving the toolset over to the Wii U GamePad and giving it the touchscreen interface, it’s really lowered the hurdle for everyone being able to design with this piece of software. And then it was just a matter of finding the right number of icons onscreen to have people tapping to do the things that they wanted to do.”

I don’t think too many people will be shocked that the developer uses a much more complex tool set. The level building tools included in the game are simplified, and are meant to be easy to pick up by anyone. Most users are not worried about the fine details of each block that is laid out, unlike a developer attempting to piece together the highest quality experience possible.

Clearly, Nintendo has been hard at work trying to create games only usable with the second-screen experience which would be otherwise impossible without the gamepad. Yes, a Mario Paint title would be excellent, but I believe allowing users to create their own levels was the right choice. This title will continually grow in scope as more fans build, and create imaginative stages.

Did you pick this gem up? What do you think about it so far? Would you rather have a Mario Paint game? Let us know in the comments below.

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HT: Time

Image Credit: Nintendo