Shields Up

This is a short Mario Maker level in which you need to find a way to make it to the end without being crushed by a long row of Thwomps.

As you begin, you’ll quickly see the obstacle. Mario is too fast to run past the Thwomps and jumping on top of them is also impossible due to the Piranha plants. I left some gaps in the row to tempt players to carefully navigate the path ahead but that’s merely a ruse.

The solution lies with the blue Skull Raft. The name of the level “Shields Up” gives you a clue to its purpouse.

Thwomps will not go through the raft, so the player can use it as a moving shield. It’s easier said than done, though. Mario’s top speed is greater than the raft’s, so you have to slow down a bit to keep an even pace, while also making sure to stay under the back end of the shield, as the Thwomps start coming down ahead of Mario’s horisontal position. This usually takes a couple of tries to get the hang of, especially when you have to short-jump over enemies on the ground.

At the very end, I throw the players one last challenge where quick thinking and reflexes are needed. Mario has to pass three enemy stacks, each with a different movement and projectile pattern. While it is possible to stand back and defeat them one by one, the projectile capabilities of these enemies make it really difficult. The best way to overcome this challenge is to jump on the raft as it passes over these enemies and then go for the axe to finish the level. All in all, the level takes about 10 seconds to complete in a good run.

You can try this level with the code 012A-0000-002F-E172