Super Mario Maker 2 is a great game for players to scratch a creative itch with, but there are other titles on Nintendo Switch that can be just as creatively rewarding to play. When on the go or sitting at home, the accessibility of the editor in Super Mario Maker makes it a great piece of software to create casually or learn in-depth. Building your own creations in games like Mario Maker is a fun experience and one that pushes players to think outside the box.
Of course, building and playing Mario platforming levels can only get players so far when they want to make something unique and exciting. Level editing is available in some games, but due to the Nintendo Switch’s younger age demographic and lower processing power, there aren’t many full-blown development tools for the console. There’s a very high ratio of playtime to price paid with these games, but some Switch owners looking for the best Nintendo games may have trouble finding software that has this style of gameplay.
Many of the best and well-known Switch games are action, adventure, or narrative-focused, but there’s actually a wealth of powerful creative software that allows players to design amazing creations away from their computers and consoles. Even with the limitations presented by the more casual tools, people have been able to push these games to their absolute limit, allowing them to design much more complex experiences than should be possible. Compounded with the fact that a lot of these titles have in-game sharing features, these games have hours of content to explore and months' worth of designs to create.
Game Builder Garage Lets Players Make Full Video Games On Switch
The Nintendo Labo Garage's site disappeared in April but was adapted in 2021 to work without needing any excess cardboard or VR glasses with the game Game Builder Garage. Not only does Game Builder Garage give beginner programmers a way to create simple and complex games, but it also features an in-depth tutorial on how to design and code them. For kids who are looking to get into coding and for hobbyist game designers looking for something a little less restrictive than Super Mario Maker, Game Builder gives them ample tools to create and share their games online.
One thing many players may not know is that it’s possible to connect a USB mouse and a keyboard to the Switch’s dock and play Game Builder Garage with a more traditional workflow. The “nodons” all serve a unique purpose for altering the game world and are a great way to code AAA game remakes in Game Builder Garage to see how programming logic works, but it’s hard to select and alter specific parts of that code with Joycons and Pro Controllers. However, even with this limitation, creators have been able to design recreations of Sonic the Hedgehog, Death Stranding, coin pushers, and more.
Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit Lets Switch Owners Create Racetracks
Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit is one of the most interesting ideas for a kart racer: take real toy go-karts and have people design their own tracks to race in augmented reality. Everything from trash cans to books to natural terrain can form a raceway, and once it’s scanned, players use the switch to control their car as it runs around the track. Depending on how professional someone wants to get with deg raceways, they can create a labyrinthine Home Circuit that mirrors actual Mario Kart tracks.
The game is out of print and is rising in price, which may make it harder for Super Mario Maker fans looking for something different to obtain it - but it's fun and the figures are worth getting if possible. Any part of a house from a living room to an attic to a backyard can be a place to race and the camera on top of the included kart really lets people experience their house and racetrack from a new angle. While custom Mario Kart tracks might only exist in romhacks and fan creations, Mario Kart Live is the closest official way to create a Mario Kart track on Nintendo Switch, and it’s a great experience at that.
Tracks: The Train Set Game Gives Switch Players A Building Set
A pastime that’s somewhat gone in the modern age of gaming and creativity is building wooden train sets. Whether based on Thomas the Tank Engine (without Mario face swaps) or produced by Brio, these sets not only encouraged people to be creative with the wooden pieces but also bring in pieces from other building sets or even household objects to make worlds out of. Tracks: The Train Set Game took that concept and brought it to the modern era, simply by making it digital.
Placing train tracks is nice and there are more than enough scenery pieces to build detailed landscapes with in Tracks: The Train Set, but getting to ride around in a train set at ground level is what sets the game apart. A lot of building and city simulator games inspired by Stardew Valley don’t have a camera outside of the bird’s eye view, but this game mirrors Mario Kart Live and lets players drive a train around their town. With many bells and whistles to play with, people can recreate the feeling of real-world experimentation by placing blocks and driving the train straight off the track.
Korg Gadget For Nintendo Switch Is A Gamified Audio Workstation
Working with synthesizers is a daunting task. With multiple different ways to change the tone and sound of the synth on the fly, musicians usually have to have a lot of knowledge and training to create the style of songs they want. While Korg Gadget doesn’t hold back and has complex options for those who know how to use them, it still aims to let newcomers create songs quickly while letting them experiment with more complex options to create something better than even Animal Crossing's best island theme homages.
Korg makes tools that have been used by professional chiptune artists and electronic music producers, but it also has a history with producing software for Nintendo consoles since the DS that can be enjoyed by both musicians and people new to audio. Korg Gadget has many more preset synthesizers than earlier entries so casual players can jump right in, and editing notes is as simple as touching the Switch’s screen. This is a piece of software that truly eases its audience into its complexity, and once a piece of music has been made, it can be exported to an SD card and shared online.
One of the best aspects of all these games is their surprisingly low prices. Only Mario Kart Live still carries a high retail price at around $90.00 dollars. Korg Gadget is around$40.00 dollars on the now fixed Nintendo Switch eShop, while Tracks: The Train Set Game and Game Builder Garage are around $30.00, much less than a full-priced $60.00 game like Super Mario Maker 2. These games offer near-infinite possibilities, so for those willing to put in the time exploring them, each title should hopefully yield lots of replayability.