Mario’s Master Class
Anyone who seriously wants to become a video game designer studies Nintendo games. Over multiple decades, Nintendo’s titles have massively influenced numerous genres thanks to teams so creative and experienced that the work looks effortless. Still, quality game design requires effort, and that effort requires good tools. With the $29.99 Game Builder Garage, the same Nintendo that makes fantastic Switch 1 and Switch 2 games proves that it can make consumer video game development software. In fact, Game Builder Garage is so good that it’s an Editors’ Choice winner in the category, alongside the powerful GameMaker.What Kinds of Games Can You Make?
Nintendo has dabbled with game development software before, but those products tended to focus on relatively narrow game genres. Super Mario Maker 2 lets you create wildly imaginative Mario levels, but they still have to be side-scrolling platformers starring the plumber. WarioWare DIY lets you create your own microgames, but those are joke games that only last a few seconds. The Labo VR Kit came with a surprisingly capable game editor, but those games were tethered to a cardboard virtual reality headset.
The most impressive thing about Game Builder Garage is how it sheds all these limitations. The 3D engine lets you create games in any genre, as long as you can figure out the logic to make it work. The game walks you through making platformers, racers, shooters, puzzlers, and other game types. Your titles can leverage all the Switch’s inputs, such as touch-screen controls, motion controls, and the IR camera. Even with this breadth of possibilities, Nintendo’s trademark visual polish means that whatever games you dream up won’t look as rough as games built in the similarly powerful Core.
You can’t make Nintendo-branded games, though. Game Builder Garage builds on some concepts from Labo VR, but is otherwise its own thing. You won’t find Mario, Link, or Samus hiding as Easter eggs. Hopefully, you’ll make games so good you won’t need to rely on those famous faces.Price and Platforms
As a self-contained piece of console coding software, Game Builder Garage’s closest competitor is Fuze4, also on both Nintendo Switch platforms.
