Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Super Mario Maker fans recreate lost GBA e-Reader levels

By Danny Cowan Published November 4, 2015

fans create super mario maker ereader levels header — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Hardcore Super Mario Maker players have recreated a batch of Nintendo-made Mario levels previously thought lost to time and outdated technology, bringing Super Mario Advance 3‘s e-Reader world to life for the first time in a decade.

These levels are now available for download and play using Nintendo’s Wii U game-design toolkit Super Mario Maker, though their designers had to make clever compromises to account for differences in format.

Related: Super Mario Maker review

Recommended Videos

Released in 2003 for the Game Boy Advance, Super Mario Advance 4 featured a host of bonus content and all-new levels in addition to a full remake of Nintendo’s 8-bit platformer Super Mario Bros. 3. The game includes support for the e-Reader peripheral, a short-lived device that scans Nintendo-produced trading cards and unlocks playable levels and other in-game content.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

Given the scarcity of the trading cards and the e-Reader itself, few players had the opportunity to play the dozens of exclusive Nintendo-made Mario levels hidden within Super Mario Advance 4. While Japan saw Super Mario Advance 4‘s full collection of 38 level cards released at retail, only 12 were released in North America before Nintendo halted production of its e-Reader card packs, greatly limiting the amount of content players can unlock within the game.

More than a decade later, the majority of these lost levels are now available for play in Super Mario Maker. Creators Baddboy78 and theycallmeshaky note that “Five levels are missing, but only due to the screen size or because of design tools not yet avail[able] in Mario Maker.”

These recreated stages are largely faithful to the e-Reader originals, though some design elements and enemy types were swapped out to account for limitations within Super Mario Maker‘s level-building functionality. Enemies like the flying Hammer Brothers had to be swapped out with Super Mario Maker equivalents, and in-game elements like pluckable vegetables (ala Super Mario Bros. 2) are missing in action.

Access codes for Baddboy78 and theycallmeshaky’s creations are available in this Reddit thread.

Available at: Amazon

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Danny’s passion for video games was ignited upon his first encounter with Nintendo’s Duck Hunt, and years later, he still…

Gaming

Play these 3DS and Wii U games before Nintendo shutters their online features

Captain Falcon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.

In April 2024, Nintendo will discontinue online services across its Wii U and 3DS consoles. While the eShops for both systems were shut down in March 2023, this will remove the online functionality of many apps and games, making gaming on either of these platforms an almost entirely offline experience. As a result, many games on those systems will lose important features and never be quite the same to play afterward. So, you'll need to get some gaming time in by next April if you want to refresh and preserve the memories of playing online on these two underdog Nintendo platforms.
While the aforementioned eShop closures make it impossible to buy new games digitally, plenty of games that you likely already own physical copies of or already had downloaded have online features that won't work properly come April 2024. As such, we recommend you play the following games online before the discontinuation of those services next year.
Kid Icarus Uprising

Kid Icarus Uprising is mostly remembered for its entertaining story, charismatic characters, and odd controls, but it also features a surprisingly fun multiplayer experience in Together Mode. In multiplayer, up to six players can use powerful weapons and abilities from the main adventure in one of two modes. Free-for-all lets players loose on a map, tasking them with racking up the most kills within a set time limit. Light vs. Dark is more complex, as two teams of three face off until enough players are defeated that one respawns as an angel; when that powered-up angel is killed, the match is over.
While far from balanced, Kid Icarus Uprising's Together Mode is one of the most entertaining competitive multiplayer experiences exclusive to 3DS. It can be played locally, using bots to fill in empty spots, so thankfully it won't stop working entirely. Still, it's not easy in 2023 to come across multiple people near you who have copies of Kid Icarus Uprising and want to play. As such, check out this cult classic 3DS game's hidden gem of a mode before praying that the rumors of a remaster eventually become true.
Nintendo Badge Arcade

Entertainment

The 7 most powerful characters in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, ranked

Luigi and Mario looking at the camera with unamused expressions in The Super Mario Bros. Movie.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie fulfilled many fans' dreams of seeing their favorite video game characters fight it out on the big screen. With heavy hitters like Donkey Kong and Bowser clashing against Mario and Peach, the film gifted viewers with an animated brawl worthy of Super Smash Bros. And so, people can now read the ranked list of the most powerful characters in The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
7. Toad

Though Toad may be the weakest member of the main cast, he never had much time to show off his skills as a fighter in this film. Fortunately for him, he knows his way around the Mushroom Kingdom and can surely fend for himself out in the wilderness since Mario does meet him wandering the mushroom fields. And despite his small size, Toad never backs down from a fight, choosing to defend Peach and his friends at any opportunity.
6. Luigi

Gaming

You can play a fan-made Super Mario Bros. 5 in Mario Maker 2 right now

Photo of Mario surrounded by coins in Super Mario Bros 5

It's been a bit since we've had a brand-new 2D Mario title, but one fan has taken it upon himself to provide that to those pining for a new entry in the classic platformer franchise. After seven years of hard work, Twitter user Metroid Mike 64 has finished his unofficial Super Mario Bros. 5 using Super Mario Maker 2 on Switch -- and you can play through the entire thing right now.

Metroid Mike 64 shared the news with his followers on Sunday, pointing out that he's been working on the project since 2015 with the goal of creating "a classic Mario game that plays as if Nintendo created it themselves." This, he points out, means a complete lack of the kinds of masochistic and troll levels that are commonly seen in Mario Maker 2, instead providing players with something focused on nostalgia and old-school charm.

nproxy.org