Super Mario Maker 2's New Master Sword Turns Mario Into Link

Are you underwhelmed with the Dungeon Creator in the Link's Awakening remake? Do you wish you could throw some new challenges at The Legend of Zelda's famous Hylian hero, Link? You'll soon be able to do just that, thanks to an update that's coming to, of all games, Super Mario Maker 2.

When Super Mario Maker 2's Version 2.0 update drops on Dec. 5, a new Master Sword power-up item will come along with it. This item doesn't just splash Mario with a alternative color of paint, however; it actually transforms him into Link, complete with his green tunic, Hylian shield, sword, and bow. Link will obviously have a few abilities at his disposal that Mario doesn't, which should give course creators plenty of inspiration when designing new experiences for the masses. In fact, we wouldn't be at all shocked to see some Zelda-esque dungeons pop up in Course World before too long.

The Master Sword/Link addition probably wouldn't be enough for one single update — especially one with the 2.0 designation — so you can expect to see some other new features once the new update arrives. Spike and Pokey enemies are being added to the game, for instance, as are frozen coins, P blocks, and dash blocks. And there's even an interesting new "Ninji Speedruns" mode coming that enables players to compete in speedruns, with the Ninji ghosts of other players frantically trying to complete the course at the same time. Nintendo itself will be designing new levels for the mode, so we can see this becoming an incredibly popular addition once the update ships.

All in all, Version 2.0 looks to be a solid upgrade to the current Super Mario Maker 2 experience. We're really happy to see the game is still getting some love from Nintendo, and we're hopeful that more updates come in the future. Maybe it's wishful thinking at this point, but we'd really love to see a world map editor. Please, Nintendo — make this happen!

Super Mario Maker 2 is out now on Nintendo Switch.